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MIButterfly

(3,151 posts)
Thu May 21, 2026, 11:42 AM 15 hrs ago

I certainly didn't think my retirement years would be like this

Every single day, something happens that's more ludicrous, ridiculous, outrageous, unbelievable and stupid than the day before. To paraphrase Jeff Tiedrich, every morning it's "what the fuck am I waking up to now?" When will it end? Who's going to stop it? How is it all going to be fixed in four years or eight years if/when I pray to God we get a Democratic president? It all seems so bewildering and hopeless.

Gas prices soaring. Food prices soaring. Healthcare costs soaring. Roads, schools and bridges crumbling. I worry that they're going to make sure Social Security runs out and privatize Medicare and how will I live after that? Every single dime that DJT and his crooked administration have enriched themselves with during his presidency is gone forever. How will we ever replace it so we can undo all the damage he's done? He concerns himself with things that don't matter to anyone but his demented self. I don't care about the reflecting pool; I don't want my tax dollars to go to building a bunker in the White House; I don't want my money going to putting up statues glorifying his dumb ass; and I damn sure don't want the insurrectionists of January 6 compensated with my money. I mean, WTF? Isn't it bad enough he pardoned them, now they get rewarded for it? For breaking the law, for fighting with police and destroying public property? "Law and order president" my big ass.

I am so embarrassed and disgusted that he's the president of our country. And I'm even more disgusted with the 30% or whatever amount it is of people who still support him, who don't open their stupid eyes and see who and what he really is even though he has shown them day after day after day since he first came down that escalator. I am also disgusted with his spokespeople who come up with the most outlandish excuses for what he says and does. And I'm extremely disgusted with the media that questions nothing, challenges nothing, sanewashes everything and just acts like stenographers taking dictation as he spouts the most stupid gibberish I've ever heard in my life.

So in an effort to stay sane and try to make sense of this crazy timeline we're all living in, I come to DU. I read, I learn, I laugh, I cry, I commiserate, I feel that I'm not alone. I really feel at home here and I'm so glad I have somewhere to go in these trying times. DUers are the best people. Thank you all for being here and (dare I say it?) thank you for your attention to this matter. Jeez, he's even ruined that expression for me.

46 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
I certainly didn't think my retirement years would be like this (Original Post) MIButterfly 15 hrs ago OP
Agree 100% with every word Grim Chieftain 14 hrs ago #1
I knew it would be this bad. I'm surprised we're not all dead by now. Ray Bruns 14 hrs ago #5
I too didn't realize HOW bad it could get. I knew it would be bad...but it is SO beyond the pale. yellow dahlia 13 hrs ago #12
What freaks me out the most is he gets away with all of it Grim Chieftain 13 hrs ago #15
I understand. I haven't exhaled in a year and a half. yellow dahlia 12 hrs ago #22
They are attempting a coup, it has a daily agenda with different components, some visible, some shadowy Blues Heron 14 hrs ago #2
This MF took a giant shit orangecrush 14 hrs ago #3
Know the feeling MIButterfly irisblue 14 hrs ago #4
Excellent. I agree with you 100%. LoisB 13 hrs ago #6
I couldn't agree more, well said. Buddyzbuddy 13 hrs ago #7
Yes Starbeach 13 hrs ago #8
Our collective misery brought to you by, the uninformed short-memory voter and sadists. ffr 13 hrs ago #9
The billionaires don't want average Americans enjoying a comfortable retirement wolfie001 13 hrs ago #10
They want us to work until we die. n/t mtngirl47 10 hrs ago #32
I'm embarrassed too! young_at_heart 13 hrs ago #11
Righteous rant! OMGWTF 13 hrs ago #13
I have a theory about tsf's continuing support that stays at about 30-35 percent. alwaysinasnit 13 hrs ago #14
What an awesome, well-written post. Thank you. hamsterjill 13 hrs ago #16
Well and truly said! cer7711 13 hrs ago #17
All of what you stated and the fact that the well-being of people is denied to many. Not what America is supposed to be. twodogsbarking 12 hrs ago #18
The thought has crossed my mind Mme. Defarge 12 hrs ago #19
It's that way for many of us. BComplex 12 hrs ago #20
Ditto. I never planned on retirement being so sad. Covid, prices, ICE and TSA crushed any travel plans. joanbarnes 12 hrs ago #21
What he said! 😎 Joinfortmill 12 hrs ago #23
Awesome Blue1Red2 12 hrs ago #24
I compare this time in America FarPoint 11 hrs ago #25
Thank you, MIButterfly, for expressing what I and, I'm certain, any sentient person is experiencing. Bumbles 11 hrs ago #26
+a zillion nt spooky3 11 hrs ago #27
IMHO. Agreed and nicely done. Prairie_Seagull 10 hrs ago #28
Use to love the color orange. PuraVidaDreamin 10 hrs ago #31
The OK gesture is also out for me.l 3catwoman3 6 hrs ago #40
What Fresh Hell Is This? PhilG 10 hrs ago #29
I Want To Wrap This Post Up, Tie It With A Bow 🎁, And Give It To Myself! ..... ColoringFool 10 hrs ago #30
This sign lives... SirReal69 10 hrs ago #33
Welcome to the club ms.pamela 9 hrs ago #34
I'm retiring in August marcopolo63 9 hrs ago #35
Remember to use the phrase "BOUNTIES ON CAPITOL POLICE OFFICERS" whenever you can. eppur_se_muova 8 hrs ago #36
My major worries are... oldsoldierfadingfast 8 hrs ago #37
Retirement is looking less and less likely for this DU'er debsy 8 hrs ago #38
I hear that duckworth969 7 hrs ago #39
"How will we ever replace it so we can undo..." pat_k 5 hrs ago #41
anyone who can and has not done so yet, TIP DU!! Skittles 5 hrs ago #42
Now sixteen years into my retirement BeneteauBum 5 hrs ago #43
LOVE this post, MIButterfly! calimary 5 hrs ago #44
I didn't think my retirement years would be like anything in particular GenThePerservering 4 hrs ago #45
I took up a part-time job pfitz59 1 hr ago #46

