Thank you. One thing to mention - if you didn’t download your social security info, they changed things in the last few weeks or so to require acceptance of a new terms of service. It had some concerning bits which, in the current climate, no one would want to click “accept”. Might have always been like that but they never asked for a new confirmation before this. I backed out, without accepting but can’t get into my partners account to download his info now, without agreeing to the terms.
Another thought reading your post - reaching out to friends and family for help when this all breaks will be tough going when everyone is in the same sinking boat. Can’t Go Fund Me if no one has any funds. 😕
I’m immensely grateful for your insight. I’ve been reading from the beginning and have gained so much reassurance to have tasks I can complete. You’ve made a big difference in our lives with your voice. ☮️✌️
II just tried to log into Social Security using my Login.ID and got the same message. I would have to agree to them sharing my information before I can access my account. I guess I’m packing a lunch and heading to the local Social Security office where I’ll tell them we are going back to paper copies for my statements.
Lexi, I’m questioning your neutral description calling it “a change in government”. That’s not accurate. A better term is a takeover of our government systems. Call it what it is. Don’t sane wash it. So many of the systems that people in our country count on are being prepped for attack and ransacking. My wife and I were hoping to start collecting Social Security next year. I don’t know if that’s going to happen. It’s terrifying. And we’re not counting on it yet! What about people who are collecting now, and maybe have little or no other resources?
Hi Mark, that's fair critique. I'll read back through and consider adding a qualifier that we are witnessing a hostile takeover of federal systems. My previous posts are clear that I'm characterizing what DOGE is doing as a nation state attack, and I stand by that assessment.
With this post I intentionally generalized to keep the tone neutral, not because I think the attack isn't serious but so people can keep a cool head when thinking about their immidiate risk. A cool head is important to get a clear picture of risk.
At this phase we shouldn't assume that Social Security will be wiped out. My instincts tell me we will experience periods of rolling brown outs where there are interruptions in services, then there will be a period of recovery before services are restored. How long either of these phases takes is unknown but I expect periods of outages will become major challenges for those that depend on them to survive.
In our household we are already having conversations about how we will barter for goods and services during outages. My mom and aunt depend on social security to survive so we have been scrambling to get them ready. What we've done so far is my mom has withdrawn enough money from her 401k to get through a year of expenses (on a very tight budge), she's applying for a HELOC on her home and we are converting a room in her house so it can be listed on VRBO.
I understand how lucky she is to have these options available to her and that many do not. Our communities will need to step in to help seniors that depend exclusively on social security and do not have fallback savings or assets they can leverage.
All that said, I have hope that the courts will eventually force DOGE out of the SSA. 🤞🏼 Tough times are ahead, but nothing we can't handle. The people that should be worried are those that will be blindsided. That won't be us. We're going to get through this.
Hi Lexi! I came over after I saw your interview with Andra. Given the fever pitch of emotion in the country, I'm thinking that when these disruptions start to happen, it will lead to major civil unrest and violence. I think we may already be seeing some recognition of that (and cowardice) on the behalf of MAGA legislators evidenced in their refusal to meet with their rightfully furious constituents.
Hi Lexi - I appreciate the cool head in these times. It really is the way to approach it when serious bad things are happening on a daily basis, but where it’s important to just stay focused on practical next steps to reduce risk. There are many knowledgeable people who post on Substack with a lot of emotion (and swearing!) and I often I enjoy and appreciate what they post. However people like you, Thom Hartmann and Heather Cox Richardson have such a level balanced way of writing that conveys information much more effectively. I think about this when I share a post to another audience (like on FB), and I want to get the message out.
Thank you Lexi!! Like always you are spot on and your advice is rock solid. I just wish more people would pay attention. I’ve been building my moat since the beginning of the month and I’m continuing to do so.
Hi Lexi, thanks for keeping up the flow of helpful information. I'm not aware of anyone else doing this in this way. About the backup generator: this is obviously advisable in areas subject to natural disasters, e.g., hurricanes. Is that the basis for your recommendation or do you anticipate grid disablement as part of the DOGE digitization of government?
