Emotionally Exhausted                                     #327

By Hank Silverberg

I finally figured out just what Donald J. Trump's basic strategy is. The whirlwind of Executive Orders, DOGE activity, and on-and-off tariffs are exhausting us all, confusing our allies, driving investors crazy and in general, convincing us all to just turn off the news,  confine our on-line scrolling to cat videos, and avoid any political exchanges on the job, on social media, or in social settings. 

In other words, tune out. Then slowly, while we are not watching, or paying attention or diverted by the outrageous ideas like buying Greenland, Mr. Trump and his lemmings in Congress will erode our rights, restrict our way of life, and destroy any semblance of the United States as we know it. 

What? I exaggerate, right? Not really. Look at what has happened in just his first seven weeks in office. 

We are in a trade war with our allies and foes alike. We have pretty much deserted Ukraine, giving up our role as world leader and telling Europe they are on their own against Russia. Basic government services like national parks, veterans benefits and Medicare are being disrupted or are about to be. What actually happens is still open, but just the threat has been enough to exhaust us all.  

We have begun to hear some complaints from Trump supporters. "What?" they say. "That's not supposed to affect me." Some red states are being hit harder by the federal government chaos, and state governments in some of those red zones aren't prepared to deal with the loss of federal help, so the impact may be greatest in states that voted for Trump. 

Some Democrats, who have gotten little traction in their opposition are impotent. Small signs being held up at Trump's speech of course, won't work.  

They look to the mid-term elections in 2026 in hopes of getting a majority back in either the House or the Senate where they can effectively halt Trump's rape of our government. But that may be too late. 

Social Security used to be the third rail of politics.  Any politician who messed with it was in danger of getting burned. But Congress has lost control of things. The people we elected to make decisions are not making them.   

Reports this week suggest the Social Security system, DOGE's latest target, could be in chaos soon because the people with the institutional knowledge that makes it work may soon be fired.  

About 68 million people currently collect Social Security. If those checks stop, the chaos both economically and politically may be hard to bring back under control.  

Frankly, I no longer have any clue how it will all play out. And like much of America, I'm too exhausted by it all to care right now. Maybe we can bounce back next month. Right now, there's an old rerun of Gilligan's Island on TV. Those poor people!

News You May Have Missed!

Tesla Under Fire!

It appears that Elon Musk's car company has become the target for people not pleased with what he is doing with DOGE. There's been a wave of anti-Tesla protests in recent weeks.

In most cases it's just picketing, but one dealership  was plastered with graffiti and Molotov cocktails were thrown at another. 

In Colorado, a man was arrested for causing $5,000 to $20,000 in damage to a dealership, including spray painting "Nazi" under the entrance.  

In Maryland this week, graffiti shouting "No Musk" was found at a Tesla dealership. 

In Massachusetts, some Tesla charging stations were set on fire.

In Portland, Oregon, at least seven shots were fired at a Tesla dealership this past week. 

And in New York City, 350 protestors shut down a Manhattan Tesla showroom. 

Tesla stock has also suffered, down 32 points so far this year. 

(Space X )

It hasn't been a good week for Musk in general. SpaceX's massive Starship spacecraft exploded on Thursday minutes after launch, sending debris through the sky over the Bahamas and halting some air traffic as a result. The spacecraft broke up in space when its engines cut off. This is the second straight failure for Musk's Mars rocket program. He called it a "minor setback".

It should be noted, while Musk is recommending massive cuts in federal programs, NASA has provided SpaceX with $15 billion in taxpayer money for the Moon/Mars mission. 

https://phys.org/news/2025-03-scientists-date-ancient-child-resembles.html

https://www.reuters.com/technology/space/spacex-launches-eighth-starship-test-eyeing-ships-mock-satellite-deployment-2025-03-06/

 Missing Link?

Some new evidence may indicate that Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens (us) are more related than previously detected. 

The remains of a child discovered 27 years ago in a rock shelter located in central Portugal may have been wrapped in a painted animal skin before burial, indicating a Homo Sapiens society. 

The child was very human-like,  but scientists now believe that the child descended from populations in which Homo Sapiens and Neanderthals mated and mixed. DNA has pretty much proven that current day humans carry genes from Neanderthals. 

(homo Neanderthal, courtesy
 Smithsonian )

The difficulty in the research has been trying to find out exactly when that child was alive. Traditional carbon dating didn't work because of contamination by plants and other sources. But charcoal and animal bones found around the skeleton now suggests that the child lived between 27,700 and 29,700 years ago. 

Neanderthals, the closest species to current day humans, roamed the Earth between 400,000 and 40,000 years ago. That overlaps with Homo Sapiens, who first appeared about 200,000 years ago, before developing the capacity for language about 50,000 years ago. Scientists have never been sure if the two species mated and mixed, but this discovery may advance that theory.  

https://phys.org/news/2025-03-scientists-date-ancient-child-resembles.html

Of Note

While Musk and Trump are cutting jobs to supposedly save the tax payers money, in just seven weeks Mr. Trump's weekend golf trips have now cost the taxpayers $18.2 million. And he plays and spends that money at his own resorts.  

Dumbest Quote of The Week!

This week's dumb quote comes from Michigan Republican Congressman, Bill Huizenga, who has been getting inundated by phone calls to his office by people complaining about all the cuts and chaos in Washington. 

 He said he "prefers people not call his office". 

He wants them to go to the website instead where they can leave comments with their names and addresses. He apparently thinks all those calls are coming from folks outside of his district. Sorry, Congressman. Constituent services are part of your job, and that includes having someone to answer your voter's phone calls. If that is too much for you, here's a Trumanesque suggestion: "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!"

 (You suggestions and comments  are welcome)

My recent book "The Campaign" can be purchased at the links below. Or you can buy a copy by emailing me at:  HankSilverberg@gmail.com for instructions on how to get a copy at a reduced price and with my signature)                       

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084Q7K6M5/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-campaign-hank-silverberg/1126429796

My NEWEST book is now available. It is designed for use in Public Speaking and entry level communications classes.