Grim Chieftain

(2,060 posts)
1. Agree 100% with every word
Thu May 21, 2026, 11:58 AM
14 hrs ago

That's the hell I am living, too. I cried for a week after the "election". I knew it would be bad, but I didn't know it would be this bad. Stupid me, I thought there would be checks and balances, that people would stand up and demand he be removed from office if he eviscerated the rule of law. Every damn day is a new horror. As a senior citizen, I thought these would indeed be "the golden years", instead they are a living hell. He is the personification of evil.



yellow dahlia

(6,505 posts)
12. I too didn't realize HOW bad it could get. I knew it would be bad...but it is SO beyond the pale.
Thu May 21, 2026, 01:33 PM
13 hrs ago

Grim Chieftain

(2,060 posts)
15. What freaks me out the most is he gets away with all of it
Thu May 21, 2026, 01:44 PM
13 hrs ago

His approval ratings are in the toilet, yet no one stops him. He has destroyed so many, many lives and eviscerated the Constitution. It's hard to face another day of the hell he's created.



yellow dahlia

(6,505 posts)
22. I understand. I haven't exhaled in a year and a half.
Thu May 21, 2026, 02:04 PM
12 hrs ago

I wish we were a little more like France.

Blues Heron

(9,038 posts)
2. They are attempting a coup, it has a daily agenda with different components, some visible, some shadowy
Thu May 21, 2026, 12:08 PM
14 hrs ago

One of the daily agenda items is to seize the headlines with whatever annoying scary thing they can cook up. Destroy this or that, build weird Cinderella ballrooms and arches etc. all to cover for seizing money, power, keeping the Epstein files under control

orangecrush

(31,182 posts)
3. This MF took a giant shit
Thu May 21, 2026, 12:41 PM
14 hrs ago

On my senior years.

I hope to live to see him held accountable, but I'm not counting on it.

ffr

(23,449 posts)
9. Our collective misery brought to you by, the uninformed short-memory voter and sadists.
Thu May 21, 2026, 01:23 PM
13 hrs ago

Today's letters are Pb. Because nothing spells low IQ, like lead in aerosol form. Be sure to start your children early, like you and your parents were.





wolfie001

(7,976 posts)
10. The billionaires don't want average Americans enjoying a comfortable retirement
Thu May 21, 2026, 01:25 PM
13 hrs ago

Jeff Bozos wants all of his employees to be deathly scared everyday they go to work for him. Elon Musk is pure evil. So many are foul mother fuckers. Kevin O'Leary?

young_at_heart

(4,064 posts)
11. I'm embarrassed too!
Thu May 21, 2026, 01:30 PM
13 hrs ago

I'm so stressed now that I only go on DU once or twice a week. All this stress reactivates my nasty case of Shingles!

