Reading books like Anne Applebaum’s Autocracy Inc. helps me cope! Although some of what she says is scary, I would rather be informed and have my eyes fully open than bury my head in the sand, another coping skill. Thank you for bringing Anne to our bookclub discussion, looking forward to it.
I'm a married woman, but when I got married almost 34 years ago, I decided not to change my name. Little did I know that might come in handy in a future dystopian USA. I will advise my daughter to do the same. I find it ironic that the people least disenfranchised by this particular change would be more independent women - married but didn't change their names (usually professional and often lean left) and single women (whether by choice or not, such women must stand on their own two feet).
Not sure if this was meant in earnest or sarcastically, but I have served as an official indoor poll observer for the last several elections and occasional observed men who appear to be controlling how their wife (or adult child) votes.
I'm also in NC (in Meckleburg County). As you may know, voters in NC can ask that a companion be allowed in the voting both to help them vote or they can be set up in adjoining voting booths in case help is neccessary. They aren't required to state a reason, but often it is easy to make an educated guess.
From my observation, this is usually an older voter or one with special needs (e.g., vision impaired (or forgot their glasses), stroke victims, people with visible tremors, etc. and a spouse, child or grandchild is the helper. In addition, it is usually the voter who initiates the ask or they pipe up to say "yes, please" before the poll worker can ask if that is OK.
But occasionally, a husband will pretty much demand to be in the same or adjacent voting booth as their wife and when the poll worker asks the voter if that is ok with them, the husband acts offended that the poll worker (often a women) had the teremity to question his request and the spouse looks either embarrassed or IMO cowed. Very sad.
I think it was tongue-in-cheek, but one never knows with online commentary. I took it as joking.
But I also understand that these situations (like men forcing themselves into voting booths with their wives and voting-age children and dictating how everyone will vote) are not conspiracies or loony, isolated stories. As a lifetime resident of the southern US, this kind of behavior isn't an anomaly. It happens. More than anyone thinks.
It was mostly tongue in cheek. I figure there are probably very few women who kept their names who are married to men who could compel them to vote a certain way. That doesn't mean most women who changed their names could be so compelled. Also, the SAVE act does allow for voter registration with other documents that prove the name as well as citizenship, like a passport. That introduces a totally separate documentation hurdle, but it's not as straightforward as requiring the birth certificate as the only document to support voter registration.
There is a small but vocal minority of Christian Nationalist men who want to repeal women's right to vote. I would take that threat seriously. They can't do it by constitutional amendment at this point, but that won't stop them from pushing and maybe changing the conversation over time. Look how we went from NC being a pariah state for the trans-exclusionary bathroom bill years ago to it being "of course you don't want men in the ladies' room" all over the country now.
Of course Elon’s Crime Spree has ramped up SS scams. I just received a faux email from “Social Security”. Also some reports of people unable to access their earnings history.
3)Screenshoot/print pension info.
😡’s comments yesterday about “Treasuries” could lead to a UK/Liz Truss 🥬moment.
4)Check your security level with your financial institutions.Try not to have all your eggs in one basket.
Our bank sent out email yesterday encouraging ⬆️and when I talked to credit union rep, said scams were off the charts.Also, P2025 is not a fan of FDIC.CU’s are insured by NCUA)
The "Treasuries" comment is off-the-chart-alarming. And then I met a friend, and she still doesn't believe he means what he says. I don't know how many times I have said to her HE MEANS EVERY SINGLE THING HE SAYS. WHAT IS HE GOING TO HAVE TO DO FOR YOU TO REALIZE THAT?????
I hope everyone understands that a big goal of Project 2025 was eliminating ALL federal insurance for deposits, wherever they are. Also eliminating protections from fraud and predatory behavior, which they are systematically doing now.
I've made this point as well - about the aim to eliminate all FDIC protections - and am met with skepticism, but I truly believe we need to prepare for that
I have a few friends who ask me about this, and I always try to answer their questions. Especially if they don't follow this Substack. (And before anyone comments on that, I had to learn the hard way that friends and family normally don't support a creator's work. I talk about my work with friends if they ask about it, but generally I don't bring it up unless they do. It was harder when I had a friend who voted for fascism stay with me last year; I was working all the time and being interviewed, so she really couldn't escape my opinions. I've since walked away from this friendship.)
