Originally published at: Trump May Pause On Shoving DOGE Cuts Down Congress’ Throat; May Force Feed Medicaid Cuts Instead - TPM – Talking Points Memo
As my colleague Emine Yücel reported yesterday, President Trump’s plan for a rescissions package — which many presidents have successfully used since the 1970s to send unspent funding back to Congress — is a constitutionally backwards attempt to force down legislators’ throats the sweeping cuts to federal programs that Trump has already made, without Congress’…
I think Josh is right and the man is in trouble. He knows it, which makes him a more dangerous animal. Will he shoot someome on Fifth Avenue? Only time will tell.
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Off topic: in light of calls to boycott Amazon today, it occurred to my that boycotts are exactly the same strategy as tarrifs, and it’s a loser strategy. It amounts to causing yourself personal pain in the hopes that it might hurt someone else as well.
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Republican Party to asylum seekers: Drop dead.
From the article: "In a 116-page reconciliation amendment from Chairman Jim Jordan, Republicans have proposed a whopping $1,000 fee for asylum-seekers—the first of its kind in U.S. history…
“The amendment also proposed a fee of $550 for those applying for employment authorization under the Immigration and Nationality Act. The permits would elapse every six months, making it extremely expensive to work in the U.S. as an immigrant.”
Only rich heterosexual conservative-Christian Norwegian big-business owners or trust-fund babies need apply. Also, Mr. Trump hates eating fruits and vegetables so your agricultural labor is no longer needed.
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Perhaps, for efficiency’s sake, RFK, Jr.'s HHS should focus on bringing back rickets, scurvy and pellagra.
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That might be true if, for example, Amazon was the only source of a life-saving or pian-saving medication that you need, but it’s not. Most of what Amazon sells can easily be obtained elsewhere. You’re not hurting yourself at all, you’re just denying yourself a modicum of convenience. .
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The point of my argument was not to tell people not to boycott Amazon, it was to point out why the strategy won’t work. It doesn’t change the moral implications of doing business with someone or a company that is unethical. One shouldn’t do that. We shouldn’t buy from Amazon.
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Amazon is a great source if you don’t live in a big city. They have variety of products and sizes that are not available in smaller communities. Even if I don’t buy from Amazon - they at least let you know what is available in one place.
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Go to a brick and mortar. Support your local retailer.
It won’t kill you to get off your ass
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if you don’t care about your pain, think of the pain of the Amazon warehouse workers
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There aren’t very many of those. As much as I would love for consumer behavior alone to be enough to effect change in this country, it isn’t. We will always buy the $2 product if it is just as good as the $5 product, and it will always be the job of marketing to convince us to buy the $5 product instead of the $2 product, and it will usually fail. Consumers act in their own best interest to their best degree, rarely making decisions based on externalities.
One fundamental difference between Trump’s tariffs and calls to boycott Amazon: Trump implemented a loser strategy while he was winning. Boycotting is a loser strategy, but we all know we are losing, so it’s far more rational to advocate for than tariffs.
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Heroin helped him concentrate in collage!
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The “GAO”?? Is that still a thing? And why? Are the First Felon and President Elon getting careless? The GAO should have been under the chainsaw first thing, along with the inspector generals.
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Definitely, if this is something you can do. I live in a good sized city with two (2) Costcos (!) and at least that many Trader Joes. We’ve got lots of local book stores, and checking my favorite (online) has become my first move. Plus, instant gratification! You buy it, you’ve got it.
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Counter point, I know what I want, I know what company makes it, I can use their site instead.
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Moreover, then that company doesn’t need to kick back a ludicrous percentage to Mister Bezos. Win/win!
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um, no. I have been boycotting everything Amazon ever since the stories of employees not getting bathroom breaks and all the union busting. They will not get a penny of my money. I don’t care if it works or not, I just refuse to personally give them a cent. I spend my money elsewhere. And frankly, I also happen to think that benefits people and the economy and small businesses much more. But even if it doesn’t make a dent, Bezos can fuck all the way off and I will not give my money to him or any of those garbagey billionaires.
It’s been about four years since I bought anything from them and I’m not suffering a bit. I have been able to find anything I want elsewhere.
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I agree with everything but what I posted above from your post. I agree with you. Nothing you said contradicts what I said.
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okay, I’m a bit confused then by your post, then. I guess I don’t think it’s a loser strategy to purchase from places you support rather than ones you don’t.
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