Before I get into the meat of today’s post, I must share a U.S. Postal Service incident. This might just be indicative of what’s wrong with our mail service today.
This afternoon, my sister took a large envelope to the post office for me along with my $20 bill. The postage was going to be $2.72. The clerk said she could not take the $20 bill as payment “because my computer says I don’t have change for it in my cash drawer.”
We will never know if the computer was correct. It seems like there should be a way for a postal clerk to open the drawer and see if the computer is correct. If the computer is correct, perhaps there should be a way for a postal clerk to get some cash from somewhere in the post office so he or she can sell a stamp and give a customer change for a $20 bill.
Without further ado, I will bring three things to your attention that are minor when taken alone; however, it is the relentless daily parade of such minor actions that are piling up.
Little-by-little, things are being done – or undone – behind the scenes. It feels like an out-of-control unraveling.
National Council on the Humanities
Trump has relieved 22 members of the 26-member National Council on the Humanities of their duties this week, leaving only four white men who were appointed by Trump. This council advises the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) about such things as grants to award.
The council was scheduled to meet next week “to submit nominations for the National Humanities Medal, consider three “sole source” grant applications and review statue proposals for Trump’s National Garden of American Heroes,” according to a report by The Washington Post.
Members of the council are appointed to serve six-year terms. Their only compensation is payment for travel and time spent in meetings.
The council needs a quorum of 14 to hold a meeting. Replacements must be approved by the U.S. Senate.
The acting chair of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Michael McDonald, informed members of the council in April that some NEA and NEH funds were being directed to Trump’s National Garden of American Heroes and the country’s semiquincentennial celebration in 2026.
Fewer grants than usual have been awarded since March; however, the agency’s largest ever grant of $10.4 million was awarded in September to Tikvah, “a think tank and education center that describes its mission as advancing ‘Jewish excellence and Western civilization through education and ideas,’” according to The Washington Post report.
What does this wholesale “firing” of nearly all members of the National Council on the Humanities mean for the future of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts?
Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home
The director of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home as resigned because First Lady Melania Trump wanted to take one of President Eisenhower’s swords from the museum and give it to King Charles.
The Eisenhower Museum houses three of the World War II U.S. Army General’s swords: a Sword of Honor from the City of London in 1947, an honor saber from The Netherlands in 1947, and his West Point officer saber.
In the end, West Point supplied the First Lady with a replica saber and the Eisenhower Museum director resigned.
Is this part of the larger Trump Administration’s attack on museums? I don’t know what the First Lady’s motivation was in her request to the Eisenhower Museum. It seems a stretch to think she had personal knowledge of the holdings of the museum in Abilene, Kansas.
Federal support for charter schools instead of public schools
I don’t know if every state got new federal money for charter schools or if it was only North Carolina, but North Carolina received a $53 million grant for charter schools.
Just imagine how much could have been accomplished if the Trump Administration had awarded each of the 115 public school systems in North Carolina $460,869.56 instead of handing it to charter schools!
According to wunc.org, “U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon announced a $60 million increase in total funding for the Charter School Program Grant this fiscal year, making the announcement during National Charter Schools week this past May. It brings the department’s total investment into charter schools to more than $500 million over the next five years.”
The unc.org report also stated, “This additional federal investment in charter schools comes as the U.S. Department of Education has been rolling back competitive grants previously awarded under the Biden administration to public school districts. Notices from the department about revoked funding say that the grant projects do not fit the Trump administration’s priorities, often citing language in grant applications related to diversity, equity, inclusion or hiring practices that consider race.”
As if that weren’t bad enough, the North Carolina Legislature continues to pour tax money in the state budget to give vouchers to every family that wants to send their children to private school, even if they are wealthy and could do that without the vouchers.
This very public non-support of public education is taking us down a bad path. As long as the government does not support public education, the politicians can continue to criticize public schools and it will be a self-fulling prophecy.
In closing
It is getting increasingly more difficult to watch and listen to, but it is incumbent upon each American to pay attention.
It isn’t good for our mental health to concentrate on the news for hours on end every day, but if we all just turn off the news completely and refuse to keep up with what is being done – or undone – we will lose our democracy.
For as long as we have open and free elections, we each need to be informed about who we are voting for on all levels of government. If we do not make informed choices, we will cease to have open and free elections. We could go in the direction of Russia where they have elections but there is only one name on the ballot.
Meanwhile, the federal government shut down at midnight on Tuesday. I think the blame falls on the U.S. President; his hand-picked Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought (who helped write Project 2025); along with the Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Congress. None of them are upholding their oaths of office. None of them appear to take their jobs seriously and act on behalf of the American people.
This is an insane way to run a country. You can’t run a household like this, so why do they think they can operate the United States of America like this?
Janet
Janet's Writing Blog 
I’m getting to the point where I need to ignore the news. I can’t take it anymore.