I am less worried about direct grid disablement and more worried about outages caused by upstream interruptions of service, due to DOGE checking in breaking changes, extreme weather events and Ai misfires.
All that said, it's difficult to size the potential outage impact for infrastructure that is localized, and in some ways we are better off b/c of our fragmented and privatized landscape of power providers is a patchwork system and not centralized.
This is a scary worst-case scenario but it is possible. Transitioning to localized and offline infrastructure for essential services in power, telecommunications and healthcare complicates this strategy and may defer it indefinitely. Thank you for sharing!
Well, I just read the White House post about digital currency! What the heck? Lexi, to me I read this as a doomsday prediction, for example; first, they are taking all monies seized by law breakers etc.. and changing it into a bitcoin “bank”?
Secondly, are they kinda saying that they are going to pay out things like tax refunds with this bitcoin?
I am not sure at this point what I am reading… what if they deem us as criminals? Am I on the right track? 🙏
I think you're on the right track, but also remember that DOGE is in uncharted territory. Their intent is likely to bump up against the reality that they do not have basic literacy or competency in the systems they're attempting to transform. I'm expecting a lot of "false starts" on their end, which will majorly hurt morale and erode their credibility even further. I do not see this plan as a viable path forward while recognizing the train for big change may have already left the station. This is why backups and offline readiness is top priority!
I heard your chat with Andra Watkins who have subscribed to for the last year. I am not techie per se , but a retired emergency medicine provider. Emergency medicine mindset is go in with the worst case scenario first- mitigate that first. If it isn't worst case scenario, reassess and rachet down your response accordingly. That approach reminds me of what you are recommending. I am taking this to heart.
Thank you. One thing to mention - if you didn’t download your social security info, they changed things in the last few weeks or so to require acceptance of a new terms of service. It had some concerning bits which, in the current climate, no one would want to click “accept”. Might have always been like that but they never asked for a new confirmation before this. I backed out, without accepting but can’t get into my partners account to download his info now, without agreeing to the terms.
Another thought reading your post - reaching out to friends and family for help when this all breaks will be tough going when everyone is in the same sinking boat. Can’t Go Fund Me if no one has any funds. 😕
If you buy large any of grains make sure they are in rodent proof containers.
I’m immensely grateful for your insight. I’ve been reading from the beginning and have gained so much reassurance to have tasks I can complete. You’ve made a big difference in our lives with your voice. ☮️✌️
II just tried to log into Social Security using my Login.ID and got the same message. I would have to agree to them sharing my information before I can access my account. I guess I’m packing a lunch and heading to the local Social Security office where I’ll tell them we are going back to paper copies for my statements.
Thank you for all your help and insight throughout this nightmare! Your Grandmother sounds like a wonderful person. ❤️🙏
Lexi, I’m questioning your neutral description calling it “a change in government”. That’s not accurate. A better term is a takeover of our government systems. Call it what it is. Don’t sane wash it. So many of the systems that people in our country count on are being prepped for attack and ransacking. My wife and I were hoping to start collecting Social Security next year. I don’t know if that’s going to happen. It’s terrifying. And we’re not counting on it yet! What about people who are collecting now, and maybe have little or no other resources?
Hi Mark, that's fair critique. I'll read back through and consider adding a qualifier that we are witnessing a hostile takeover of federal systems. My previous posts are clear that I'm characterizing what DOGE is doing as a nation state attack, and I stand by that assessment.
With this post I intentionally generalized to keep the tone neutral, not because I think the attack isn't serious but so people can keep a cool head when thinking about their immidiate risk. A cool head is important to get a clear picture of risk.
At this phase we shouldn't assume that Social Security will be wiped out. My instincts tell me we will experience periods of rolling brown outs where there are interruptions in services, then there will be a period of recovery before services are restored. How long either of these phases takes is unknown but I expect periods of outages will become major challenges for those that depend on them to survive.