If we lose FDIC, I honestly don't know what to do. That would likely lead to hyperinflation when the economy implodes. Most folks don't have enough cash to survive that for long. We'd likely be back to a barter economy in short order.
Project 2025 aimed to destroy the FDIC and federal credit union insurance. It aimed to gut banking regulations, which they are already doing. I predict they will succeed. Plan accordingly.
Why do people bury their heads??? If the past few weeks are any indication, it's going to get much worse. They can't hide in the sand forever.
trump appears mentally unstable. But that doesn't mean his minions and the richest dope on the planet won't do whatever they can get away with. musk has convinced him the US needs to purchase $400M of his Tesla armored vehicles. trump hasn't been in office one full month, yet the damages wreaked upon the lives of American citizens, immigrants, and the world’s view of the US have been catastrophic.
It is human nature to resist change and cling to what we know. People bury their heads because they think if they deny or ignore what's happening, it won't really happen. It is a monumental effort on their part to avoid change by willing things to stay the same (or denying that things can change.)
A similar thing happened with COVID. The people who couldn't handle how fundamentally that changed us became the vaccine deniers and the anti-maskers. They needed the world to go back to the way it was before covid, because they couldn't handle change. Unfortunately, a meltdown of the federal government won't be something they can pretend isn't happening. Which is why lots of people are recommending that we prepare for extreme civil unrest. These people will be among the first to participate in violence, because they will feel like they don't have anything else to lose.
I've been curious about when, and in what form, the anger will rise up from farmers in CA. They knew full well what the impact would be on their livelihoods when trump pulled his stunt in sending in the Army COE to release two billion gallons of water from the reservoirs in the Central Valley "to help with the fires in Los Angeles." They also knew that water from those reservoirs would have little impact on the fires in LA.
The Central Valley is an area of red voters in a blue state. I read articles from journalists interviewing farmers who are trump voters after the water was released. They acknowledged that they depended on the water from the reservoirs for their crops to survive in the summer months. I was surprised there was no criticism of trump or his actions, even when prompted by journalists. I wonder how they'll feel when summer rolls around.
It took me a minute to figure out your emoji for # 5. The band around the cash makes it look like 2 different icons side-by-side. ;-)
I also want to suggest having a back-up credit card in case you suspect a fraudulent transaction and have to cancel a credit card. Someone recently hacked my Amazon account and I got a notice that someone had tried to reload an Amazon gift card. It wasn't me! (Amazon had flagged it as questionable and locked my account.
I thought it was a phishing attempt (which I receive on a regular basis), but it appeared legit when I hovered my cursor over the "From" field. That is a helpful tip I learned years ago - sophisticated scammers can make it appear to be from a legit source and the email is often free of typos and with high quality graphics for logos etc. Low quality scammers make it obvious if you pay attention.
So I directly logged into Amazon (I never click on links in suspect emails!) and there was a transaction pending. So I immediately called the number on the back of the card and they cancelled the card. Fortunately I have a back up credit card to use when I buy groceries etc. I don't like using my debit cards since you may not have access while the bank sorts it out.
This incident led me add some additional alerts on my credit cards including flagging any transactions where the card wasn't present (as well as any over a certain $ amount when the card is present in case it gets physically stolen). . They are sending me a text which I see immediately and can quickly delete if I recognise the transaction.
Unfortunately, these protective steps are even more important since our federal government data has been compromised by a malicious actor. No amount of protection and alerts and care is too much.
Good to know, Jane. Thank you for pointing this out. I did an online search for "public libraries that offer passport services." While there isn't a clearinghouse, lots of libraries popped up. Definitely worth checking out before heading to the post office.
The post office nearest me that does passports has "drop in" hours which do not require an appointment. And just a reminder - if you already have a passport even if it is already expired, you may be able to renew it by mail. See this article here:
Joining as Paid. State Judiciaries are hot bottoms now and everyone needs to be laser focused! In North Carolina and we still have a fight in our hands with Jefferson Griffin who wants to disenfranchise 60,000 votes already cast.