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Superb examples, Janet. Thomas Jefferson would agree since he always advocated for an educated citizenry. Back in the day, when the federal offices still had administrative workers (secretaries who could type), I had a good friend who was a high school graduate. She always struck me as being as educated as today’s college graduate (or maybe even better) because she knew good grammar and how to spell. She was part of the WWII generation since this was in the 70s and those folks were still working. Why would the first lady have to ‘steal’ from another Presidential Library so TACO could show off to King Charles who probably would not have known or cared if the sword was a replica or not. I think TACO’s use of an autopen photo for Joe Biden in his White House Portrait Collection is petty but that is still better, than his Perp scowl portrait which is not a flattering reminder for him either. He did make money off hawking a t-shirt with that same picture.
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Janet, I think you hit the nail on the head with this statement,i “f we all just turn off the news completely and refuse to keep up with what is being done – or undone – we will lose our democracy.” I think that was the plan because most people do not listen to the news or read anything because they are too busy shopping online or on social media. It is not until they are drowning will they realized that the ship was slowly sinking a long time ago.
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there is so much to be horrified by. The ICE raids in Chicago should terrify every American.
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It is a daily horror show. I try to limit my time watching it on TV, but things keep popping up on my computer that send me chasing a story I missed. I don’t know how much longer I can do this. The $1 Trump “Fight! Fight! Fight! coin the Treasury Department announced today just might be the last straw.
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Beverley, you have stated it perfectly. Absolutely perfectly. Thank you.
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Yes, they should. Zip-tying children, which the Republicans on CNN tonight did not have a problem with! I keep procrastinating applying for a passport. I have no travel plans, but I feel the need to be able to prove I’m an American citizen if I’m accosted. Not that a passport will save me.
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The autopen photo and all the AI-generated images and videos the White House is having so much fun with… I have no words. And Treasury is going to mint a $1 coin with TACO’s image on both sides for our 250th birthday? Give me a freakin’ break! I thought you had to be dead to be put on US currency, but I guess that doesn’t apply any more. Nothing applies any more.
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TACO’S ego will take up the entire new ballroom. His image with that greasy DA comb over, will make the coin look oily before it’s been touched.
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I missed that one.
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I wish I hadn’t seen it. Now I can’t un-see it. It is chilling. His image on both sides of the coin. That’s never been done before. This is wrong on so many levels.
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And he has no intentions of ever leaving that ballroom. He sees the White House as his personal property.
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And we are nothing but his chattel. What a sad time for our country when our own Dear Leader or would that be owner/ master considers his chattel/citizens to be the enemy within. He’ll cut deals with Hamas but not the Democrats because that won’t win him a Nobel prize.
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It is indeed sad. makes deal with Hamas, North Korea, China, and Russia but won’t let the Dem leaders come to the White House to talk. I had to give my so-called U.S. Representative another ear full last night. Got his weekly email and just had to respond. Told him I’m in my 70s and he is the first Congressman I’ve had who spends all his time berating the other political party. I told him he does not represent me at all. I’m holding off on blogging about it until I receive his response. What a sorry excuse for a Congressman! After he paid his respects to the Dems for the shutdown, he jumped on the Dems for the “lethal abortion drug” the FDA approved last week and how dangerous it is for the women who take it. Yeah, he’s really concerned about women’s health!
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Sounds like a real POS. Ours isn’t a whole lot better.
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The fact that he was a Baptist preacher before entering politics only makes me loath his opinions more.
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Sounds like worst of breed. Ours was a Navy SEAL so I can at least respect his service. His predecessor had the audacity not to support the Donald. He also won because he jury rigged the primary. After he won that way twice, the state stepped in and said they had to have a primary where all candidates had an equal chance to win so we got the SEAL rather than the wrestling coach from Liberty University.
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Oh gosh… Liberty University wrestling coach. I have no words.
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Harris had to drop out the race a few years ago after he hired a guy to pay people to vote for Harris on mail-in ballots. His own son was so embarrassed and disgusted that he testified against his father. I thought surely that would be the end of his political career, but boy was I wrong! Unbelievable. All he has to do is play the preacher card and he’ll be re-elected as long as he wishes to be in this gerrymandered district.
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Totally gross.
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I tried to “like” your comment on Francisco’s blog about the one-way ticket, but it wouldn’t let me like it or respond. Great idea! I’ll start brushing up on my Spanish!
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Not sure how Francisco sets up his blog. You can only like from reading the comment in your email, not in the comments section.
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Okay… didn’t know that. All these months (years?) I’ve just thought my computer was malfunctioning. His isn’t the only blog I have trouble getting the like button to work. Thanks for the info.
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Me too. Some I can only like in the reader.
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I’m currently waiting on a music cd. I received a notification from the USPS saying that my package is in a PO Box. I don’t have a PO Box. So exactly where is my package? A music cd will literally fit in my mailbox. Is it that hard for the USPS mail carrier to do? Thanks for sharing your story letting me share mine. ✌️
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I hope you’re able to track down your music CD! Thanks for sharing, and thank you for reading my blog.
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Thank you. I hope that you don’t have any more problems with USPS. I remember in the old days when they would leave a pink paper notice in your mailbox telling you that you had a package at the Post Office. Memories.
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I remember those days, too.
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