Thriving on Chaos

 

It's essential to recognize that chaos is not a byproduct - it is the objective. The relentless cascade of executive actions with questionable legality, the deployment of both veiled and overt threats to allies and enemies, and the appointment of individuals who are at best unqualified and, at worst, dangerous to positions of critical authority all serve a singular purpose: to incite hysteria among those who are most susceptible to being hysterical. I'll concede it's wildly effective - each news cycle feels compressed, to the point where it feels as if we're distorting time. The onslaught is so relentless that meaningful debate becomes impossible. As you process the current crisis another one has already taken root. 

He wants Greenland. No, actually, it's Canada. Hold on - we're going to slap our two neighbors with insane tariffs because tariffs are good. Nah, actually, we got concessions so we'll cancel that, tariffs are actually bad. We're going to take the Gaza Strip. How? Who knows. By the way, we're canceling foreign aid. Oh, and the Department of Education. 

While that is happening, three profoundly unqualified people are in position to supervise Health & Human Services, National Intelligence, and the Department of Defense. It's an objective reality that they're unqualified, one acknowledged across the political spectrum by actual conservatives, liberals, and independents alike. 

And while that is happening, an unelected plutocrat, flanked by a gaggle of twinky tech elites, including one named 'BigBalls', is culling through sensitive government data, arbitrarily canceling foreign aid and purging bureaucrats. Pursuing limited government does not entail throwing M80's in the proverbial toilet. Edmund Burke, often referred to as the "father of conservatism," warned against rapid, radical change because of the risks involved. 

It's overwhelming. The media lacks both the capacity to distinguish the critical from the trivial and the ability to deliver accurate information. At best, all we can do is step back and identify what is truly dangerous. Meanwhile, Trump's cult thrives on this chaos - but even more so on the thrill of owning the libs. The Constitution, Congress; even basic human decency are meaningless so long as the right people are provoked and triggered. All principles have been abandoned. So when I'm asked "what happened to you?" my answer remains the same: I didn't change, you did. 

And you know what? I can't even blame people for changing. Because while Republicans set loose unelected plutocrats, Democrats installed an unelected ideocracy (not to be confused with idiocracy) that wielded executive power to funnel money where it never should have gone. They embraced far-left initiatives that were 80-20 issues for voters, and they were not on the "80" side in any of these. Previous Republicans, like Mitt Romney, were planning to "push grandma off the cliff." McCain was painted as a racist for the crime of running against Barack Obama. So, some people said - fuck that, and fuck you. Give me a sociopath. 

Anyway, with the theatrics aside, what's important is to separate fact from fiction. 

USAID is a key instrument of US soft power, advancing foreign policy through humanitarian aid, economic development, and diplomatic engagement. It's barely a fraction of government spending, but it expands and maintains US spheres of influence. The problem is that progressives used it to fund weird shit that was explicitly cultural and enriched NGO nonprofits that pushed said weird shit. I'm cool with this waste going bye bye. 

But gutting USAID threatens billions for American farmers and other businesses. Like most foreign aid, the US government buys stuff from Americans and ships it abroad. Elon Musk takes his cues from X users named ClownWorld and CatTurd; and they have helped identify areas of waste for the shadow president. PEPFAR fell into their crosshairs, and that program essentially prevents the deaths of millions abroad from HIV. The common retort here is "we should spend that on our homeless troops!" Well, we can do both. And ask yourself why the Department of Defense is incapable of this on its own despite its $842 Billion budget. 

But yes, USAID also provided $7.9 million to teach Sri Lankan journalists how to avoid "binary gendered language." There was $25 million earmarked for Deloitte to promote "green transportation" in the country of Georgia. Up to $20 million for "inclusion initiatives" in Vietnam. That's pretty wasteful! But please note the trend here - by highlighting deeply unpopular but infinitesimal costs, we get the appearance of aCtUaLLy dOiNg sOmEtHiNg, when from a budget perspective it's borderline irrelevant and actively harmful when the cuts are broad and indiscriminate.

Take the Politico thing. They "found" government funding going to Politico. But that was Politico's LLC, covering a subscription service for government users that is in use by everyone in the three branches of government, and was so when Trump was president. Representative Lauren Boebert, who gives handjobs during theater shows, decried the "waste" without noting her office subscribes to the service. Oh - and Musk didn't "find" this. It's always been publicly available. 