Andra I don’t think folks have an understanding of the urgency- in every state there are active voter suppression laws on the books. 40/100 counties in NC use voter suppression tactics. We have 11 far right extremist groups in our state of North Carolina with Moms for Liberty at the top. We really have to divide and conquer. This is White Supremacy and we have to work both in a stealth manner snd in bringing the heat on our representatives. Dismantling Moms for Liberty is number 1 on my list- they are an echo chamber for #45. Excellent post and I am grateful!
So much of this is showing up. Republicans out-call Democrats up to 11/1. Whenever a Democrat voted for something we didn't like (for example, the Laken-Riley Act), it absolutely happened because Republican constituents out called Democratic constituents by a wide margin.
Same thing happens in school board meetings and similar. Democrats have to show up and be louder than the far-right groups. The people sitting on these boards need to see that they will have consequences for going along with far-right groups. As long as nobody shows up to oppose them, or the numbers are paltry, they are going to keep winning.
The Democratic Party could use their begging-for-money messaging app to inform Democrats about these actions around the country. I keep screeching about that hoping someone will hear me and make this happen. This is what Republicans do and why their calling and show-up campaigns are so effective. We already have the system to do this. I don't know why this is so hard.
I am not an advocate for calling Representatives en masse because people don’t understand the elements of structural white supremacy in each state. People must task themselves with first understanding structural racism and white supremacy in their own state. Groups have to be mobilized and a task force developed. I could call Thom Tillis Senator from my adopted State of North Carolina - he has not done anything to benefit the people of North Carolina. We raised the money to do the recounts. Based on your post I may develop a dashboard for advocates to measure the effectiveness of their State Legislators, state funding, effectiveness of legislation. Will leave you with this- I am sure you know/ the only reason we don’t have Universal Healthcare in this country is Racism (goes all the way back to 1915 when Teddy Roosevelt tried; then Franklin Roosevelt- Southern states would not budge in providing healthcare to Black citizens- it took until LBJ to threaten and strong hold the States into accepting Medicare - 1968 (Thom Hartmann on Substack has an excellent book on this subject). Until White people get organized to dismantle White Supremacy as a first step in each state-and not ignore we are lost. We can have everything we want - Healthcare, Universal base income, lower housing costs - everything- if we defeat the Camcer that is Racism.
Structural racism is a severe and fundamental problem in this country. By the time enough people grasp that so they can act accordingly, our democracy will be long gone. Which is why I'm telling people to call and visit their reps now while we also work to put other things in place to fight and dismantle this cancer longterm. What you are suggesting is needed. We should've had it ages ago.
Adding- we have to try- I know I am trying in NC - a lot of parallel efforts - (Every State Blue with ED Michele Hornish on Substack is a great start),
Thanks for this, Andra. A friend and I were talking yesterday about not knowing what to do amidst all this. I knew about 5 calls (have the app). I did not know about WISE, so I'm going to find out. It sounds like I should probably call my investment/retirement funds person about this. Is that right? It's not just a bank account, right?
I have already made major moves in my retirement account. We will shortly make a couple more in that area. So yes. I would talk with your financial advisor about moving your holdings to things that could be more resistant to market collapse. Also keep some physical cash on hand.
Definitely get a passport with your legal (not birth) name on it. Adjudicate for your elected representatives to get arrested trying to enter "closed" federal buildings. The Ds have to show some backbone and leadership. People won't follow them if they don't.
I know I'm a little late to this article but I have a newsletter on Substack as well and after having the rug pulled out from under me, repeatedly, on sites like FB and Twitter, I would very much like to look into alternate sites outside of the reach of our billionaire overlords. But I don't know anything at all about where to start. Can you point me to a good source for info on that? :)
I'm not discussing my action steps publicly on this issue, but I'll be happy to talk with you privately. I know you've been at this for a long time, and your voice is valuable and needed. If you DM a good contact, I'll get in touch with you there.