In our household we are already having conversations about how we will barter for goods and services during outages. My mom and aunt depend on social security to survive so we have been scrambling to get them ready. What we've done so far is my mom has withdrawn enough money from her 401k to get through a year of expenses (on a very tight budge), she's applying for a HELOC on her home and we are converting a room in her house so it can be listed on VRBO.
I understand how lucky she is to have these options available to her and that many do not. Our communities will need to step in to help seniors that depend exclusively on social security and do not have fallback savings or assets they can leverage.
All that said, I have hope that the courts will eventually force DOGE out of the SSA. 🤞🏼 Tough times are ahead, but nothing we can't handle. The people that should be worried are those that will be blindsided. That won't be us. We're going to get through this.
Hi Lexi! I came over after I saw your interview with Andra. Given the fever pitch of emotion in the country, I'm thinking that when these disruptions start to happen, it will lead to major civil unrest and violence. I think we may already be seeing some recognition of that (and cowardice) on the behalf of MAGA legislators evidenced in their refusal to meet with their rightfully furious constituents.
Hi Lexi - I appreciate the cool head in these times. It really is the way to approach it when serious bad things are happening on a daily basis, but where it’s important to just stay focused on practical next steps to reduce risk. There are many knowledgeable people who post on Substack with a lot of emotion (and swearing!) and I often I enjoy and appreciate what they post. However people like you, Thom Hartmann and Heather Cox Richardson have such a level balanced way of writing that conveys information much more effectively. I think about this when I share a post to another audience (like on FB), and I want to get the message out.
Thank you Lexi!! Like always you are spot on and your advice is rock solid. I just wish more people would pay attention. I’ve been building my moat since the beginning of the month and I’m continuing to do so.
Hi Lexi, thanks for keeping up the flow of helpful information. I'm not aware of anyone else doing this in this way. About the backup generator: this is obviously advisable in areas subject to natural disasters, e.g., hurricanes. Is that the basis for your recommendation or do you anticipate grid disablement as part of the DOGE digitization of government?
Hi Mark, that's a great question.
I am less worried about direct grid disablement and more worried about outages caused by upstream interruptions of service, due to DOGE checking in breaking changes, extreme weather events and Ai misfires.
All that said, it's difficult to size the potential outage impact for infrastructure that is localized, and in some ways we are better off b/c of our fragmented and privatized landscape of power providers is a patchwork system and not centralized.
This is a scary worst-case scenario but it is possible. Transitioning to localized and offline infrastructure for essential services in power, telecommunications and healthcare complicates this strategy and may defer it indefinitely. Thank you for sharing!
yea, indeed. this would be the effective end of the world in the U.S., even without nukes. warlords and cannibalism.
Well, I just read the White House post about digital currency! What the heck? Lexi, to me I read this as a doomsday prediction, for example; first, they are taking all monies seized by law breakers etc.. and changing it into a bitcoin “bank”?
Secondly, are they kinda saying that they are going to pay out things like tax refunds with this bitcoin?
I am not sure at this point what I am reading… what if they deem us as criminals? Am I on the right track? 🙏
I think you're on the right track, but also remember that DOGE is in uncharted territory. Their intent is likely to bump up against the reality that they do not have basic literacy or competency in the systems they're attempting to transform. I'm expecting a lot of "false starts" on their end, which will majorly hurt morale and erode their credibility even further. I do not see this plan as a viable path forward while recognizing the train for big change may have already left the station. This is why backups and offline readiness is top priority!
If you buy large amounts any of grains make sure they are in rodent proof containers.
Great point!
I heard your chat with Andra Watkins who have subscribed to for the last year. I am not techie per se , but a retired emergency medicine provider. Emergency medicine mindset is go in with the worst case scenario first- mitigate that first. If it isn't worst case scenario, reassess and rachet down your response accordingly. That approach reminds me of what you are recommending. I am taking this to heart.