So...one hell of a week, huh? To my fellow Americans, what are your opinions on the slew of executive orders coming out?
What about ol' Musky and his nazi salute?

How's everyone feeling so far?

I keep telling myself executive orders are not always laws. I think it is hilarious he is trying to undo birthright citizenship. You just can't executive order that shit. A lot of his executive orders have felt like petty payback and spite. I have noticed how there are quite a few that fall in line with Project 2025 that he was in no way associated with. I can't pick one that makes me more sick over another. From pardoning the J6 folks that he did, yeah it was not all of them. But still, telling Americans that their actions are acceptable is not a good look. Renaming mountains and gulfs is just childish bullshit. The attack on health care is very concerning. While I did not like that all the gains with health care mainly benefited old people on Medicare, rolling those back is not a good move for those people that benefited. The main takeaway I have from all the healthcare changes is that facts do not matter unless they benefit him financially. Which is a common theme with Trump. I still remember that all the COVID vaccines were possible because of Trump, who also was vaccinated. I also remember that Trump is responsible for the cap on insulin prices. I think those two things were done to try to gain favor with the left. We are in for one hell of a ride for the next 4 years.

As far as Elonia Muskatino, he was always a Nazi. He has a well documented past of what would be considered Nazi aligning behavior.

https://www.vox.com/politics/396535/elon-musk-nazi-salute-trump-inauguration

I mean, I don't want to be an atodaso, but he's doing exactly the kind of insane shit that he told people he was going to do, and they [may have] voted him in anyway, so...*shrug*. That thank-you to Elon about voting machines was fucking odd, though.


He also needs to back the fuck off with this 'manifest destiny' shit. He's literally lighting centuries of nation building and soft power statecraft on fire as we speak, and pretty soon, he's going to cross a line (or a border) that America isn't going to be able to walk back from.

Y'all need to know: Outside your borders, people are getting pissed. Like, really pissed.

Please excuse me for intruding as a Brit.
Or, to be more precise, from Scotland.
Which is where I think Trump claims his ancestry.
A pity he has not retained any values of decency which I think we still cling onto in our politics here.
Like truth, honesty and respect.
The way it seems from here, Trump was elected on the basis of lying every day of his campaign.
The sad fact is that it's easier to believe lies than to find out the truth.
Especially when his lies are carefully designed to appeal to base instincts.
So a lot of people voted for him.
These are dark days for all of us, even in Scotland.
Peter

Canada is a mess right now and not in the good WAM way. Hopefully coming elections will help begin a reversal in the downward trend here.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi6iOFHLTdw&pp=ygUOd2lnZ3VtIGhvdCBkb2c%3D

Didn't Trudeau just step down? I will admit I do not follow much with Canadian politics.

He did, but Canada has never tolerated a leader for more than about 10 years - it just isn't our way. Even the liberal side of the government was generally of the opinion that it was time for fresh ideas.

Trendwise, we have a Triple-A credit rating, inflation is down, the GDP is up, you can still be gay and get marriages here (or abortions), we're leading the G-7, the IMF predicts Canada's economy will be the one of the fastest growing in the world, but...yeah. Some Elon Fanboy spaz who's never learned how to use a mop started squealing that "Canada is Broken"(tm), so I guess somehow we're spinning into tyranny and depression. Go figure.

I find it hard to take anybody seriously who espouses the idea that Trump is a nazi, dictator, fascist, or that he will somehow single-handedly rewrite the constitution and change the system of checks and balances that are in this country's constitution. It's nothing but hyperbole. Trump is going to do his best. My guess is it will be very similar to the four years he was president last time (hopefully without another pandemic.) But time will tell.

So making threats to take other country's lands, attempting to use executive orders to dismantle the 14th amendment of the US constitution, pardoning those that did his bidding in an attempt to overturn the results of the previous election, including those that killed a police officer, the firing of 18 inspector generals, threats to dismantle FEMA, removal of protections for gay, trans, people of color and women in hiring and government institutions, or let's just look at his mistress, Elon Musk, and the blatant nazi salute followed by speaking at the AfD rally.

Yeah, it's all hyperbole. The only thing he is doing his best at it enriching himself and his corrupt followers.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/14th-amendment-introduced-help-racial-171849711.html
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-lindsey-graham-inspectors-general-firing-2020984
https://www.ft.com/content/a935f6dc-d915-4faf-93ef-280200374ce1
https://www.aclu.org/news/racial-justice/trumps-executive-orders-rolling-back-dei-and-accessibility-efforts-explained
https://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/politics/2025/01/22/january-6-police-officers-condemn-donald-trumps-pardons/77891553007/
https://newrepublic.com/post/190724/jd-vance-donald-trump-january-6-pardons
https://inthesetimes.com/article/trump-musk-bezos-taxes-doge

Oh, and speaking of potential pandemics...

https://www.newsweek.com/tuberculosis-tb-outbreak-kansas-largest-ever-wyandotte-johnson-2021492
https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-reported-first-outbreak-h5n9-bird-flu-poultry-woah-says-2025-01-27/

"Blatant Nazi salute." You are only reinforcing my viewpoint. Talking politics these days is like screaming into the void. I regret my comment on this thread, and won't be commenting further. However, if the United States does indeed collapse into chaos as slightly less than half the American voters seem to think, I will be the first to admit I was wrong with my hyperbole comment.