Andra, in your Substack live last week, you said that Wise wasn't as reliable as it was. I haven't had a chance to review, but I thought you recommended something else instead of Wise... can you clarify?
I no longer use Wise to make international transfers. They take forever, and the fees continue to rise. It's fine for holding different currencies, though it doesn't pay interest.
We're still researching other options. I'll message you if I find one that I think you can use. (I mean, you aren't terribly far from the northern border, so you could technically open a Canadian bank account if you can get up there. You have to do it in person. Also would need a passport.)
If Substack falls to the enemy I'll be gone so fast that I'll leave a hole in the air. If Andra succeeds in creating an international bolt hole for us, I strongly suggest each of us use a VPN connected to a server OUTSIDE the US.
I'm out of work on medical leave, so I tackled my taxes yesterday and I decided I was in business last year and I lost money. I did teach several classes for small honorariums and people gifted me for my knowledge. Yes, I did do taxes professionally for years so I know what I'm doing and my business only lost $2,000+, but it is no longer a hobby! And it is something I plan to make $20,000/yr when I retire in 4 years, so I started in 2024!
Could you say more about holding funds in multiple currencies, or point me to a resource? I share your concern here - and I do have a Wise account, as I used it to send funds to a relative in Ukraine at the beginning of the war. We are all descendants of families where most members were murdered in the Holocaust, and I found these long lost relatives days before Russia invaded Ukraine! I was glad to help them flee Kyiv...anyway, that's why I established the account
I'm not an expert, but if you have a financial advisor, I would talk to her or him immediately.
If the US economy goes into a depression (which multiple experts are predicting,) the US dollar could be worthless. (Of course, this would impact world currencies and make them crash as well.) And I repeat, the casual comment about whether the US has to pay back its treasuries was no accident. If the US government intentionally defaults on its debt, the whole world will melt down.
Still, it is a good idea to spread this risk across several currencies. We are also looking at holding some gold.
If most of your funds are tied up in a retirement account, you have very limited options. For instance, I could not hold multiple currencies in my retirement account or invest in precious metals. So we are having hard conversations about actions to give us more flexibility to invest these funds.
Seems to me that we could at least make a statement by all filing our taxes late… I’m just saying. How about we all pick a date and time let’s say for instance 9am eastern time on a given date. The nearest to that time you’re safely stopped at a light turn off your car, raise the hood and wait until someone official asks you to move your car at which your car miraculously starts. It would certainly throw a monkey wrench in the works. On a more subtle note… how about wearing paper lips like the Norwegians did during WWII to show our solidarity?
I already filed mine because I was due a refund, and I wanted to get it before they entirely collapse the federal government.
I don’t think there would be anything wrong with filing an extension on 15 April, especially if you’re not due a refund. By 15 October, when final extensions expire, the federal government - including the IRS - may not exist. If you owe money on 15 April, you are supposed to pay it with your extension or face added penalties. But in this climate, you may not pay anything by playing wait and see. You’re not breaking any laws by extending your return.
I can’t encourage people to break the law. Until they collapse the government, we are required to file and pay taxes. We don’t need to invite added pain by flouting that law while it exists.
Reading books like Anne Applebaum’s Autocracy Inc. helps me cope! Although some of what she says is scary, I would rather be informed and have my eyes fully open than bury my head in the sand, another coping skill. Thank you for bringing Anne to our bookclub discussion, looking forward to it.
I’m looking forward to it as well. She has long been a light of learning for me.
I'm a married woman, but when I got married almost 34 years ago, I decided not to change my name. Little did I know that might come in handy in a future dystopian USA. I will advise my daughter to do the same. I find it ironic that the people least disenfranchised by this particular change would be more independent women - married but didn't change their names (usually professional and often lean left) and single women (whether by choice or not, such women must stand on their own two feet).
Right? The Evangelical Christian female base would be totally unable to vote. And they probably don't care.
Could be good. Then their husbands’ votes would only count once!
I’m not willing to give up my right to vote to take theirs away, though.
Not sure if this was meant in earnest or sarcastically, but I have served as an official indoor poll observer for the last several elections and occasional observed men who appear to be controlling how their wife (or adult child) votes.