Clinical trials paid for by USAID have been interrupted, with people going unmonitored with experimental drugs and devices in their bodies because funding stopped. Rapid change. Rapid consequences. 

They're gutting the NOAA, which is a Project 2025 objective. That's the same, and very unpopular, Project 2025 that Trump disavowed. Their justification? Storm reporting causes climate alarmism. The NOAA doesn't just monitor whether it's going to rain. They play an active role in air traffic safety. Musk will move on the National Weather Service, next. 

Catholic Relief Services is bracing to be gutted by Elon Musk. They aid 200 million people in 121 countries. The sheer irony of the Republican-inspired "Faith Based Initiative" being gutted not by secular, "evil" democrats but by allegedly conservative Republicans, is too much to conjure. The CRS isn't sponsoring drag shows in Micronesia or childhood transition in South Africa.

Kash Patel, the nominee to lead the FBI, disclosed he's receiving millions in shares of a Cayman Islands holding company directly tied to a Chinese corporation the Senate and pro-Trump organizations accuse of "slave labor," and indicated he won't divest. I suppose the swamp needed to be refilled. 

Americans deserve a tax code that prioritizes growth, simplicity, and fiscal responsibility. Trump's tax plan features a grab bag of tax cuts that add $7 trillion to 10-year deficits, push the national debt to 149% of GDP in ten years, and walk back key 2017 reforms enacted under Trump that people actually like. "No tax on tips" is actually a gimmick for corporations to convert professional fees to tips, it's not intended to benefit your restaurant servers, even if it may. 

They're threatening to end USAID and the Federal Education Department by executive order. That's blatantly unconstitutional. You can pass a law to close the ED if you like. That's what the legislature is for. I have no love for the federal Department of Education. But if you're the parent of a student with an IEP, play very close attention:

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates IEP's and is funded through the ED. This would weaken funding, oversight, and enforcement, leading to inconsistent IEP services. If this is a critical objective, have Congress terminate the ED and ensure the allocation schedules and oversight are unaffected. 

Just today, one of Musk's young techs was granted access to the Energy Department's IT infrastructure without being vetted. He now has access to top secret nuclear assets. The recklessness in play here is so extreme, it's hard to believe it's real. If it was written into a CIA TV show it would be laughed off. Another resigned after his previous racist screeds were discovered. Vice President Vance and Donald Trump are recommended he be rehired - he shouldn't have to pay for youthful sins. Except he made the comments in 2024. So he's either a child or a vile racist, can't be both. Within a week he'll resume his access to sensitive government data. 

At this point, I realize I'm all over the place, so I'll just embrace the chaos. 

Canada's "capitulation" to Trump on tariffs is an advanced border protection plan, a plan that was done months ago under Biden. President Sheinbaum of Mexico is placing troops at the border to stop the flow of people and fentanyl. These arrangements were already made under Biden. They called Trump's bluff, but chances are you have no idea because he claimed victory and his word is his bond. 

Bringing this back to US soft power - Trump and his acolytes like to portray the United States as a hulking strongman capable of reshaping the world at will. We are awesome, we are great. America First! But soft power is what truly reinforces our spheres of influence - a concept taught in elementary school history. When those spheres erode, the nations within them will seek new alliances, whether those are Russian, Chinese, or European. In doing so, we forfeit our ability to engage in diplomacy and to keep countries aligned with US objectives abroad. When people no longer rely on us, they no longer have a reason to listen to us, either. Unless, of course, you want boots on the ground. 

If I mention any of this, I'm met with a chorus of "Hunter Biden! DEI! Woke!" Or I'm called a libtard. That's fine. But like, Hunter Biden is bad. DEI (in practice, not in theory) is bad. "Woke" shit is why Democrats lost millions of undecided voters. The people rejected the Democratic platform and the Democratic candidate. But whataboutism only gets you so far. Is it the position of Trumpists that "shit was bad, so we're going to do bad shit too!?" Because what I wrote above is bad, and it's factual. This is the part where I reiterate that I haven't changed. Bad is bad. It doesn't matter who is doing it, and modern tribalism is about to tear us to shreds.