Yesterday afternoon, on a little-known Louisiana radio show, a clue was given that shows just how devious the Trump administration plans to be if they pull off a midterm victory. In a short 9-minute and 31-second interview, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson let us all know exactly where his priorities, and the priorities of this entire administration, truly lie when it comes to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. With Johnson even saying, “Entitlement programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and then things like Social Security. They have to be adjusted and fixed.” Letting us all know that they plan to make it harder for seniors struggling to afford to simply survive, and for disabled Americans who depend on programs like Medicaid to stay alive. They do not care about the millions of people who spent their entire lives paying into a system they were promised would be there for them when the time came.
Great timing with this topic, Heather. I went to a very overcrowded emergency room yesterday with stroke-like symptoms. I am 73. It is now 5:30 the next morning and I’m awake because the nurse came in an hour ago to take vitals and blood. I don’t have a stroke diagnosis yet, but it may be coming today. I was already lying here in a hospital bed wondering if I’ve had a stroke and wondering how much care I would get in a world even more controlled by Trump and his cronies if they win the midterms. Then, this piece arrived in my stack. Ever since Trump was elected the first time, I have assumed I would lose benefits under social security and Medicare as I get older. In the meantime, our grocery bill (with nothing fancy and no high-priced beef since I am allergic to red meat) has doubled in the last eight years and is already increasing more in Trump’s second trip to the trough. We all know where gas prices are going. My car insurance bill has doubled since Trump first took office, as well as my homeowner’s insurance. At least we, can still afford the home because it is mostly paid for. I try not to hate anyone, but I come close by despising those who have more than they could possibly spend in their lifetime. They want everything and we have to have far less because of their greed. This is not the country I served for 24 years in the Air Force. Keep fighting, Heather.
No one your age in this country should worry about going to the hospital costing them their house, or being turned away at the door because they cannot pay. Shame shame shame. How many little flags that adorn the graves of men and women who fought and died for this country are drooping, falling to the ground and getting trampled into the mud by this administration? What the f did they die for?
Thank you for your thoughts. I’m in no danger of losing my home, although I am well aware that many others do fall in that category. They are the ones I am most concerned for.
I have Medicare and a supplemental insurance, so I am really not concerned about that except to wonder what Trump will do in the future.
You are right Heather, what he says in his Pollyanna way, that it's the best it's ever been is true, for the wealthy lawmakers and their patrons.
Not so much for the vast majority of citizens. I always look at the announcements and try to see what lies behind them. Is he so insulated that he just doesn't get it? I dont think so.
Does he say these things to please his lord and master?
Little Mike Pollyanna Johnson knows exactly what he is doing. He is a white southern man with power. There is nothing he won't do to preserve white, to protect his brand of Christianity, to maintain a class system so racially marked in this country as to be laughable if it weren't so sad. He and all the other flexible boy dolls Twump has lined up for his afternoon of play and pleasure are speaking the words their master tells them to say. Then Little Mike, and little Rubio and little Judy Vance all look up and ask, "Was that good, daddy? Did I do good?" Of course, daddy is asleep in his chair.
Heather, today you hit the mark. Americans are in a fight not only for our country, but for our lives. Mike Johnson's smug arrogance has always been disgusting, but as Heather accurately points out, he's telling us what the regime's real plan is..."Democracy has failed and only we can fix it". If we don't come together and stand up and speak out before November, we may never have a chance again. We The People will have the final say! I'm with Heather.
Mike Johnson is the part of fascism that its proponents depend upon to carry out their dictatorial goals. He looks like a pious accountant, but smiles inwardly as the inquisitors tighten the thumbscrews on the people.
“The banality of evil” was coined to describe such folks.
In many ways, I don’t blame Trump. He is a career criminal, amoral and narcissistic. The enablers in our legislature, the underlings scraping for coins dropped by the crime boss, the people just carrying out the orders in the name of Jesus…these are the real faces of evil.
Agree that the enablers and sycophants are extremely culpable but Twump is their shield and no pity should be directed at him. None. That is how he can portray himself as meme-Jesus because he knows he has taken the place in their confused little christian heads. Is it Donnie "Jesus" Twump or Jesus "Twump" Christ? I am befuddled, spake Little Mike Johnson.