I'm also in NC (in Meckleburg County). As you may know, voters in NC can ask that a companion be allowed in the voting both to help them vote or they can be set up in adjoining voting booths in case help is neccessary. They aren't required to state a reason, but often it is easy to make an educated guess.
From my observation, this is usually an older voter or one with special needs (e.g., vision impaired (or forgot their glasses), stroke victims, people with visible tremors, etc. and a spouse, child or grandchild is the helper. In addition, it is usually the voter who initiates the ask or they pipe up to say "yes, please" before the poll worker can ask if that is OK.
But occasionally, a husband will pretty much demand to be in the same or adjacent voting booth as their wife and when the poll worker asks the voter if that is ok with them, the husband acts offended that the poll worker (often a women) had the teremity to question his request and the spouse looks either embarrassed or IMO cowed. Very sad.
I think it was tongue-in-cheek, but one never knows with online commentary. I took it as joking.
But I also understand that these situations (like men forcing themselves into voting booths with their wives and voting-age children and dictating how everyone will vote) are not conspiracies or loony, isolated stories. As a lifetime resident of the southern US, this kind of behavior isn't an anomaly. It happens. More than anyone thinks.
It was mostly tongue in cheek. I figure there are probably very few women who kept their names who are married to men who could compel them to vote a certain way. That doesn't mean most women who changed their names could be so compelled. Also, the SAVE act does allow for voter registration with other documents that prove the name as well as citizenship, like a passport. That introduces a totally separate documentation hurdle, but it's not as straightforward as requiring the birth certificate as the only document to support voter registration.
There is a small but vocal minority of Christian Nationalist men who want to repeal women's right to vote. I would take that threat seriously. They can't do it by constitutional amendment at this point, but that won't stop them from pushing and maybe changing the conversation over time. Look how we went from NC being a pariah state for the trans-exclusionary bathroom bill years ago to it being "of course you don't want men in the ladies' room" all over the country now.
My list I’ve been sharing.
1) Freeze credit reports: https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/finance/how-to-freeze-credit
2) Screenshoot/print Social Security info, including earnings history: https://blog.ssa.gov/access-your-earnings-history-with-my-social-security/
Of course Elon’s Crime Spree has ramped up SS scams. I just received a faux email from “Social Security”. Also some reports of people unable to access their earnings history.
3)Screenshoot/print pension info.
😡’s comments yesterday about “Treasuries” could lead to a UK/Liz Truss 🥬moment.
4)Check your security level with your financial institutions.Try not to have all your eggs in one basket.
Our bank sent out email yesterday encouraging ⬆️and when I talked to credit union rep, said scams were off the charts.Also, P2025 is not a fan of FDIC.CU’s are insured by NCUA)
5)Have supply of 💵
Off for mental health break…🚴♀️🚴♂️
The "Treasuries" comment is off-the-chart-alarming. And then I met a friend, and she still doesn't believe he means what he says. I don't know how many times I have said to her HE MEANS EVERY SINGLE THING HE SAYS. WHAT IS HE GOING TO HAVE TO DO FOR YOU TO REALIZE THAT?????
I hope everyone understands that a big goal of Project 2025 was eliminating ALL federal insurance for deposits, wherever they are. Also eliminating protections from fraud and predatory behavior, which they are systematically doing now.
I've made this point as well - about the aim to eliminate all FDIC protections - and am met with skepticism, but I truly believe we need to prepare for that
I will repeat my life motto (I saw it on God): The road to fascism is paved with people who say you're overreacting.
I spend very little time outside of this Substack now telling anyone what to do. If they don't want to listen to me, fine. Don't.
Don't waste your time trying to reach those who refuse to listen. It isn't worth the effort or the frustration. I've learned from personal experience.
I have a few friends who ask me about this, and I always try to answer their questions. Especially if they don't follow this Substack. (And before anyone comments on that, I had to learn the hard way that friends and family normally don't support a creator's work. I talk about my work with friends if they ask about it, but generally I don't bring it up unless they do. It was harder when I had a friend who voted for fascism stay with me last year; I was working all the time and being interviewed, so she really couldn't escape my opinions. I've since walked away from this friendship.)
