Almost a Year Since the First Hints of Hysteria Emerged

It's almost a year since the first hints of hysteria emerged. Remember? It was only weeks after the inauguration of the Big Orange Guy, our beloved El Presidente. Consistent with his style of "leadership," he shot our of his political cannon a series of declarations that began to rustle up the posse who always intended to get him in the end. 

But that wasn't all. With the help of a main stream media that never cared much for our newly ordained fearless leader (to say the least), the scare stories ramped up and many average Joe's (and Janes) began to get a little nervous.

Countering this, the Followers, a/k/a "MAGA" folks, wasted no time shouting to the sky that pretty much anything the new team in Washington was working would only be harmful to, well, a list of folks they determined to be their opposition, both domestic and foreign.

Those in the middle could pick sides. But many really didn't want to pick any side. They just focused on their own lives and wondered whether the canon fire from Washington would land in their front yards.

So about a year ago we listed a few items that seemed most prominent in the minds of the many as potential trouble. There were more than these, and since have been even more canon balls have been fired, but let's stick with the items that seemed to hit hard at the time. 

Here's what we listed then. Remember these? 

- The whole DOGE effort to trim the federal bureaucracy

- The "round-up" of non-citizens that include not simply illegal immigrants with criminal or other suspicious backgrounds, but some who seem not to pose any clear and present danger to the country.

- The chatter about Social Security being a "Ponzi Scheme" accompanied by reductions in staff and SS offices throughout the country.

- The increasingly aggressive imposition of tariffs on countries formerly seen as allies, even friends, accompanied by retaliatory tariffs by said countries.

Since those early days, it would seem the hysteria has blossomed over 2 items in particular. The other 2 not so much.

The not so much would be: 

- The whole DOGE effort to trim the federal bureaucracy 

- The chatter about Social Security being a "Ponzi Scheme" accompanied by reductions in staff and SS offices throughout the country.

At first reducing federal bureaucracy elicited triumphant songs of joy vs. a firestorm of gnashing of teeth. After the initial efforts, though, the DOGE thing sort of wasted away. Not that subsequent attempts to trim spending have been completely forsaken, but the grand plans lead by Mr. Musk simply ran off the tracks.

As for Social Security, that bureau already had undergone radical reorganization during the Covid Mess. Most offices were already closed to "customers" anyway. Subsequent cuts have degraded service. Those who accessed SS before the Covid Mess found the staff relatively knowledgeable and helpful. Now, it's more helpful than knowledgeable. And as for the "Ponzi scheme" comparison, there was nothing new here. Many already understand why it's been compared to a Ponzi scheme. In the end, initial fear and trembling has given way to a much more muted response.

While the fear and trembling never really afflicted most folks for those two, the same can't be said of the other two:

- The "round-up" of non-citizens that include not simply illegal immigrants with criminal or other suspicious backgrounds, but some who seem not to pose any clear and present danger to the country.  

 - The increasingly aggressive imposition of tariffs on countries formerly seen as allies, even friends, accompanied by retaliatory tariffs by said countries.

The round-up spawned ICE. And we all know how that's been going. This is an item that has brought out the beast in the protestors who now relentlessly oppose verbally and physically efforts to eject illegal immigrants. As of now, that opposition has not flagged, and we expect it to becomes even more virulent as the spring arrives with weather more amenable to outdoor protests.

Hysteria building, and building up some more. 

As for tariffs, the Big Orange Guy seems to love playing with these. They're on; they're off. They're huge; they're small. They build up America; they punish other countries, They've become the ultimate carrot and stick for the Great Negotiator.

And of course, hysteria bobbed its head up and down in this ocean of tariff chatter ever since the Inauguration. It has calmed a bit since. But along the way, opponents did their best to scare the daylights out of us little people. And while the initial hysteria has calmed a bit, there does seem to remain a few droppings of higher prices and, in a few instances, supply deficits. We'll have to keep monitoring to see if the potential hysteria here will get anywhere near the illegal immigrant/ICE war zone.

So there is it, almost a year later. Hints of hysteria, some of which petered out, some of which may gather strength as winter recedes and spring/summer take its place, like a hurricane regaining its strength over warmer waters.

We'll have to wait and see.