Ouch, ouch, that was a hard read, Heather. However, I’ll share how I’m daily showing resistance: my red ‘97 Toyota Camry carries a homemade sign “End Ice” and a bought sign “Who Would Jesus Bomb?” I’ve only gotten one bird finger, and lots of thumbs up. Hope the rest of you might consider putting up signs of resistance on your own cars or trucks. Show the colors!
Mike Johnson's version of "Compassionate Conservatism".............we have seen this movie, he is laying the groundwork to successfully label/brand these programs as broken - an imminent/immediate crisis as the marketing tool. The gullible public will hook-line-and-sinker the fabricated crisis and accept the proposed reforms as "necessary" for survival of the programs. This is of course, pure GOP fabrication - as you point out, funds are plentiful and in fact ABUNDANT for tax cuts (Trickle-On Economics), presidential golfing, wars of choice, secret underground bunkers, etc. The 2026 mid-term elections are the last, best option we have to slow this train.......vote like it matters.
Just emailed my reps re this but how do u get this to mainstream media (Nicole Wallace , l O'Donnell) and how do we get Dems to play this on a never ending loop until November . The Dem version of " they'll never come for my SS" was they'll never take away abortion rights ! See where that got us
The basic misconception many people have about health insurance is that it is insurance. Insurance is when a group of people voluntarily create a pool of money to protect themselves and each other from unlikely events. All of us will eventually sicken and die. It's not unlikely, it's certain. Attempting to "protect yourself" against a certain event using insurance is completely off the mark. It should be handled the way most of the rest of the civilized world handles it - as an annuity. Everybody pays into a fund during their working life and draws money for medical expenses when they need it. There are no middlemen stuffing their own pockets with the bulk of the money, and who get to decide whether you "deserve" the medical treatment you need.
Ah, the middleman, an ever strengthening American institution. Wedged between the consumer and the wealthy fellas, the insurance companies suck us dry and now, with AI, will no longer need to answer our questions.
Mike Johnson has a bachelors and a JD. Many in Congress have college degrees and advanced degrees. How many of them had government assistance in paying for their education? Government assistance in the form of subsidized student loans and I’m even going to include the G.I. Bill (simply because, like Social Security and Medicare, it was a promise made). How many of their children had subsidized student loans?
So, those whose Soc Sec and Medicare benefits will soon be reviewed were the ones paying for subsidized student loans for some of those now doing the reviewing. Priceless.
“God will repay each person according to what they have done.” – Romans 2:6
Great article Heather. I am a 77yr old single retired RN . Some 40+ years ago I made a choice to follow my dream and become a hospice nurse. Making that decision wasn’t easy as it was going to be a big cut in pay. But I followed my passion because I knew I’d have my social security to live on and any money I could save would be tucked away for travel. I worked for nonprofit organizations who originally did not have any retirement plans. But over the years that was added but very small so saving was on me. I was frugal and made it work but now I haven’t traveled in over 2 years due to constant fear of losing my social security and medicare. This regime is simply cruel and has no idea what real life is like. I loved my job and all the families I helped but I resent them telling me it an entitlement!! I worked hard for my retirement and ss. The only entitlement the government
pays out is the hospice. benefits !!!! Are they going to take that too???!!!!
When I read this morning I was brought to tears. I am a retiree. My trans daughter who lives with me is disabled and on Medicaid. Our household is affected all three ways. A few weeks ago she went for blood tests and walked out when they told her there would be charge. I am 80 years old and a precinct committee person (PC) for the Democrats. I have scoliosis and yet walk my neighborhood to get out the vote. We need to keep protesting and do everything we can to defeat this cruel and corrupt administration. This is real and what we may need is a French Revolution - poverty stricken people who stood up to a wealthy king who cared only for himself. Same with Russian Revolution. I hate to say it but the only good that will come of this will be his poor supporters when they lose what little they have and wake up. Keep doing what you are doing. You bring us truth and hope.
