President Donald Trump has declared that we are entering a "Golden Age of America." But I have to ask—golden for whom?
His administration's abandonment of Ukraine, coupled with an alarming coziness toward Vladimir Putin, signals a retreat from the values that have long defined American leadership on the world stage. Instead of standing with our allies against aggression, we are witnessing a betrayal that undermines democracy and global stability. Not only is President Trump lying about who started the war, but now he’s turned his back on the rest of the free world, refusing to condemn Russia’s actions.
Putin’s regime is not just another foreign government; it is an authoritarian force responsible for war crimes, political assassinations, and the suppression of basic human rights. Cozying up to such a leader is not just morally reprehensible—it is dangerous. Given Russia's vast nuclear arsenal and its willingness to threaten the West, aligning with Putin risks emboldening one of the greatest threats to global security. President Trump’s actions are signaling to the rest of the world’s bad actors that now is the time to strike – no longer will the United States serve as a force that defends democracy.
Domestically, the proposed drastic cuts to Medicaid threaten the well-being of millions of Americans who rely on it for basic healthcare. Medicaid is a lifeline for low-income families, children, seniors, and people with disabilities. Slashing $800 billion in funding will leave countless Americans without access to essential care, increasing medical bankruptcies and deepening inequality. A “Golden Age” should mean an improved quality of life for all, not stripping the most vulnerable of healthcare to finance tax breaks for the wealthy.
Adding to these concerns is the alarming rise of oligarchy in America. While everyday Americans struggle with rising costs and stagnant wages, billionaires like Elon Musk are being handed unprecedented levels of power and influence. Musk, whose companies rely on government subsidies and contracts, has used his wealth to shape public policy, silence critics, and push his own agenda—often with little accountability. This consolidation of power in the hands of a few is not democracy; it is plutocracy. When billionaires hold more sway over national policy than elected officials, we must question whether this is truly a government by and for the people, or merely a playground for the ultra-wealthy.
If this is Trump's vision of a "Golden Age," then it is one where the powerful prosper while the rest are left behind. Rather than embracing this narrative, we must ask ourselves whether America is truly moving forward—or merely gilding a deeply flawed reality.
Walker Rhodes
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Being a fourth generation Washingtonian, having escaped the Beltway and the influence of deriving a living off the taxpayer's dime, it amazes me the delusion of some who decry President Trump and the work of Elon and his Musketeers.
As Grandmom tried to explain to us that things in DC are not what they seem and the control of the country was not in the hands of the President, I think back about the wisdom she was conveying to her grandchildren.
What we have seen since FDR and his "New Deal" is an expansion of bureaucratic command and control of the American people. Due to base line budgeting the bureaucracy, for decades, has grown unfettered by the ebb and flow of the economy and has outgrown its accountability and effectiveness.
The bloated bureaucracy, being made up of people who have never produced anything who think they are smarter than the rest of the country, try to impose rules and regulations upon the rest of us in job justification.
Another part of the bureaucracy started to show up in the 60s with the establishment cabinet level departments which were given power and funds, circumventing Congressional and individual state control and oversight. These departments may have been begun with good intentions, but as they garnered greater power and money they became a political arm of bureaucratic unions and those Democrat politicians who are not ashamed to stand up and make fools of themselves as President Trump and Elon expose the graft and corruption of these departments.
Just like another post referencing the local coverage of a "grassroots" protest in North Carolina and also Rep. Rich McCormick townhall that was disrupted by protesters shouting over Rep. McCormick, I ask the question, are they actually affected by the cuts or are they covering up the embezzlement of taxpayer dollars being a paid Soros troll? With the small numbers of "protesters" and polls that show 72 percent of Americans are for Trump and Elon exposing and holding people accountable, I question people's motive.
I for one, having faced the yearly audit of paying income taxes, ask the question to those who stand with the bureaucrats, why should "We The People" be held to a different standard than public "servants" and the departments where they work?
And as some go for the old trick that has been spouted for years about cutting Medicaid, we need to go to that conservative publication Newsweek and find out that that "assumption" is false.
Yes, for many this is will be a "Golden Age" and others it will be a transition time, especially if they are arrested and convicted of embezzlement, but if we continue down the path of debt and the financial irresponsibility the end result will be devastating to all.
Jay Reed