Oligarchy Trumps Independence

Blog#249-7/4/25

OLIGARCHY TRUMPS INDEPENDENCE
By
Richard Davis

The passage of the 2025 budget marks the transition from democracy to oligarchy. Once the drastic economic and social changes are in place it will be extremely difficult to make meaningful change. In order to restore democracy, if such a move will even be possible, it may require the American people to overtake the current government by force.

Complacency is no longer an option. You may fall into one of three categories. You may be a MAGA maniac and are happy with the turn of events. You may have you head under a rock and have been able to ignore all of the current news or you are in a constant state of anxiety over the direction that American government is taking.

Here’s the definition of oligarchy according to the Merriam Webster dictionary.

It is all too real. “Oligarchy is defined as a form of government in which power rests with a small number of people. These individuals may be distinguished by factors such as nobility, wealth, education, or control over political, military, or religious institutions. In essence, it refers to government by the few, often leading to the exercise of power for corrupt or selfish purposes.”

This process was on display at the Trump inauguration when the self-proclaimed dictator surrounded himself with some of the richest people in the world. The next step was when he became best buds with the richest man in the world and let him use our government as some project for him to mold into his distorted vision of the world. Despite the fact that Musk is no longer in his government position, he is still an indirect player in the American oligarchy.

The 2025 budget bill is a study in selfishness of the kind found in the definition of oligarchy. The lives of the poorest and most vulnerable Americans will be torn apart so that the richest Americans can have tax breaks.

It is estimated that up to 11 million people, or more, will lose health insurance because of Medicaid cuts. While Republicans hide behind slogans that they are rooting out fraud, waste and abuse, what they are really doing is making sure that people who have been helped by the government to stay alive are pushed off a cliff.

Once this bill goes into effect Medicaid recipients will be required to navigate through a new quagmire of paperwork and they will have to renew their eligibility more frequently. The old way was already a nightmare and forced people to give up rather than have health insurance. The new paperwork requirements will surely frustrate people sooner.

The only hope in this area is for private non-profits to set up a corps of navigators to help people who are entitled to Medicaid stay on the program. But most of the non-profits that would do this kind of work are losing their funding because of Trump program cuts that have already happened.

There will be a new work requirement for a class of people on Medicaid. Disability will provide an exemption. Most people who could qualify as disabled will not be able to apply because the process is costly and even more complicated than applying for Medicaid. People need health insurance to go to a doctor to determine disability eligibility and these people may not have insurance and will not be able to see a doctor who would take a chance on someone who may not pay their bills. This marks the end for any hope for a humane and caring American society.