this post was submitted on 26 Nov 2024
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No Stupid Questions

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[–] [email protected] 107 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Short version— we don’t know.

Longer version— it is likely, doge is looking to make cuts, and while it would be insanely unpopular, it could be on the table.

The treasury secretary wants to reduce the deficit to 3% of gdp but also to cut taxes… so cuts to social programs are possible (likely)

So while we can say we don’t know for sure, it is highly likely.

[–] [email protected] 70 points 20 hours ago (2 children)

Imagine having the advisory team named after the cryptoscam one of the members (at least) participated in. Doesn't get more clowny and openly dishonest than that.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

named after the cryptoscam

"doge" became a meme in 2010, long before cryptocurrency was a thing the mainstream were even aware of, let alone the one named after it.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 hours ago

Sure, but Musk clearly named his new department after his crypto scam

[–] [email protected] 9 points 15 hours ago

The only possible way is if they change the name to Bureau of Corruption.

[–] [email protected] 60 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

While we can’t say for sure, I’d certainly be wargaming some possible outcomes and how to respond to them.

Wouldn’t surprise me if disability for mental health reasons was high on the list of things to cut. It’s effectively an “invisible” disability, which makes it somewhat easier to cut while limiting loss of political capital.

I wish you all the best getting through the upcoming difficult years. You’re a genuinely good person for caring and thinking far enough ahead to realize the question needs to be asked.

For other folks reading this, now is an excellent time to review your payroll deductions and ensure you’re paying for private disability coverage - both short and long term. It’s one of the least expensive ways to hedge against the crazy of the next four years.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 hours ago

Yes, OP should definitely prepare for the worst and hope it doesn’t happen.

Mental Illness is not only an invisible disability but has been scapegoated before. “Just suck it up”, “fake”, I’m sure your brother has heard those and worse. While there’s no way to predict what they’ll consider “waste”, we know they can’t make their goal without cutting a lot of necessary programs. This one does seem risky

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago) (1 children)

As someone who is also on permanent disability, I believe we're going to be just fine.

What kind of mental illness?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Bi Polar, Depression, Schizophrenia, Severe Social Anxiety Disorder. that is just the start and he has some severe OCD.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 hours ago

Should be fine, unless we get someone like Kennedy and he does something wacko.

[–] [email protected] 51 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-top-5-ways-project-2025-would-hurt-disabled-people/

Seems like they will be pushing for more work requirements, less funding, and fewer legal protections (ie pre-existing conditions)

[–] [email protected] 14 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

"Pre-existing conditions" is just insurance industry slang for something we all have: "medical history".

[–] [email protected] 11 points 12 hours ago

"It says here on your application that you consume multiple substances daily which long term users are known to have a 100% fatality rate. I'm afraid we're going to have to deny you coverage."

"What substances?"

"Air and water. Your dependence on them is a non-covered pre-existing condition."

[–] [email protected] 17 points 18 hours ago

Just assume it'll be gone and go from there. All social services and government protections are at risk.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 20 hours ago

It's sort of up in the air right now. He's made a lot of promises to not cut social security benefits, but the tax cuts he wants to give the rich and his insane tarrifs plan both threaten to deplete funding for social security within a few years. Hopefully nothing bad will happen but benefits definitely aren't going to get any better.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 19 hours ago (2 children)

I hope not. My brother is in the same boat and if his services get cut, I don't know how he will survive.

But at least we'll have cheap eggs and gas. 🙄

[–] [email protected] 45 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

I wish we'd get cheap eggs and gas. But they'll probably skyrocket like everything else.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago) (1 children)

Oh, gas is absolutely going up.

If the tariffs extend to crude oil imports, they'll pass the cost down to consumers. If crude oil is excluded, they'll increase profits by 15% and pretend it isn't.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Which is especially galling since the U.S. is the largest oil exporter.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 hours ago

Thinking about it, something about crude oil being both the largest industrial import and export seems a bit stupid. If $164b of oil is coming in and $117b of oil is going out, that's only $47b worth of it actually staying in the country.

Oh well. I'm sure there's some trade agreements and/or buy-low-and-sell-high trading at play to explain it.

https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/Press-Release/ft900/final_2023.pdf

[–] [email protected] 7 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

That's just it. They don't want them to survive.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 13 hours ago

Also, we won't get cheap eggs and gas.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Hard to fucking tell, but if you're able to help him build a contingency plan its never a bad idea.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 19 hours ago (2 children)

As a traveling nurse what type of plan could I give him?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 19 hours ago (2 children)

It's a reach but are there any other passports/residencies that you might be eligible for? The UK has some ancestral homeland recovery options and your religion or ethnicity may also entitle you to some options.

If the US goes as tits up as it's looking it'll be fucking impossible to have a disability and support yourself - Elon has his eyes locked on Medicaid and non-age-based Medicare recipients... and the Dual-eligibles are likely the first on the chopping block.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

So pretty much my brother is fucked and I will have to go back to my home state and help him.?

[–] [email protected] 10 points 18 hours ago

Sorry - but that's pretty likely.

If social services are cut those on the margins of society (the poor and disabled) always suffer first.

It's also unlikely that your brother could pursue permanent residency abroad through normal means - countries tend to only allow elective immigration if you're bringing more value than cost.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

When you say "the Dual-eligibles are likely the first on the chopping block", do you keep people with dual nationalities, or people who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 19 hours ago

I'm talking about the Medicare-Medicaid Dual-eligibles - that class of folks are people who have a low enough income to qualify for Medicaid while also either having a life impacting disability or being old enough to qualify for Medicare.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

Start looking for apartments in Canada.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 hours ago

I don't know if this is true of Canada, but in general, countries do not want disabled immigrants. It's harder for us to get visas and residency permits.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 20 hours ago (2 children)

It's impossible to know, he's a bit of a wildcard.

The one redeeming thing about right populists is that they generally want to be popular, so it's perhaps less likely for him to do it than a more "conventional" republican.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

They never want to be popular by actually helping people. They're popular by spreading hate and fear. If you're a member of a group that they consider "inferior", you're very much a target.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 19 hours ago

They'd rather see the disabled die off than spend any taxes on them.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 18 hours ago

The only people he cares about being popular with are extreme right wing fanatics and other billionaires who are propping him up. All of these people have a weird "survival of the fittest" fetish so they probably won't be pushing to help anyone who actually needs it