Today, Robert Reich's daily report dealt with "10 reasons for moderate optimism." I understand he does not want to publish gloom and doom every day. He cited statistics which, to me, are fairly depressing. For example only 50% of Democrats, according to a Harris Poll, have changed their purchasing habits since January 20, 2025. The 50% does not look bad upon first glance. In reality, that means that only one half of people supposedly against the current regime have made the effort to shop at stores not associated with the usual villians (Musk, Trump, Bezos) and/or their harsh practices. One half of half is a fourth of the country registers what is happening as it affects purchases.
Hitting the billionaires with less business goes to the heart of our current problems, since economic gain motivates political decisions. Ostensibly, Target stopped DEI programs to prevent a decrease in sales and any executive decisions that would affect their bottom line. Florida is suing Target for offering products for Pride and having DEI programs which decreased the retailer's market value by millions of dollars.
Inflation is not decreasing but, rather, prices are increasing due to talk of tariffs. The stock market is shaky at best. If more tariffs go into effect and a sizable amount of farm workers are deported, prices for produce will go up further. Do they notice?
Putting money in the pockets of billionaires is less money for the people, simply stated. As prices increase, who gets the profit? Not the average American, and this simple example does not include the millions of dollars in contracts that wealthy Trump supporters receive; obviously Musk comes to mind. And the moguls of social media certainly do not want Trump messing with their lucrative sites.
Trump's decision to abandon Ukraine and work with Putin shocked the world, including American past and present diplomats and congress people, not to say the American public. The cogent question is, do they notice, meaning do average Trump supporters realize what is going on? Putin has demonstrated that he is a ruthless dictator whose government invaded an independent nation. Life under Putin is not free by any definition. Putin and his cronies imprison and murder dissenters. I have yet to hear if elected Republican officials and voters are concerned. Can Trump voters realize that turning our backs on Ukraine is not merely a monetary issue. On the simplest level, siding with Putin, an autocrat, represents a rejection of a nation's sovereignty. Further implications are numerous, given European history and relations.
Do they notice--that Vance emphatically stated that the AfD (Germany's right wing party) should receive more support, including less scrutiny of their practices. AfD leaders have dismissed the Holocaust, especially continued efforts at remembrance programs. AfD is anti Muslim and undocumented migrants. The AfD has suggested closer relations with Putin which is counter intuitive at best. It boggles the mind, but I suppose MAGA supporters are ok with these viewpoints. But what about the Muslims and Jews who voted for Trump? Do they notice?
Or will Americans only notice the current upheaval when they do not receive a tax refund or their grandchild does not receive Medicaid or a trip to Yellowstone National Park becomes unwieldly? When will residents in Cincinnati, for example, realize that their economy will be affected by the cuts in jobs at the local EPA office? How about Indiana which receives a large amount of aid from the federal government for their budget? Kentucky gets the most financial support out of all 50 states. States that suupported Trump are the ones that receive the most money from federal programs. These states will inevitably pay more in human and actual cost for the decrease in federal money. When will they notice?
In all fairness, the second Trump administration is in its early life. Hopefully, Americans will realize what actually is occurring before four years are over. Returning to Robert Reich, he believes people are the catalyst for change not political parties. He cites the Anti Vietnam War and the Civil Rights movements. So we needn't wait for political leaders, though we certainly rely on their eventual support.
We are the change we seek. (Barak Obama) I plan to get started now.
©Karen Levi 2025
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