• Credits:
• Photo, Shutterstock.Arizona Blue District 18, representing grassroots protests across America.

 

Helen’s Place LLC  Update March 5, 2025

 

Inflation and the Unraveling of the American Federal Government

 It started innocently enough – with the notion that Congress wasn’t going to do anything about reducing the costs of the government, so President Trump was elected by half the voting population, with a mandate to gut what he billed was the deep state of corruption so that America could be great again.

 

Voters were told that Trump’s plan would bring down inflation, and everyone would have more money.  But that was a fabrication.

 

Many Americans love this false narrative so much that it would take serious personal pain to get them to change their minds.

Meanwhile, before most of them realize that they’ve been conned, Trump will have reshaped or eliminated the federal government piece by piece, with the help of Elon Musk, thousands of his minions, his right-wing cabinet,  Republican Congressman – and “yes” Vladimir Putin.

Nothing, except court action, can stop the momentum now that government workers are being fired, documents shredded and federal worksites dismantled.

The court system is moving so slowly, that by the time a court case is won – there may be no government building or offices to go back to or computer systems to restart. Any agency that survives, may have to be recreated from scratch.

 

At the end of February 2025, if you watched a steady diet of Fox news and/or conspiracy theory social media, you might be cheering on the death of the federal government. 

 

In fact, some haters are still too busy living in the past to pay attention – bashing the same old things they hated under Biden, and railing against any opposition to Trump and Musk’s illegitimate Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

It appears that half of the voting population is ensnared in a right-wing silo with a steady stream of disinformation.

This includes Trump speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) convention on February 22, 2025, and the day before Elon Musk appearing with his chain saw against bureaucracy stunt.

Because of misinformation, many people aren’t aware yet that they could lose their jobs or livelihood as the Project 2025 blueprint rolls out.  They may be the last to face the facts and finally be willing to stand up to defend our democracy, criminal justice system and the rule of law.

 

 In February 2025, FAA job firings and plane crashes foretold the stock market decline.

 

It’s likely that Americans will stop spending money as tariffs, rising inflation and job loses lead to fear and uncertainty about America’s future under an authoritarian regime run by tech-bro billionaires.  Most Americans did not sign up for this.

 

 

Facing the Reality on the Ground – the Fight for Survival is On

The Federal Government in its present form under Trump/Musk, must now be regarded literally as the enemy of the state(s).  These MAGA thugs will stop at nothing to get U.S. States of America to heel to the supreme power of autocratic control.

It’s obvious from actions under Trump/Musk – only five weeks into the new administration, that there’s NO interest in protecting Americans’ safety, health or well-being.

This was clear when Robert Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaxxer, was confirmed as Secretary of Health – just as a measles outbreak was flaring in Texas.

 

Weakening or killing Americans is a tool to demoralize and get people to accept  authoritarianism. 

 

 

This is why we’re likely to see the reductions in health care programs like Medicare and Medicaid soon, and cuts to food programs like SNAP.

 As DOGE winds down agencies and services benefitting all Americans, the question remains – How will people do after the Federal government is gutted?

The answer is that it depends on what the individual states and Americans do within them, to take care of their citizens until such time that federal funding  is restored to benefit everyone and not just oligarchs.

The mental anguish and physical pain that Americans will have to go through before it’s all over is unfathomable.

 

The Resistance, States’ Rights, Back the Blue

It’s important to remember that factions to bring down American democracy have always existed in various iterations since the founding, but the last time forces came this close to bringing down America was the Civil War.

In some ways, this time in history is worse because all three branches of government – the President, Congress, and the Supreme Court – are in cahoots.

 

It’s likely that in the next few years, epic battles will be fought state by state for sovereignty to protect citizens and state laws.

 

Hopefully the battles will be fought at the voting booth, but there’s no guarantee that physical violence won’t occur or the president won’t use military forces against Americans to put down rebellions.

This is why people in each state must be prepared to fight to preserve democracy, their independence, and to protect property.

State governors’ will need to rely on police forces and citizen volunteers to protect their states not just from federal forces, but also from unlawful right-wing militia’s like the Proud Boys.

Already, there are defiant governors of both political parties, resisting presidential actions that they believe are hurting the people in their states, financially, physically and psychologically.