It was kind of you to allow her to stay with you. Good for you for walking away.
If we lose FDIC, I honestly don't know what to do. That would likely lead to hyperinflation when the economy implodes. Most folks don't have enough cash to survive that for long. We'd likely be back to a barter economy in short order.
Project 2025 aimed to destroy the FDIC and federal credit union insurance. It aimed to gut banking regulations, which they are already doing. I predict they will succeed. Plan accordingly.
Why do people bury their heads??? If the past few weeks are any indication, it's going to get much worse. They can't hide in the sand forever.
trump appears mentally unstable. But that doesn't mean his minions and the richest dope on the planet won't do whatever they can get away with. musk has convinced him the US needs to purchase $400M of his Tesla armored vehicles. trump hasn't been in office one full month, yet the damages wreaked upon the lives of American citizens, immigrants, and the world’s view of the US have been catastrophic.
It is human nature to resist change and cling to what we know. People bury their heads because they think if they deny or ignore what's happening, it won't really happen. It is a monumental effort on their part to avoid change by willing things to stay the same (or denying that things can change.)
A similar thing happened with COVID. The people who couldn't handle how fundamentally that changed us became the vaccine deniers and the anti-maskers. They needed the world to go back to the way it was before covid, because they couldn't handle change. Unfortunately, a meltdown of the federal government won't be something they can pretend isn't happening. Which is why lots of people are recommending that we prepare for extreme civil unrest. These people will be among the first to participate in violence, because they will feel like they don't have anything else to lose.
I've been curious about when, and in what form, the anger will rise up from farmers in CA. They knew full well what the impact would be on their livelihoods when trump pulled his stunt in sending in the Army COE to release two billion gallons of water from the reservoirs in the Central Valley "to help with the fires in Los Angeles." They also knew that water from those reservoirs would have little impact on the fires in LA.
The Central Valley is an area of red voters in a blue state. I read articles from journalists interviewing farmers who are trump voters after the water was released. They acknowledged that they depended on the water from the reservoirs for their crops to survive in the summer months. I was surprised there was no criticism of trump or his actions, even when prompted by journalists. I wonder how they'll feel when summer rolls around.
It took me a minute to figure out your emoji for # 5. The band around the cash makes it look like 2 different icons side-by-side. ;-)
I also want to suggest having a back-up credit card in case you suspect a fraudulent transaction and have to cancel a credit card. Someone recently hacked my Amazon account and I got a notice that someone had tried to reload an Amazon gift card. It wasn't me! (Amazon had flagged it as questionable and locked my account.
I thought it was a phishing attempt (which I receive on a regular basis), but it appeared legit when I hovered my cursor over the "From" field. That is a helpful tip I learned years ago - sophisticated scammers can make it appear to be from a legit source and the email is often free of typos and with high quality graphics for logos etc. Low quality scammers make it obvious if you pay attention.
So I directly logged into Amazon (I never click on links in suspect emails!) and there was a transaction pending. So I immediately called the number on the back of the card and they cancelled the card. Fortunately I have a back up credit card to use when I buy groceries etc. I don't like using my debit cards since you may not have access while the bank sorts it out.
This incident led me add some additional alerts on my credit cards including flagging any transactions where the card wasn't present (as well as any over a certain $ amount when the card is present in case it gets physically stolen). . They are sending me a text which I see immediately and can quickly delete if I recognise the transaction.
Unfortunately, these protective steps are even more important since our federal government data has been compromised by a malicious actor. No amount of protection and alerts and care is too much.
For even more context, I largely agree with this analysis: https://open.substack.com/pub/zeitgeistpulse/p/brace-for-impact-the-crash-is-coming?r=1ohjc1&utm_medium=ios
If you have trouble getting an appointment at the post office to obtain your passport, many public libraries offer this service (MO does).
Good to know, Jane. Thank you for pointing this out. I did an online search for "public libraries that offer passport services." While there isn't a clearinghouse, lots of libraries popped up. Definitely worth checking out before heading to the post office.
