July 4, 2025, the Darkest Day in the Modern Era (USA)
Today, Trump's Big Beautiful Bill has formally passed both houses and will be signed into law tomorrow. To me, this will be the darkest day in our history short of the civil war. I say this because of the cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and the tax supports to what we Americans commonly know as Obama Care. Over $1 trillion will be cut from Medicaid and Medicare. Proponents claim it is aimed to cut fraud, waste and abuse; but, in the end, it will throw close to 12 million people off insurance rolls. With them losing their insurance, I fear it will mean many will end up dying. On top of this, the subsidies that paid for Obama Care insurance will end. People will find their insurance rates increase as much as 75%. I think it will cause many people to drop their insurance all together putting them and their families at great risk.
How will it affect my local area? I drive elderly people to their doctor appointments. I can see many of them losing programs they need to live. I am thinking of one couple. Both are strong Trump supporters. Anytime I pick them up, the husband tries to engage me in a political discussion. Up to now, I avoid it. His wife is severely disabled. We pick them up at least twice a week for her to go to physical therapy. I also believe they depend on SNAP food assistance. This too is being cut. How will they be able to survive? I hate to think what could happen.
There are two hospitals in my county. Four professional nursing homes. A number of family living facilities. The one hospital came close to eliminating its birthing center last year, but county residents convinced them to keep it going. The other hospital supports Washington State University and a growing elderly population because people like to retire near a university. It will likely survive, but I can see them reducing their services. The nursing homes will be severely impacted. Many nursing home residents depend on Medicaid to pay for services. What are they going to do when the funds are cut?
Tomorrow will be the beginning of a nightmare.
Up to tomorrow, I have proudly displayed my American Flag on the Fourth--We Americans do tend to go overboard on this. Tomorrow, though, I am going to keep it in the closet.
How are other Americans reacting to this?
How will it affect my local area? I drive elderly people to their doctor appointments. I can see many of them losing programs they need to live. I am thinking of one couple. Both are strong Trump supporters. Anytime I pick them up, the husband tries to engage me in a political discussion. Up to now, I avoid it. His wife is severely disabled. We pick them up at least twice a week for her to go to physical therapy. I also believe they depend on SNAP food assistance. This too is being cut. How will they be able to survive? I hate to think what could happen.
There are two hospitals in my county. Four professional nursing homes. A number of family living facilities. The one hospital came close to eliminating its birthing center last year, but county residents convinced them to keep it going. The other hospital supports Washington State University and a growing elderly population because people like to retire near a university. It will likely survive, but I can see them reducing their services. The nursing homes will be severely impacted. Many nursing home residents depend on Medicaid to pay for services. What are they going to do when the funds are cut?
Tomorrow will be the beginning of a nightmare.
Up to tomorrow, I have proudly displayed my American Flag on the Fourth--We Americans do tend to go overboard on this. Tomorrow, though, I am going to keep it in the closet.
How are other Americans reacting to this?
Comments
Practically speaking, my hope is in 1) God and 2) the court system to tie this up in red tape to the point where we can survive. Please, God...
My personal forecast is that I will have an increased amount of shitty paperwork as our vulnerable people get thrown out of various programs (why yes, this DOES happen without reason, and it takes roughly 40 hours per family to get them reinstated just because somebody somewhere was trying to reach a quota of de-enrollments when they're actually still eligible!). Guess who has to do the 40 hours? Grrrrrrrrrr.
I also forecast that those for whom we CANNOT secure re-enrollment will seek emergency help from the church--which is why we maintain a pastor's emergency fund stocked by those who feel their hearts leading them that way, and who believe the pastor will handle the money (pitifully little of it!) appropriately. Two of those who contribute do it by working extra jobs, or parts of jobs. So far it's been used to buy dentures for someone who couldn't eat well without them, and since the free/cheap dental clinic closed in the pandemic, there's been no affordable alternative for the poor. There IS a food pantry, so that's at least partially handled--but we had a man a while back who got 700 dollars in assistance monthly and was expected on that amount to handle rent of 500 monthly plus utilities (probably 300) plus food, plus all other necessities... You see why the fund is necessary. And pitifully inadequate.
Still, we can't lay down and die. So we pray. And we work on.
Vote Republican again.
Not if they are dead.
Yeah, I know. I was more commenting on the imperviousness of certain segments of the US electorate to the reality of Trump's policies. And riffing on a joke I used to hear occassionally back in Edmonton...
A: Votes Conservative again.
But to take the point in a more serious direction, I have wondered to what extent the sometimes opaque nature of the connection between Trump's cuts and their baleful effects has insulated him from criticism. If eg. a given nursing home stays open but suffers staff shortages, that might not be something that people notice in the same way that they would notice an outright closure.
My understanding is that during the DOGE cuts, Trump and Musk deliberately avoided slashing direct payments to individuals, presumably because people would feel that directly.
But surely trump told us that the dead people voted Democratic last time?
Especially if they were in Chicago.