 

Actions States Must Take When the Federal Government is Crippled

 

The following is a list of general areas of concern:

Public Funds:

All states will have to become self-sufficient after reductions or eliminations of federal government subsidies.

Targeted Blue States will have to fight for every share of federal income tax distribution and disaster fund allocations – (if there are any funds available after the DOGE purge).

 

Preservation of Infrastructure:

As President Trump rolls back efforts to get away from fossil fuels – states will have to fight to keep jobs in new alternative-fuel industries, like solar and wind, as well as electric vehicle production.  They may also have to raise funds to repair bridges and roads.

 

Food Safety and Health:

States will have to run more public service announcements – to ensure that their citizens gets correct information about food safety and health including vaccine information.

States will have to plan to manage increases in the risk of tainted food supplies.  This includes food coming into the U.S. from Mexico and South America as anger against the U.S. grows due to Trump/Musk tariffs and harassment.

 

Increases in the number of State inspectors will be needed to inspect food due to federal worker cuts at the FDA and Department of Agriculture (USDA), who previously did the work.

 

Due to tariffs and food safety concerns, Americans would benefit by growing more of the fruits and vegetables they normally import. Therefore, states will  need to protect agriculture workers, regardless of legal status, to do the increased farm work.

States will also have to provide hospital, mental health and non-profit services funding when federal funding dries up.

 

Education:

The states have always had the responsibility to provide public education in their states with the aid of the Federal Department of Education.

When this federal agency is gone, States will need to beef up education and provide funding for Head Start for pre-school education, and for before/after school programs, in addition to what they already pay for.

 

Power and Energy and Natural Disaster Preparations:

States will have to maintain independent grid systems to protect power and the internet within their states.

They will have to plan for climate change which leads to violent weather and increased hurricanes, tornadoes, fire and floods.  As a result, they will have to plan to constantly rebuild after disasters.

Maintaining and protecting a strong, skilled labor force, regardless of immigration status, will be critical.

 

Preserving Sanctuary Cities:

States will have to protect undocumented people who are critical workers in their states.  This may include those who grow food, pick crops and distribute it across America, as well as restaurant and hospital workers.

Protecting workers at job sites, like those rebuilding Los Angeles after the 2025 fires, or working in meat packing plants for example, will be difficult as they could be ground zero for increasing Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) raids.

 

Generally, states will also need to shore up defenses of their “sanctuary cities,” to protect their citizens from crime,  regardless of immigration status.   

 

This is important to prevent unreported crime from occurring – when undocumented people fail to report crime out of fear they will be deported.

 

Conclusion:

 Americans in every state must back the Blue – not only local law enforcement fighting right-wing extremism – but also fighting for states’ rights and democracy in  towns, and cities across the nation.

 

The best hedge against dictatorship is independence and self-reliance – not only at the state level, but also at the personal level for every citizen to have their own survival plan.

 

Additionally, it’s wise to hunker down with people who are willing to speak out and fight for free speech and the right to vote.  People should consider joining Indivisible chapters and other organizations that represent them.

In the end, it’s likely that American democracy will win, but it won’t be easy to defeat MAGA and could – as an estimate –  take one to five years.

The exact timeline is unclear, as the battle to save the American way of life is just getting started.

 

 

Related audio/video recording:

 

The United States is now unwinding the strong Federal Government that advanced American society and preserved democracy during the Civil War and the Civil Rights eras.  The image of Elon Musk at the CPAC convention exemplifies this new reality:

YouTube, ABC News, February 21, 2025, “Elon Musk, Chainsaw for Bureaucracy.”

 

Vivid reporting from CBS news reveals the stark reminder that Trump wants supreme power:

YouTube, CBS News, February 20, 2025, Trump Calls Himself “The King, After Challenge to NYC Congestion Pricing”

 

Other related articles you may be interested in: 

 

Article discusses where we were in the 2023 battle still ongoing:

Helen’s Place LLC, “Precipice of Democracy; Fight to Preserve Humanity.”

 

States’ rights is now in the forefront of the battle for democracy:

National Geographic, “The Roles of State and Federal Governments.”

 

Article discusses the lengths Elon Musk will go to exert power over the people to win at the state level in Wisconsin politics:

PBS Wisconsin, February 25, 2025, “Crawford decries Musk’s involvement in the 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court race.”