THIS is what needs to be shared with everyone we can.
THIS needs to be called out to every representative both democrat and republican that we possibly can. Write them..email them..call them..tell them HANDS OFF OUR SOCIAL SECURITY…HANDS OFF OUR MEDICARE…HANDS OFF OUR MEDICAID.
They belong to US..we paid for them all of our working lives.
This financial mess we’re in is THEIR making..they created it..take back the tax credits from those who don’t need them..make EVERYONE pay their FAIR SHARE.
This robbing from the poor to pay to the rich is ASS BACKWARDS and we will not support ANYONE who proposes “making changes” or “ adjustments “ to our entitlements…keep the greedy mitts OFF of them.
Make that CRYSTAL CLEAR and remember it and everything else they’re doing when you VOTE in November.
Heather, the internal contradiction in that interview deserves its own spotlight. Johnson spent the first eight minutes selling a boom — record tax refunds, bigger paychecks, a stock market about to "take off like a rocket." Then, in the same breath, invoked "desperate times call for desperate measures" to justify cutting Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.
He can't have both. Either the prosperity is real — in which case revenue is growing and there's no fiscal emergency — or the emergency is real — in which case the boom talk is a sales pitch. He handed us both in nine minutes on a friendly radio show, apparently confident nobody was taking notes.
There's a name for this move: manufacture the crisis you need. Cut taxes first, run up the debt, then point at the debt as the reason the people who paid in their whole lives have to sacrifice. Johnson didn't just hint at it — he demonstrated it in real time, bragging about the tax cuts and then citing the $40 trillion debt as justification for what comes next. In the same interview. On tape.
I appreciate you bringing this to light. I heard an economist talk about Social Security running out of money and a 22% cut by 2030 coming up unless there are changes. She urged contacting your representative and Senator to pass legislation to generate more revenue. Increase the cap to $300,000. Part of the reason for the loss of funds is that more and more baby boomers are retiring so that income is lost and payouts are increasing.
Great timing with this topic, Heather. I went to a very overcrowded emergency room yesterday with stroke-like symptoms. I am 73. It is now 5:30 the next morning and I’m awake because the nurse came in an hour ago to take vitals and blood. I don’t have a stroke diagnosis yet, but it may be coming today. I was already lying here in a hospital bed wondering if I’ve had a stroke and wondering how much care I would get in a world even more controlled by Trump and his cronies if they win the midterms. Then, this piece arrived in my stack. Ever since Trump was elected the first time, I have assumed I would lose benefits under social security and Medicare as I get older. In the meantime, our grocery bill (with nothing fancy and no high-priced beef since I am allergic to red meat) has doubled in the last eight years and is already increasing more in Trump’s second trip to the trough. We all know where gas prices are going. My car insurance bill has doubled since Trump first took office, as well as my homeowner’s insurance. At least we, can still afford the home because it is mostly paid for. I try not to hate anyone, but I come close by despising those who have more than they could possibly spend in their lifetime. They want everything and we have to have far less because of their greed. This is not the country I served for 24 years in the Air Force. Keep fighting, Heather.
No one your age in this country should worry about going to the hospital costing them their house, or being turned away at the door because they cannot pay. Shame shame shame. How many little flags that adorn the graves of men and women who fought and died for this country are drooping, falling to the ground and getting trampled into the mud by this administration? What the f did they die for?
Thank you for your thoughts. I’m in no danger of losing my home, although I am well aware that many others do fall in that category. They are the ones I am most concerned for.
I have Medicare and a supplemental insurance, so I am really not concerned about that except to wonder what Trump will do in the future.
I hope you get some positive news on your health.
The rich get richer, and the poor get fucked.
You are right Heather, what he says in his Pollyanna way, that it's the best it's ever been is true, for the wealthy lawmakers and their patrons.
Not so much for the vast majority of citizens. I always look at the announcements and try to see what lies behind them. Is he so insulated that he just doesn't get it? I dont think so.
Does he say these things to please his lord and master?
Probably.
Is he gonna get away with it?
Not a snowballs chance, as the saying goes.
