Another Election Bribe is in the Mail, Almost, Maybe

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

Americans who don't realize the power and value of voting have not been paying attention.  Donald Trump is slinging plenty of cash our way to make democracy worthwhile for everyone, and not just the hogs at the trough in Washington.  Of course there is a catch - because there always is.  Trump has promised to send every adult American $5,000 if (and only if) Republican's maintain control of the House and Senate following next month's midterm elections.

So, America, if you could use an extra $5,000 ($10,000 per couple) to finance your on-line sports betting or food for your children, the surest way to make that happen is to vote Republican.  The are only two problems with that get-rich-quick scheme:  1.  Trump does not have the power or authority to keep his BS pledge, and 2. Trump's lips were moving when he said it, which means he was lying anyway.

He's talking about purchasing our votes, and we can use that extra money to put gas in our cars and food in our bellies (both of which are higher now because of Trump) and go to work, and pay taxes so that we can get on the internet and see pictures of all the gold bling that Trump has strewn about the Oval Office.  Its good to know that somebody benefits from the taxes we pay.

If you are a fan of high gas and grocery prices and rent - and endless war - and a President whose primary diplomatic skill is throwing a tantrum, then of course vote Republican - just don't expect Trump to follow through on his $5,000 bribe because it won't happen.

He was lying, just like he lied about the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) rebate.  That promise of a $5,000 cash payment based on the money DOGE was going to save Americans was never funded, approved, or sent to Americans.  But while ordinary Americans may have seen no benefit whatsoever of the government shedding thousands of essential employees, Trump and Elon Musk, who ran the DOGE program, managed to neuter plenty of government watchdogs and the IRS so they and their rich friends could keep more of their money - so it wasn't a complete wash.  The rich got richer even if the rest of us didn't.

And who could forget the other big, beautiful money lie that Trump laid on us:  the $2,500 rebate that we would all receive to make up for the higher prices on almost everything that Americans had to pay as a result of Trump's vindictive and mean-spirited tariffs on imports from the rest of the world?    Americans paid those tariffs themselves at the checkout registers at places like Walmart and Dollar General, but when Trump was finally ordered by the courts to refund his ill-gotten gains, the money was dispersed to the companies that imported the goods, and not to the consumers who ended up paying them - and most of the companies kept their nice bonuses.  Everyday Americans were screwed again!

Now Trump has made another promise, one that he may actually be able to fund.  In order to take some heat off of the high cost of medical treatment, Daddy Warbucks says he is going to send every American participant in Medicare Part B, the portion of the Medicare program that covers things like doctor's visits, ambulance service, and lab tests, a one-time payment of $90 to help offset the cost of their premiums.  And although his earlier promised payments for DOGE and tariff rebates have been smoke in the wind, Trump says he will get the $90 out in the next few days.

Ninety dollars will buy (just barely) two tanks of gas for my little Kia Soul, or it could buy a week's worth of groceries (just for myself), if I am very, very frugal.  But I will take it, Donnie, and I will damed sure remember you on election day and pretend that you are on the ballot (as you have encouraged us to do), and will cast my vote accordingly - even if it does cost me five thousand imaginary dollars!

$90 won't buy my vote, and neither would five grand!

Enjoy your Democratic Congress, Blowhard.  I know I will!