I live in Mister Rogers' Neighborhood/Pgh, and we've had "bad guys" invade our places of worship and schools lately, with disastrous results. Explain it to me like I'm five, as that's how old my youngest will be when he starts kindy in the fall, why this time it'll be okay for armed "good guys" to storm his school, library story hour and Sunday School lessons to remove his fellow 5yo "study buddy."

"Civil disobedience for kindergarteners" is a tough read.

If you don't think that is what it was, please tell me what it was. Enlighten me about this epic "Roman salute". Or the "My heart goes out to you salute". I am interested in your explanation of what this was. Please also provide evidence on exactly what it was he did. Also, tell me why it is mainly Americans that question the "Nazi salute" lol.

Respectfully snipped by me. I wouldn't take collapsing into chaos as a barometer of the USA's strength and stability. Absolutely, we could deport individuals and families and crush LGBTQ+ folks and many of those among us would merely shrug and say, "that needed to be done, but we're gonna proceed as planned and all is just ducky from here on out."

Update: In the middle of the night, my 4yo awoke suddenly and puked violently, then broke down into sobs as I rushed the bedclothes and his pajamas into the laundry pile. I tucked him back into bed with his blankets and watched our 10yo tomcat snuggle next to him. He's fine, but if our immigration status was different and his condition went downhill, I'd have had to choose between getting him emergency care and being forever separated from him.

I don't like the raids and deportations that are happening. I don't like that we have ICE going into schools to get kids. I don't like that we have kids who might be in a situation where they come home and their parents have been detained. We do not have anything in place to take care of these kids and the foster system in America has been a giant joke for a long time. There are a lot of jobs that are not being done because people are afraid to show up and be deported. I don't think the average American knows how important the jobs are that are done by migrant workers. I also don't see the people supporting this lining up to perform the jobs that were done by migrant workers.

This s*** literally went down 20 minutes from my front door: https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/ice-agents-cranberry-township-pittsburgh-area/

Remind your neighbors they are not required to answer the door or talk to ICE without a warrant. Then, if they get a warrant, don't say a thing without a lawyer. Also, have someone with a cell phone recording everything.

I was going to leave the USA, now I am delighted and going to stay.

Phil

So tell me what makes you so delighted about what's going on in the US.

I will tell you in 6 Months....

So pretty much never.

You're making a new mud pit in the summer and invite over all the sexy neighbors?

Should have stepped down years ago! Unfortunately the damage he did will take years to undo or maybe it's too late. See what happens in our elections this year.

Not sure where you get your facts from or what news you listen to. Our GDP and average household income is now basically the same as the poorest state in USA, Mississippi. Inflation is still high, just go to the grocery store. We pay the highest rates for telecommunications in the world. We're falling and won't be in the G7 any longer. Not sure how they can predict one of the fastest growing economies, very hard to find work now, tons of businesses closing, bankruptcy. Crime is out of control and criminals are going thru revolving door of our bail and justice systems. The sunny ways are long gone, and the Liberals are now doing 180 and flip flop on all their policies like on carbon tax, capital gains, immigration etc. But if you think Canada isn't broken and just fine you'll get your chance to vote on it later this year. Hopefully Trump tariffs don't occur or not as bad before we can hold elections and let the people decide what they want.

If you are in Canada, Trump tariffs on Canadian goods will not impact you. Now if Canada imposed tariffs on US goods, that would impact you. I do not know enough about Canada's government to say who sets those. The tariffs have always and will always be paid by the consumer. The company doesn't pay those. Why should they when they can pass those costs on to the consumers.

Scared to see what prices will be like at grocery store for produce and meat after tariffs! And energy, I don't drive or have a car but heating and electricity could go nuts.

How I'm feeling:

Discussion around people in my friends-family sphere is carefully censored. I've had to cut some people loose, because...well, you just can't talk to them. Like, I go to a family gathering and I'm told beforehand "Now don't say one word about Trump to my sister at her party. Just don't."

And there's work...all talk of politics is absolutely banned. It happened miraculously, out of nowhere, before anything bad happened and without anyone asking for it.

Since management figured this out alone, that's not all bad, I guess. You can still hear Trump talk behind closed doors, though. They go quiet when the other side shows up with a question about the actual work.

How I'm feeling...depressed. The Leopards Eating People's Faces party has this situation absolutely correct.

Nessie

That's just how it is in Russia.

Things are not looking good.

a 25% tariff would have an impact on Canadian exports to the US, which would have an impact on the Canadian economy, and therefore, an impact on Canadians.

That impact would be on the US consumers. There are a lot of things that Canada provides to the US that we cannot get here. So there are no other options in that case.

I did read where stores in Canada are already taking US liquor off the shelves because of the Trudeau tariffs on US goods. That will impact the US more because there are other suppliers of liquor from all over the world. Just because the store doesn't have the flavor you prefer, that is not the same as some of the energy provided to the US from Canada.

For anyone that missed this, Elon Musk now has access to millions of people's personal information, including your social security number, and any benefits you may receive.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/musk-treasury-social-security-access-federal-payment-system-trump/