Thoughts for the Day, February 3, 2025: Unfortunately, it is a reality

Question of the Day: Where should I put my money, so it is safe from Trump and Musk having access to it?

I was asked this question four weeks ago by a very close friend. If this question had been asked a year ago, I would have dismissed the question and told the person there was nothing to be concerned about. However, I have learned this person is very insightful, so I did not dismiss my friend’s concerns. After giving the question some thought, I provided advice that I believe would alleviate most of my friend’s concerns.

Based on the news over the weekend that Musk and his team from DOGE used the power of Trump to get access to the system that disburses money from the U.S. Treasury, my friend’s concerns are justified.

Allowing Musk and DOGE access to the Treasury payment system is absolutely frightening to me. Musk and DOGE are being allowed to run wild, and the Republican controlled congress is not willing to rein them in and risk the rath of Trump. The courts may issue cease and desist orders, but Trump is not going to abide by them. He is protected from crimes that are committed in his role as president thanks to the recent SCOTUS ruling.

What is next?

Jonathan V. Last said it best in his blog The Triad. Here are excerpts.

Musk claims that he, personally, is putting a stop to payments that he does not like.

First: This obviously could not happen unless the FBI had been neutered, because these actions are badly illegal. Of course, if the DofJ and FBI refuse to investigate the crimes, then are they really crimes at all?

Second: If Musk is personally deciding what money comes out of the Treasury, then it is impossible to predict where economic disruptions will hit. Will Musk stop payments to social services vendors in South Dakota? Or to aerospace contractors in New Jersey? Will he refuse to make interest payments on government debt? Will he ratchet back Social Security disbursements? If you cannot predict government disbursements after laws have mandated them then you cannot predict the future economic environment.

If you wanted a real doomsday scenario, you’d start worrying about the future of the FDIC and ACH systems.

The FDIC is the program that guarantees the bank deposits of ordinary consumers. It was one of the most important New Deal reforms enacted to prevent another Great Depression—and it has been in the Musk/Trump crosshairs. If the FDIC is neutered, the rules surrounding capital requirements for banks would shift in ways that are impossible to anticipate and could reshuffle the American banking system itself.

Even more concerning is the country’s ACH system.

The Automated Clearinghouse (ACH) is the utility system that routes and transfers most electronic funds in the United States. There is a federal component (the Federal ACH) and a smaller component run by a consortium of banks.

What if Musk is looking to disrupt the ACH system? Or more to the point: Replace it with his own, private system?

One year ago, I would have dismissed the above as paranoia. I could not fathom it happening in the U.S. However, after understanding Project 2025 and the depths Trump/Musk will go to exercise power to their benefit, nothing they do will surprise me.

Elliot Kirschner, in his blog on Sunday, issued a call to action. Here is what he said.

We are not powerless. While it may be folly to rage against wind and rain, it is not hopeless to fight back against the dark storm clouds looming over our democracy. The danger is being unleashed by those who are pushing to see how far they can go without waiting to find out. We need a much more vigorous response. We need elected officials to speak out against these outrages—not to be overwhelmed by any single one, but to paint the larger picture of a corrupt, dangerous, reckless band of autocrats who are out to enrich themselves and impoverish our democracy.

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Transparency, or lack thereof in our state government

This has been an ongoing topic of this blog since the beginning. It is always nice to know that others feel the same as I do. The following is from the Detroit News Editorial Board on Sunday February 2. It is appropriate it appeared on Groundhog Day, since it has been said over and over with no results from our leaders in state government.

The Michigan Legislature has dodged passage of true transparency for decades. It’s time to end the games.

Under freshly seated Republican Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, the House has the chance to pass legislation to finally expand the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to lawmakers and the governor’s office.

The Democratic-controlled Senate voted Wednesday to pass the legislation, capitalizing on efforts pushed last year.

The House should swiftly consider it and approve the FOIA expansion.

Michigan is one of just two states that allows its legislators and governor to be exempt from providing public information to the public upon request.

Last year, we urged Republicans and Democrats in both chambers to make transparency reforms their first priority in the new session.

Until the voters start demanding transparency of our state government, the state politicians are not going to make it happen. They have no incentive to do so.

From Nolan Finley on Friday following Trump’s press conference after the D.C. plane crash.

The plane crash in D.C seems like it was weeks ago based on everything that has happened in Washington D.C since the crash. However, Trump turning the tragedy into a political message should not be forgotten. It says so much about the person.

Here is what Nolan Finley, a long-time conservative member of the Detroit News editorial board had to say about Trump’s press conference about the D.C. crash.

He's got to stop being such a loose cannon and realize that as the most powerful man in the world, his words matter. He still doesn't get that. After the plane crash in Washington D.C., Trump tried to capitalize on the tragedy by blaming DEI initiatives and Biden.

I've covered three major plane crashes and know that it will take months of investigation before blame can be assigned. In the meantime, we don't need the president spouting theories aimed at scoring political points. Trump seems intent on confirming the worst things his critics say about him.

A crazy stat of the game.

Yesterday the Pistons scored a record 80 points in the paint in their 127 to 119 victory over the Chicago Bulls. In today’s NBA, where a large portion of points are scored from behind the arc, the Pistons showed tremendous maturity in taking what the Bulls were giving them. This is a sign of a maturing team, which the Pistons are quickly becoming.

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Quote of the Day: in his Thinking about…, scholar of authoritarianism Timothy Snyder wrote that “[t]he people who now dominate the executive branch of the government…are acting, quite deliberately, to destroy the nation.” “Think of the federal government as a car. You might have thought that the election was like getting the car serviced. Instead, when you come into the shop, the mechanics, who somehow don’t look like mechanics, tell you that they have taken the parts of your car that work and sold them and kept the money. And that this was the most efficient thing to do. And that you should thank them.”

Orchid of the Day: The Rolling Stones for winning the grammy for Rock Album of the Year sixty years after their first tour of the U.S. in 1965

Second Orchid of the Day: The Detroit Red Wings who won their sixth game in a row on Sunday. Since the hiring of Todd McClellan as their new coach, they are 14-4-1. They have gone from the near bottom of the standings to becoming a strong playoff contender.

Onion of the Day: The forecasters who predicted doom and gloom to the stock market today because of the implementation of Trump’s tariffs. Guessing the market is a risky game, even for the experts.

Lyrics of the Day: I woke up in a Soho doorway, a policeman knew my name. He said, “You can go sleep at home tonight if you can get up and walk away. I staggered back to the underground and the breeze blew back my hair. I remember throwing punches around and preaching from my chair.

Answer to Lyrics of the Day for January 29, 2025, The Star-Spangled Banner, by Frances Scott Key. The second verse.

Question of the Day: See above.

Video of the Day: Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars - Die With A Smile (Official Music Video) The Grammy Award winning song by a duo.

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