The post office nearest me that does passports has "drop in" hours which do not require an appointment. And just a reminder - if you already have a passport even if it is already expired, you may be able to renew it by mail. See this article here:
https://www.usa.gov/renew-adult-passport
Joining as Paid. State Judiciaries are hot bottoms now and everyone needs to be laser focused! In North Carolina and we still have a fight in our hands with Jefferson Griffin who wants to disenfranchise 60,000 votes already cast.
Right. This is openly and blatantly illegal. I’ve written about it to try to get the word out more broadly.
Andra I don’t think folks have an understanding of the urgency- in every state there are active voter suppression laws on the books. 40/100 counties in NC use voter suppression tactics. We have 11 far right extremist groups in our state of North Carolina with Moms for Liberty at the top. We really have to divide and conquer. This is White Supremacy and we have to work both in a stealth manner snd in bringing the heat on our representatives. Dismantling Moms for Liberty is number 1 on my list- they are an echo chamber for #45. Excellent post and I am grateful!
So much of this is showing up. Republicans out-call Democrats up to 11/1. Whenever a Democrat voted for something we didn't like (for example, the Laken-Riley Act), it absolutely happened because Republican constituents out called Democratic constituents by a wide margin.
Same thing happens in school board meetings and similar. Democrats have to show up and be louder than the far-right groups. The people sitting on these boards need to see that they will have consequences for going along with far-right groups. As long as nobody shows up to oppose them, or the numbers are paltry, they are going to keep winning.
The Democratic Party could use their begging-for-money messaging app to inform Democrats about these actions around the country. I keep screeching about that hoping someone will hear me and make this happen. This is what Republicans do and why their calling and show-up campaigns are so effective. We already have the system to do this. I don't know why this is so hard.
I am not an advocate for calling Representatives en masse because people don’t understand the elements of structural white supremacy in each state. People must task themselves with first understanding structural racism and white supremacy in their own state. Groups have to be mobilized and a task force developed. I could call Thom Tillis Senator from my adopted State of North Carolina - he has not done anything to benefit the people of North Carolina. We raised the money to do the recounts. Based on your post I may develop a dashboard for advocates to measure the effectiveness of their State Legislators, state funding, effectiveness of legislation. Will leave you with this- I am sure you know/ the only reason we don’t have Universal Healthcare in this country is Racism (goes all the way back to 1915 when Teddy Roosevelt tried; then Franklin Roosevelt- Southern states would not budge in providing healthcare to Black citizens- it took until LBJ to threaten and strong hold the States into accepting Medicare - 1968 (Thom Hartmann on Substack has an excellent book on this subject). Until White people get organized to dismantle White Supremacy as a first step in each state-and not ignore we are lost. We can have everything we want - Healthcare, Universal base income, lower housing costs - everything- if we defeat the Camcer that is Racism.
Structural racism is a severe and fundamental problem in this country. By the time enough people grasp that so they can act accordingly, our democracy will be long gone. Which is why I'm telling people to call and visit their reps now while we also work to put other things in place to fight and dismantle this cancer longterm. What you are suggesting is needed. We should've had it ages ago.
Ahhh you are indeed a true Ally!!! God bless you!! MLK and many others would be proud.
Adding- we have to try- I know I am trying in NC - a lot of parallel efforts - (Every State Blue with ED Michele Hornish on Substack is a great start),
I adore Michele.
Thanks for this, Andra. A friend and I were talking yesterday about not knowing what to do amidst all this. I knew about 5 calls (have the app). I did not know about WISE, so I'm going to find out. It sounds like I should probably call my investment/retirement funds person about this. Is that right? It's not just a bank account, right?
I have already made major moves in my retirement account. We will shortly make a couple more in that area. So yes. I would talk with your financial advisor about moving your holdings to things that could be more resistant to market collapse. Also keep some physical cash on hand.
All are great moves to protect ourselves. We've done most of the items on your list, but need to check out WISE. Thanks.
You don't earn interest there, but it is a place to hold multiple currencies or to transfer money between US and foreign bank accounts.