Little Mike Pollyanna Johnson knows exactly what he is doing. He is a white southern man with power. There is nothing he won't do to preserve white, to protect his brand of Christianity, to maintain a class system so racially marked in this country as to be laughable if it weren't so sad. He and all the other flexible boy dolls Twump has lined up for his afternoon of play and pleasure are speaking the words their master tells them to say. Then Little Mike, and little Rubio and little Judy Vance all look up and ask, "Was that good, daddy? Did I do good?" Of course, daddy is asleep in his chair.
Small man with power with a HUGE Napoleon complex.
Heather, today you hit the mark. Americans are in a fight not only for our country, but for our lives. Mike Johnson's smug arrogance has always been disgusting, but as Heather accurately points out, he's telling us what the regime's real plan is..."Democracy has failed and only we can fix it". If we don't come together and stand up and speak out before November, we may never have a chance again. We The People will have the final say! I'm with Heather.
Mike Johnson is the part of fascism that its proponents depend upon to carry out their dictatorial goals. He looks like a pious accountant, but smiles inwardly as the inquisitors tighten the thumbscrews on the people.
“The banality of evil” was coined to describe such folks.
In many ways, I don’t blame Trump. He is a career criminal, amoral and narcissistic. The enablers in our legislature, the underlings scraping for coins dropped by the crime boss, the people just carrying out the orders in the name of Jesus…these are the real faces of evil.
Agree that the enablers and sycophants are extremely culpable but Twump is their shield and no pity should be directed at him. None. That is how he can portray himself as meme-Jesus because he knows he has taken the place in their confused little christian heads. Is it Donnie "Jesus" Twump or Jesus "Twump" Christ? I am befuddled, spake Little Mike Johnson.
Ouch, ouch, that was a hard read, Heather. However, I’ll share how I’m daily showing resistance: my red ‘97 Toyota Camry carries a homemade sign “End Ice” and a bought sign “Who Would Jesus Bomb?” I’ve only gotten one bird finger, and lots of thumbs up. Hope the rest of you might consider putting up signs of resistance on your own cars or trucks. Show the colors!
Mike Johnson's version of "Compassionate Conservatism".............we have seen this movie, he is laying the groundwork to successfully label/brand these programs as broken - an imminent/immediate crisis as the marketing tool. The gullible public will hook-line-and-sinker the fabricated crisis and accept the proposed reforms as "necessary" for survival of the programs. This is of course, pure GOP fabrication - as you point out, funds are plentiful and in fact ABUNDANT for tax cuts (Trickle-On Economics), presidential golfing, wars of choice, secret underground bunkers, etc. The 2026 mid-term elections are the last, best option we have to slow this train.......vote like it matters.
You are a gift to all of us who love democracy! I thank you for keeping us informed even though I can only imagine the toll it takes on you ❤️
Just emailed my reps re this but how do u get this to mainstream media (Nicole Wallace , l O'Donnell) and how do we get Dems to play this on a never ending loop until November . The Dem version of " they'll never come for my SS" was they'll never take away abortion rights ! See where that got us
The basic misconception many people have about health insurance is that it is insurance. Insurance is when a group of people voluntarily create a pool of money to protect themselves and each other from unlikely events. All of us will eventually sicken and die. It's not unlikely, it's certain. Attempting to "protect yourself" against a certain event using insurance is completely off the mark. It should be handled the way most of the rest of the civilized world handles it - as an annuity. Everybody pays into a fund during their working life and draws money for medical expenses when they need it. There are no middlemen stuffing their own pockets with the bulk of the money, and who get to decide whether you "deserve" the medical treatment you need.
Ah, the middleman, an ever strengthening American institution. Wedged between the consumer and the wealthy fellas, the insurance companies suck us dry and now, with AI, will no longer need to answer our questions.
I’m 81 years old and a healthy long time feminist. MJ is a POS hypocrite who is trying to take away my social Security that I paid into for 48 years
ANTONIO
Mark you this, Bassanio,
The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.
An evil soul producing holy witness
Is like a villain with a smiling cheek,
A goodly apple rotten at the heart:
O, what a goodly outside falsehood hath!
