Musk creates "America Party" as fallout over Trump's budget bill continues
Facts Over Fear: We do not a party for and by the oligarchs. We need a People's Party which supports policies that better ALL of our lives.
FACE OUR FEAR: Elon Musk’s “America First” party is not the answer.
Billionaires do not know what is best for the American people. As we continue to slide into the jaws of fascism, let us not be distracted by the shiny object Musk is now dangling in front of the people who oppose Trump’s oppressive, dangerous and bloated budget bill.
Musk and Trump notoriously had a falling out that tarnished the end of Musk’s 130 days as a special government advisor, leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in claiming to slash excess federal spending.
In fact, what has been discovered since according to CNN and others, is that when picking apart the “estimated savings” of $175 billion on the DOGE website, reporter Casey Tolan shared that less than half that figure is backed up with even the most basic documentation.
That means it’s possible only even to start investigating about $32 billion of savings from terminated contracts, $40 billion of savings from terminated grants and $216 million of savings from terminated leases that DOGE claims.
Plus, some of the specific terminations that are included in those numbers have no details at all. And Tolan also reported on the fact that DOGE’s tally has “been marred by various errors and dubious calculations throughout the entire time they’ve been releasing this info.”
While DOGE ‘may’ have achieved some cost reductions in specific areas (but at what cost exactly if people lost their jobs or necessary services were cut), it did not deliver on massive savings promised to root out “fraud and waste.” The methods used to measure those supposed savings have also been widely and consistently criticized.
And so I have to ask: Why do we keep putting Musk and those like him on a pedestal? Why do we assume that the rich are necessarily smarter or “more moral” than the rest of us? And why do we continue to put our futures in their hands when we see time and time again that they care for themselves and no one else?
I’m sick of it. I bet you are, too. Musk doesn’t know what the American people need, nor does he care. His companies are rated as some of the worst in the country to work for, but don’t take my word for it.
Check out these excerpts from HR Dive:
Along with billionaire bravado, Elon Musk is now synonymous with “toxic workplace.”
Let’s check the scoreboard, starting with 2022: News broke in May that Musk allegedly subjected a SpaceX flight attendant to overt sexual harassment in 2016; the settlement documents indicate that once the flight attendant refused, Musk seemingly retaliated against her by reducing her shifts.
At the time, an expert who spoke to HR Dive affirmed the idea that this type of conduct by a business leader is more than distracting for employees across Musk’s companies; it also erodes psychological safety.
Then came the $44 billion takeover of X, formerly known as Twitter, in October 2022. That acquisition started with a bang when Musk significantly reduced headcount. The triple employer fired top executives, laid off almost 4,000 workers (about half of the staff at the time), and jettisoned remaining dissenters.
After talent in the compliance, content moderation and cybersecurity department packed their bags, November 2022 was marked by X workers quitting in droves after Musk issued an ultimatum: Become “extremely hardcore” or leave.
In spring 2023, X rolled back its policy against deadnaming transgender people. While this policy is customer-facing, it’s hard to imagine a company doing so while also championing trans employees; people experts have spoken to HR Dive in the past regarding the way misgendering and deadnaming trans talent can be harmful to workplace culture.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued Tesla in September 2023, putting forth allegations of a racist workplace — one that meted out retaliation against Black workers who spoke up.
This is just a taste of his horrific workplace culture.
So why exactly would we want a party led by someone who has exploited workers, union busted, been accused of racism, sexism, xenophobia and transphobia? I have been thinking a lot lately about the American psyche and how we are being conditioned to take the scraps and say “thank you” for the absolute bare minimum.
What kind of world are we creating for our children who have now lived under two Trump terms? What do they see reflected back to them?
We are told to work when sick. We are mandated to come back to work almost immediately after giving birth. We are told to give our vacation days up so someone can use them in the office to go receive their cancer treatments.
We are seeing stories that doctors share where their patients — upon learning that they have a cancer diagnosis — are more afraid of the bills that follow than the disease itself. This term is called financial toxicity. We had to come up with a term to discuss this issue because that’s how prevalent this nightmare has become. Read that again.
America, we have a problem.
The last thing we need leading us is a billionaire who lives in their own demented, ketamine-soaked reality demanding more from the American people while continuing to give less and less.
REALITY CHECK: It’s time to dream beyond billionaires.
We cannot have a functioning democracy, a thriving healthy nation AND a billionaire class. They are not compatible and never will be. They are the leeches stuck to our backs and we have to rip them off. It’s time.
Imagine a world with me where we all have enough. Where we walk outside and breathe clean air. Where we can swim in lakes, rivers and our oceans without fear of toxic chemicals and plastic bags choking our shorelines or the creatures who live in them. Where we can walk through tall grass without the constant presence of Lyme-ridden ticks.
Imagine working for six hours a day, four days a week, spending outside time on hobbies or being with family and friends so that you can actually enjoy your life. Close your eyes. How would it feel to not worry about your electric bill, your gas bill, your grocery bill? What would it feel like to have enough to live (and some to save and - gasp - a bit left over for fun?)
