This week, (Jan 20-Jan 25) is one fraught with anxiety, depression, anger, shock, and fear. It began on Monday, the 20th of January with the swearing in of Donald Trump for a second go around of his desire to convert our democratic republic into an authoritarian ChristoFascist regime with him as the Dictator for life. Of course from all indicators, looking at his physical appearance, that for life thingy might not be very long! Yet there is much that he and the rabid Republican Congressional majorities along with the loyalist brownshirts he is replacing our normal federal officials with, could accomplish to either delay or blunt totally a return in four years with a normal, set of humans to the federal powers.
Let’s face it, the Democrats and left/centrist independents dropped the ball horribly during the 2024 election year. Tens of millions (I have seen counts of well over 80 million) of voters for Biden in the 2020 election stayed on their couches, saying they weren’t going to vote because they didn’t like the Democratic Candidates. Wow, what hubris, no what anti-American lazy-assed bunch of slugs. Because of their pissy, childish, and irresponsible attitudes, Trump was allowed to slither into the White House with a 1.7% margin of voters. 75 to well over 80 MILLION voters who cast their ballots to fire Trump in 2020, sat on their fat butts, watching daytime soap operas feeling oh so entitled by stating their dislike of the Democratic Party’s candidates.
So, in actuality, those lazy-assed jerks in fact, really voted for Trump and his fascist storm troopers. As a result, the rest of the regular citizenry will have to keep their hopes alive that the Republican Fascist Cult and their Dear Convicted Felon in chief will not be able to do too much damage to our governance, our way of life and our very livelihoods. So now instead of a POTUS, we have a FOTUS. Never in my wildest nightmares had I ever dreamed that we would be stupid enough to elect a Convicted Felon to the highest elected office in our nation.
The Bride and I have made a decision to keep our own counsel, stay the hell away from the wimpy pretend news media, and try to survive the next four years. We’ve done okay so far in surviving the horrible jackass who was given the Governor’s mansion in Richmond. One more year of this scumbag’s regime and we can hope and pray for a better world in our Old Dominion, Virginia.
As a very senior person (well past 82), my abject fear is that the South American Nazi Musk anointed by Trump as the head of that committee of DOGE and whose primary target out the starting gate is with Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid in his gunsights will get his wish. Not legally, because that rich, bigoted white boy jerk from South Africa has no legal authority, except he had the Ear of his fanboy Trump so he can exert undue and frankly illegal influence on our national government.
The Trump regime’s push already is toward reversing the actions by President Biden of relief for seniors on pharmaceutical prescription medications through Medicare. I just yesterday paid a copay of 2000 dollars for a prescription of chemo therapy medications, only to discover when we got home that the prescription is for a 30 day spread. But, under the Biden action, that co pay of 2000 dollars would be the last of my out of pocket copays for the year. Even for my ongoing chemo prescriptions. If Trump is successful in removing the prescription ceiling for health care, most seniors including me will not be able to afford our medicines. For darn sure I couldn’t afford 2000 dollars every month for that one chemo medication, or the cost of the other chemo infusion treatment every three months. Basically, if the Trump regime does follow through and reverses the Biden action of prescription medications, especially for seniors, this old Vet will slowly or perhaps not so slowly have this cancer grow exponentially thus hastening my departure from this world because I would not have the financial capacity to pay for the chemo to keep my cancers at bay.
Thankfully, I have prepared a will (not that I have any true estate but I do specify my wishes for the actions for my final days and the disposition of my body after I die), and a certified declaration of medical directives, so at least my family will not be bothered with the tribulations of dealing with the necessary actions, decisions and legalities of my passing. Seniors, far and wide, I would also strongly advise that you look now at getting your affairs in order as well. At minimum, have a medical directive established.
So, if Musk Trump and the ChristoFascist Republican cabal have their way, the new relief from the Biden Administration, for those of us with a need for continuing health care and medication use will be eliminated and the pharmaceutical companies with have a green light to raise their prices out of the reach of millions of older Americans. Sort of murder by legislation.
Ahh what the hell, I had a pretty good 83 years in this life, and hope that I earned enough capital to move on to the better place rather than that hot place.
Musings of a Geriatric Curmudgeon 