'They can't afford to live here': Deep red Montana town faces DOGE fallout

[Ford_Prefect]

32. Not to defend my foolish neighbors but: None of them knew how much DOGE and Congress would gut the economy before the

election. The wholesale firings and agency destruction was not expected to apply so quickly. IMO most thought it would occur through congressional action in the usual if politically charged way of Trump1. I doubt my neighbors had any reason to think Elmo and DOGE would or could act so peremptorily. They have believed there was waste in government but I doubt they had any idea how far DOGE or Trump intended to go.

To be fair they were given a false choice and expected more responsible decisions to be made. Yes, I hear you saying that you couldn't possibly believe that Trump would do so. I agree. But they were also lied to by our Governor, Montana Republicans in our legislature, our Congressmen and Senators about how Medicaid and Medicare, among other key programs wouldn't be touched.

I don't defend their poor judgement, nor their faith in a toxic cult, nor their willful condemnation of all kinds of fellow citizens, or the wanton desecration of education, science, or American History and Law.

However, you can only blame so much on them alone. They WERE manipulated, lied to, and deliberately deceived about the choices to make by people who were very well paid to do it, and who were elected to public office on the expectation that they would honestly act in the public interest.

There are very few in the GOP ranks of the House and Senate who could not be blamed at this point. Most of them DID know what was intended and most welcomed it. I cannot say to a man how many expected the assault on Law and Order, on Diplomacy, or National Health. I am sure the MAGA knew some of what was intended and probably worked to facilitate it.

IMO there are a few ropes in need of stretching in that regard, what with such treason being high crimes and felonies. I understand mass murder is considered to be a crime against humanity. 80 years ago there were trials, imprisonment, and executions meted out to those who were held responsible for the programmatic deaths of millions of European Jewish citizens. The programmatic, and wholly avoidable, removal of health insurance, healthcare, nutrition, and housing support to millions of American citizens dependent on Medicaid and Medicare will lead to their deaths either by immediate medical calamity or slow death through starvation and homelessness. These are the informed and willful choices made by elected GOP members of the House, Senate, and state legislatures along with GOP governors, and the Senate approved heads of our agencies and institutions.

They KNOW that people will die. They KNOW that this could be avoided by a simple and modest tax on the ultrarich oligarchs. They revel in the idea that they have won the culture war and consider that this is justice for having lost the Civil War 160 years ago.

I am no longer willing to extend my hand on cooperation with them. All of the chaos and death they are generating is intentional. I fully expect they will attempt to invalidate the interim elections in 2026 by any and all means they can muster. They are already trying to sell off what is left of our public lands.