OMGWTF

(5,221 posts)
13. Righteous rant!
Thu May 21, 2026, 01:38 PM
13 hrs ago

I start my day with Jeff Tiedrich's Substack column followed by DU and then I watch Thom Hartmann on YouTube to stay informed.

alwaysinasnit

(5,650 posts)
14. I have a theory about tsf's continuing support that stays at about 30-35 percent.
Thu May 21, 2026, 01:39 PM
13 hrs ago

Tsf's personality traits appeal to a lot of people because it reflects and enhances their own. Tsf provides a validation of their own racism, misogyny, greed, and cruelty. Tsf provides a permission structure that validates the worst aspects of their own personalities and so they feel free to give voice to their own inner ugliness. I think this is why they will never abandon him no matter how badly their lives are impacted by tsf's policies.

hamsterjill

(17,765 posts)
16. What an awesome, well-written post. Thank you.
Thu May 21, 2026, 01:46 PM
13 hrs ago

Boy, I can agree with every word. I'm about a year into retirement myself and every single day it's like waking up to the Ground Hog Day movie with the same shit happening and nobody doing anything about it. The stress is certainly NOT what I was hoping for in my golden years, and you know what - it's not what I deserve either. It's not what ANY of us deserve.

I am sick of the minority - yes they ARE the minority - running this country. I'm sick of the bubba rednecks in my areas that don't understand ANYTHING and merely regurgitate what they've been told or have heard because it looks tough in these parts to support Trump. Ahuck...ahuck...ahuck.

DU is definitely my sanity place, and I appreciate knowing I'm not alone.

twodogsbarking

(19,364 posts)
18. All of what you stated and the fact that the well-being of people is denied to many. Not what America is supposed to be.
Thu May 21, 2026, 01:53 PM
12 hrs ago

Growing up when I questioned capitalism I was called a Communist; and going to hell and all that.To find out who rules you just find who you are not allowed to critisize.

Mme. Defarge

(9,058 posts)
19. The thought has crossed my mind
Thu May 21, 2026, 01:57 PM
12 hrs ago

to write a check for $1.00 for each of my quarterly estimated tax payments to the IRS the rest of the year.

joanbarnes

(2,139 posts)
21. Ditto. I never planned on retirement being so sad. Covid, prices, ICE and TSA crushed any travel plans.
Thu May 21, 2026, 02:03 PM
12 hrs ago

FarPoint

(14,943 posts)
25. I compare this time in America
Thu May 21, 2026, 02:50 PM
11 hrs ago

to what happens in the TV series, "The Walking Dead".....

Today, the virus / zombies are the ignorant MAGAS....

We Democrats and those who live by the Constitution, and Democracy , we are the survivors who want to live and return to some formal lifestyle.... like Alexandria and Hilltop...

tRump and the evil corporate dictator types are represented by the Wolverines, Negan, the Governor, Alpha....etc....

Both stories, the USA and The Walking Dead remain to be concluded....

Bumbles

(498 posts)
26. Thank you, MIButterfly, for expressing what I and, I'm certain, any sentient person is experiencing.
Thu May 21, 2026, 02:59 PM
11 hrs ago

I have a constant brain itch. It's unscratchable, always present, never relieved or diminished. On occasion when I think it has disappeared, there it is again. It's relentless and persistent. At 83, my main goal is to outlive the itch, the source, and revel in itch-free freedom.

PhilG

(61 posts)
29. What Fresh Hell Is This?
Thu May 21, 2026, 04:09 PM
10 hrs ago

When I wake up in the morning the first thing I do every day is check the weather. I need to know what projects can be done today and what has to be put off until it stops raining or snowing. Then I have to decide if I am brave enough to check DU and/or Huffington Post. Some days I just can't do either. On weekends, my rule is NOT to do either and not to listen to the radio. It's just too hard.