This dream is not outrageous. We have been conditioned to think that everything is about making the rich richer. We have been conditioned to think it’s normal to work two or three jobs just to (maybe) make the rent. We have been told that healthcare for all is a luxury that will destroy this (all-power, richest nation in the world) society. We have been told that having a baby is “ your choice” but also not, as forced birth is thrust upon more and more of us every day.
We have been sold a tale that COVID and other airborne viruses are just a part of life, they won’t be controlled because of “freedom.” In fact, did you know that a study by Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) last year found that up to 5.8 million American children now have long COVID.
This means between 10 to 20 percent of children who tested positive with COVID-19 went on to develop the condition. Their findings suggest that long COVID may have surpassed asthma—which around 5 million youngsters have—as the most common chronic condition experienced by American children.
No one is free when they are crippled by a disabling disease.
Income and wealth inequality is higher in the United States than in almost any other developed country, and it is rising.
We must stop normalizing sickness, pollution and poverty as the price we pay for “freedom.”
There is nothing to stop us from reimagining a new political party in the United States. One that centers our quality of life. One that uses AI to make our lives easier. One that acknowledges the world has changed in the last 40 years and so policies must change with it.
What would a People’s Party look like to you?
For me, policies would have to include the following:
Universal healthcare for all.
Universal paid leave for all.
Clean air, clean water, reduction and elimination of plastics wherever possible.
Robust public health policies that create a transparent and thoughtful educational campaign around vaccines and why and how we prepare for pandemics.
Universal basic income. Hey, if AI is going to start changing the way we work and upending industries, it should do so at the benefit of people — not at our expense.
Universal quality public education (including higher education) for all who want it.
A transparent and humane immigration process that welcomes neighbors from around the world who want to contribute to communities, local economies and create a life and home for themselves here.
Rational gun legislation including the ban on assault weapons for civilian use. These guns are locked up on ARMY BASES, so why on earth are we fetishizing them in our home life?
Amendments that solidify human rights including the right to self-determination — no forced birth under any circumstances — as well as protections for the LGBTQ+ communities.
Equal pay for equal work provisions so that self-identified women — especially non-white women — can start to build generational wealth.
Voting rights protections.
Nationalized insurance for homes and cars. If we are required to carry it — especially with the looming climate crisis — than we should nationalize it to make it accessible and more affordable.
Nationalized retirement programs so that everyone has the opportunity to retire, not just the wealthy. An estimated 57 million workers have no retirement plan offered through their job. Why should we work until we die in the richest nation in the world? If we want to claim that, shouldn’t everyone have a chance to rest and dream beyond labor?
Simplified tax code. It should be free for everyone to file their taxes — even those on 1099s — since more and more of us are working as independent contractors.
Overturn Citizens’ United, start using public money only for elections and end the Electoral College. Plus, let’s try rank voting and see how that goes!
I know I am just scratching the surface and perhaps there are things you don’t agree with or things you want to add to this list. Good! We must start dreaming beyond the present time we live in. Eventually, this rotted, corrupt political party that is currently in power will fail and fall in on itself. Then what? What do we want beyond this moment? What do we feel that we deserve? Who do we want to be?
It is easy to be angry all of the time. It is easy to let our bitterness consume us, to let fear overtake us, to let our exhaustion swallow us into the depths of despair. But I ask you to fight those feelings and instead dream. Everything that has ever been created has come out of the thoughts and ideas of people just like us. And it won’t take millions and millions of us to change the world. In fact, if just a small number of us band together to decide to speak up and speak often on what we see and what we demand to change, others will find the courage to join us.
So dream.
Not just for ourselves but for the generations to follow. What do we want to say that we did to enact meaningful and positive change that uplifted the most vulnerable among us — which in turn — improved all of our lives? We can make this world more equitable and more prosperous for the many and not just the privileged few with a People’s Party. But it won’t be run by the Musks of the world. It will be run by everyday people who give a damn about each other.
I see you. I value you. I honor who you are and even though we may not agree on everything, at the end of the day, if we have the same vision of the future — one where people are seen in their full humanity, have the ability to bring their gifts and talents to the world and work towards the dreams that they want to achieve while prioritizing their health and their pursuit of happiness — then the people united will never be defeated.
So here’s to a brighter tomorrow. I believe in it because I believe in the power of the people.
Thank you for being a part of my growing community on Substack. I’m truly grateful to everyone who subscribes (2,682 as of this post!) and to my paid subscribers, a special shout-out to you.
Until next time, take care of yourselves and each other.
In solidarity,
Natalie
It sounds like you know what is needed. The main thing though. We need to tax the heck out of Billionaires. Nobody needs that much money.
Beautifully written piece, about an unfortunately dire new reality. My thoughts go with you, for what it's worth. Stay strong & keep up the good work as you're worth more than I think you know.