Definitely get a passport with your legal (not birth) name on it. Adjudicate for your elected representatives to get arrested trying to enter "closed" federal buildings. The Ds have to show some backbone and leadership. People won't follow them if they don't.
Passport should be legal name. That will be enough to satisfy the SAVE Act should it pass.
I know I'm a little late to this article but I have a newsletter on Substack as well and after having the rug pulled out from under me, repeatedly, on sites like FB and Twitter, I would very much like to look into alternate sites outside of the reach of our billionaire overlords. But I don't know anything at all about where to start. Can you point me to a good source for info on that? :)
I'm not discussing my action steps publicly on this issue, but I'll be happy to talk with you privately. I know you've been at this for a long time, and your voice is valuable and needed. If you DM a good contact, I'll get in touch with you there.
Andra, in your Substack live last week, you said that Wise wasn't as reliable as it was. I haven't had a chance to review, but I thought you recommended something else instead of Wise... can you clarify?
I no longer use Wise to make international transfers. They take forever, and the fees continue to rise. It's fine for holding different currencies, though it doesn't pay interest.
We're still researching other options. I'll message you if I find one that I think you can use. (I mean, you aren't terribly far from the northern border, so you could technically open a Canadian bank account if you can get up there. You have to do it in person. Also would need a passport.)
If Substack falls to the enemy I'll be gone so fast that I'll leave a hole in the air. If Andra succeeds in creating an international bolt hole for us, I strongly suggest each of us use a VPN connected to a server OUTSIDE the US.
The bolt hole is created. I’m going to need a few volunteers to test it. Look for a private contact from me when I’m ready.
Multiple non-US based VPNs exist. I’d advise using one of those for VPN services.
I'm out of work on medical leave, so I tackled my taxes yesterday and I decided I was in business last year and I lost money. I did teach several classes for small honorariums and people gifted me for my knowledge. Yes, I did do taxes professionally for years so I know what I'm doing and my business only lost $2,000+, but it is no longer a hobby! And it is something I plan to make $20,000/yr when I retire in 4 years, so I started in 2024!
Congratulations on getting them done and filed, Linda.
Could you say more about holding funds in multiple currencies, or point me to a resource? I share your concern here - and I do have a Wise account, as I used it to send funds to a relative in Ukraine at the beginning of the war. We are all descendants of families where most members were murdered in the Holocaust, and I found these long lost relatives days before Russia invaded Ukraine! I was glad to help them flee Kyiv...anyway, that's why I established the account
I'm not an expert, but if you have a financial advisor, I would talk to her or him immediately.
If the US economy goes into a depression (which multiple experts are predicting,) the US dollar could be worthless. (Of course, this would impact world currencies and make them crash as well.) And I repeat, the casual comment about whether the US has to pay back its treasuries was no accident. If the US government intentionally defaults on its debt, the whole world will melt down.
Still, it is a good idea to spread this risk across several currencies. We are also looking at holding some gold.
If most of your funds are tied up in a retirement account, you have very limited options. For instance, I could not hold multiple currencies in my retirement account or invest in precious metals. So we are having hard conversations about actions to give us more flexibility to invest these funds.
Seems to me that we could at least make a statement by all filing our taxes late… I’m just saying. How about we all pick a date and time let’s say for instance 9am eastern time on a given date. The nearest to that time you’re safely stopped at a light turn off your car, raise the hood and wait until someone official asks you to move your car at which your car miraculously starts. It would certainly throw a monkey wrench in the works. On a more subtle note… how about wearing paper lips like the Norwegians did during WWII to show our solidarity?
Hi Mike. Welcome!
I already filed mine because I was due a refund, and I wanted to get it before they entirely collapse the federal government.
I don’t think there would be anything wrong with filing an extension on 15 April, especially if you’re not due a refund. By 15 October, when final extensions expire, the federal government - including the IRS - may not exist. If you owe money on 15 April, you are supposed to pay it with your extension or face added penalties. But in this climate, you may not pay anything by playing wait and see. You’re not breaking any laws by extending your return.
I can’t encourage people to break the law. Until they collapse the government, we are required to file and pay taxes. We don’t need to invite added pain by flouting that law while it exists.