W. Shakespeare The Merchant of Venice
Mike Johnson has a bachelors and a JD. Many in Congress have college degrees and advanced degrees. How many of them had government assistance in paying for their education? Government assistance in the form of subsidized student loans and I’m even going to include the G.I. Bill (simply because, like Social Security and Medicare, it was a promise made). How many of their children had subsidized student loans?
So, those whose Soc Sec and Medicare benefits will soon be reviewed were the ones paying for subsidized student loans for some of those now doing the reviewing. Priceless.
“God will repay each person according to what they have done.” – Romans 2:6
Great article Heather. I am a 77yr old single retired RN . Some 40+ years ago I made a choice to follow my dream and become a hospice nurse. Making that decision wasn’t easy as it was going to be a big cut in pay. But I followed my passion because I knew I’d have my social security to live on and any money I could save would be tucked away for travel. I worked for nonprofit organizations who originally did not have any retirement plans. But over the years that was added but very small so saving was on me. I was frugal and made it work but now I haven’t traveled in over 2 years due to constant fear of losing my social security and medicare. This regime is simply cruel and has no idea what real life is like. I loved my job and all the families I helped but I resent them telling me it an entitlement!! I worked hard for my retirement and ss. The only entitlement the government
pays out is the hospice. benefits !!!! Are they going to take that too???!!!!
When I read this morning I was brought to tears. I am a retiree. My trans daughter who lives with me is disabled and on Medicaid. Our household is affected all three ways. A few weeks ago she went for blood tests and walked out when they told her there would be charge. I am 80 years old and a precinct committee person (PC) for the Democrats. I have scoliosis and yet walk my neighborhood to get out the vote. We need to keep protesting and do everything we can to defeat this cruel and corrupt administration. This is real and what we may need is a French Revolution - poverty stricken people who stood up to a wealthy king who cared only for himself. Same with Russian Revolution. I hate to say it but the only good that will come of this will be his poor supporters when they lose what little they have and wake up. Keep doing what you are doing. You bring us truth and hope.
THIS IS WHY WE MUST FIGHT.
THIS is what needs to be shared with everyone we can.
THIS needs to be called out to every representative both democrat and republican that we possibly can. Write them..email them..call them..tell them HANDS OFF OUR SOCIAL SECURITY…HANDS OFF OUR MEDICARE…HANDS OFF OUR MEDICAID.
They belong to US..we paid for them all of our working lives.
This financial mess we’re in is THEIR making..they created it..take back the tax credits from those who don’t need them..make EVERYONE pay their FAIR SHARE.
This robbing from the poor to pay to the rich is ASS BACKWARDS and we will not support ANYONE who proposes “making changes” or “ adjustments “ to our entitlements…keep the greedy mitts OFF of them.
Make that CRYSTAL CLEAR and remember it and everything else they’re doing when you VOTE in November.
Heather, the internal contradiction in that interview deserves its own spotlight. Johnson spent the first eight minutes selling a boom — record tax refunds, bigger paychecks, a stock market about to "take off like a rocket." Then, in the same breath, invoked "desperate times call for desperate measures" to justify cutting Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.
He can't have both. Either the prosperity is real — in which case revenue is growing and there's no fiscal emergency — or the emergency is real — in which case the boom talk is a sales pitch. He handed us both in nine minutes on a friendly radio show, apparently confident nobody was taking notes.
There's a name for this move: manufacture the crisis you need. Cut taxes first, run up the debt, then point at the debt as the reason the people who paid in their whole lives have to sacrifice. Johnson didn't just hint at it — he demonstrated it in real time, bragging about the tax cuts and then citing the $40 trillion debt as justification for what comes next. In the same interview. On tape.
His own words are the receipts.
I appreciate you bringing this to light. I heard an economist talk about Social Security running out of money and a 22% cut by 2030 coming up unless there are changes. She urged contacting your representative and Senator to pass legislation to generate more revenue. Increase the cap to $300,000. Part of the reason for the loss of funds is that more and more baby boomers are retiring so that income is lost and payouts are increasing.