ColoringFool

(1,097 posts)
30. I Want To Wrap This Post Up, Tie It With A Bow 🎁, And Give It To Myself! .....
Thu May 21, 2026, 04:18 PM
10 hrs ago

👍👏👍👏👍👏👍

marcopolo63

(99 posts)
35. I'm retiring in August
Thu May 21, 2026, 05:26 PM
9 hrs ago

I’ve second-guessed retiring long enough and have announced to my boss and notified HR.

I didn’t think it would be this difficult a decision to make, but with all the risk to the market that the dumbest Administration ever to run this country is causing and the speculation around the future of Social Security - I am uncertain about the coming few years and decade! We need a new New Deal!

eppur_se_muova

(42,530 posts)
36. Remember to use the phrase "BOUNTIES ON CAPITOL POLICE OFFICERS" whenever you can.
Thu May 21, 2026, 05:57 PM
8 hrs ago

It's Trmps excuse to procure money for his

Praetorian Guard (Latin: cohortes praetoriae) was the imperial guard of the Imperial Roman army that served various roles for the Roman emperor including being a bodyguard unit, counterintelligence, crowd control and gathering military intelligence.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praetorian_Guard
37. My major worries are...
Thu May 21, 2026, 06:00 PM
8 hrs ago

not for myself (I've aged out and am a DNR); but, for my mid-aged son and friends who have children just starting their college and/or working years and their grandkids. They will not inherit the life we had planned and worked so hard to give them!
Our children and the coming generations are amongst my greatest worries.

debsy

(1,040 posts)
38. Retirement is looking less and less likely for this DU'er
Thu May 21, 2026, 06:34 PM
8 hrs ago

Thanks Donnie dumpster fire and all your minions for Your assistance in making that a reality!

duckworth969

(1,409 posts)
39. I hear that
Thu May 21, 2026, 07:12 PM
7 hrs ago

Last decade or so of my life spent fighting fascists any way I can.

T-riffic 😡

pat_k

(13,882 posts)
41. "How will we ever replace it so we can undo..."
Thu May 21, 2026, 08:51 PM
5 hrs ago

A start: One time graduated levy on assets with these targets

20% on assets in excess of 500 million.

From 15% to 20% on assets from 200 - 500 million

From 10% and 15% on assets from 50 million to 200 million

From 5% to 10% on assets from 10 million to 50 million

I've pulled these numbers out of my ass, but I have no doubt such a one time levy would make a decent start.

Since 1981 the corrupt Republican project has transferred more than 50 trillion from the bottom 90% to the top 1 %.

Time to for the beneficiaries to start contributing their fair share. Without a strong public sector they would never have earned what they have earned. They have hoarded a lion's share of our collective resources long enough.

Not even running through what the lower rates would generate,

A one-time 20% levy on net assets exceeding $500 million would generate an estimated $500 billion to $1 trillion in federal revenue.

A one-time levy of 15% on the assets of individuals in the $200 million to $500 million range is estimated to raise roughly $150 billion to $200 billion nationally, depending on the exact number of households and assuming a 15% tax avoidance rate.

BeneteauBum

(781 posts)
43. Now sixteen years into my retirement
Thu May 21, 2026, 09:14 PM
5 hrs ago

I know how you feel. Each day seems to bring a new WTF. To help offset my frustrations, I meet with a group of like minded people who demonstrate weekly. In addition, most of these people are active in voter recruitment. I feel like we’re moving ahead slowly….but surely. The unwavering energy of this group keeps me going.

Peace ☮️

calimary

(90,835 posts)
44. LOVE this post, MIButterfly!
Thu May 21, 2026, 09:21 PM
5 hrs ago

You sure do speak for me! Especially that fourth paragraph you wrote.

And if I may humbly offer a slight correction… he HAS NOT ruined ANY of your favorite expressions (or mine)! And every time you assert your right to utter them, just think of your action(s) as THWARTING his “authority”! EVERY time!!!

EVERY DAMN TIME!!!!!!

GenThePerservering

(3,719 posts)
45. I didn't think my retirement years would be like anything in particular
Thu May 21, 2026, 10:20 PM
4 hrs ago

I would just keep going, whatever happens. Expectations are a trap - try to stick to being true to yourself and don't let the Circus rob you of your essence. YOU are the same, no matter what craziness is happening in the world.

pfitz59

(12,946 posts)
46. I took up a part-time job
Fri May 22, 2026, 01:21 AM
1 hr ago

to pad the pension and keep me engaged with a broad spectrum of folks. Keeps me sane.

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