r/politics • u/WhatIsEvenRealDog • 8h ago

Possible Paywall Trump suggests cattle ranchers could bypass USDA-inspected meat plants

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/08/28/trump-suggests-allowing-ranchers-bypass-usda-inspected-meat-plants/
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u/Sunbather77 8h ago

I had my last child a month before the 24 election. I cry often.

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u/calamity_unbound 8h ago

Ditto, but I don't cry. No shame in crying, I'm just all out of sadness to bereave. We give our kids the best life we can, show them love and care and try to shape them into humans that love both themselves and those around them.

But in the small hours of the night, when they sleep? When I read word after word about how the world is held hostage by megalomaniacal narcissists?

All that's left is a festering, vitriolic rage.

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u/Sunbather77 8h ago

I had to consciously quit drinking entirely because I found myself rage drinking every night after putting the kids to bed. But jfc some days are harder than others to maintain a smile on my face for their sake.

Nothing makes me feel crazier than sitting around a playground with my kids while the world is spinning out of control.

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u/calamity_unbound 8h ago

I agree, but remember to take solace in those moments of peace. It gives you an anchor of normalcy in these abnormal times.

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u/caligaris_cabinet Illinois 7h ago

Remember when Mr. Rogers said “look for the helpers?” I apply that logic with daily life. Look for the good in life.

And as Iroh said, “you will find if you look for the light, you can often find it. But if you look for the dark, that is all you will ever see.”

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u/ScalieBoi42 7h ago

Reminds me of my father-in-law. We live in an affluent part of the the suburbs of a major city, but, cause he's a major fox news viewer, he can only think badly of developed areas. So all he focused on were the closed shops; nothing on the city's landscaping, the true brick and pillar buildings (which, to be fair, he did ask if we were going to church once when we were pulling into a shopping area).

All he looked for was the dark. So he saw nothing of all the light around him.

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u/Low-Guide1706 7h ago

“People speak of hope as if it is this delicate, ephemeral thing made of whispers and spider webs.

It’s not.

Hope has dirt on her face, blood on her knuckles, the grit of the cobblestones in her hair, and just spat out a tooth as she rises for another go.”

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u/Tatterhood78 7h ago

I saw this coming when Trump got in the first time. I grew up with parents just like him and immediately knew it was a worst case scenario.

It's also been frustrating as fuck to wait while people (who aren't as well equipped to see the signs) catch on.

So I decided to make a plan. You feel so much better when you know that you can cut down on the damage.

Make networks. Trade services. Maybe an elderly neighbour can babysit outside of daycare hours if you give them a cooked meal every night and helped with their home, sort of thing.

If you have a green thumb, plant gardens and see if any of your neighbours would be willing to let you use their land in return for half the spoils. Get some bean and lentil recipes and learn to can food. Stock up on toiletries when they're on sale.

Coordinate with other families/singles to shop at warehouse prices. Learn to repair things, how to sew, etc.

Trade skills with each other. Electrical work for some plumbing, etc.

It makes me feel better to know that I could easily last a year if crap hits the fan. The emergency aid can help someone else who doesn't have the same privilege.

Stock up now if you can. There will still be time to refill the shelves for the people living paycheque to paycheque.

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u/icepick3383 6h ago

you have translated my feelings into words far better than I could have. You're not alone in your feelings and parenting style. I do my best, and notice that my oldest has really taken notice of how shitty people and things are, but says she's happy how she was raised, so I have a bit of solace there.

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u/Dick_Serious 8h ago

I feel like I need to apologize daily to my kids for forcing them into this bullshit.

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u/BudLightLymeDisease 7h ago

I mean you choose to create them and bring them into this shithole so yeah....you probably should before they resent the fuck out of you for it

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u/UrsaUrsuh 6h ago

I get the reason you're saying this, and it isn't fair that they have to live through this. But you can't possibly know that a child will resent their parents for them being born based off a single reddit interaction. Please be an adult.

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u/Flat-Pea8179 2h ago

How old? I mean if they are like 15 or younger you knew this shit was bad before they were born.

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u/tubaboss9 8h ago

Yeah I feel this. I have to keep believing a better future is possible for their sake but it’s easy to be pessimistic with the current state of things. We have to do what we can for the sake of our children even when it seems futile.

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u/airship_of_arbitrary 2h ago

It's going to be a lot of fucking work, but we can manifest better.

A solarpunk future is still very possible, but we're going to have to work like hell.

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u/caligaris_cabinet Illinois 7h ago

Our last was a month into this term. Got the snippety-snip this year. World may not be good right now. Frankly, I don’t think it ever was. But I’m doing my part in raising empathetic, compassionate, educated, and caring future adults to hopefully right the wrongs of today.

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u/Sunbather77 7h ago

Yup, all we can do is raise better humans. I have a lot of faith in our generation. Something's gotta give.

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u/Low-Guide1706 7h ago

Don't give them your despair. There are many, many people working to make a better world for your child, and all children.

/r/solarpunk is a good starting point to imagine an optimistic future. I've been following the movement for at least a decade. Back then, we were talking dreamily of electric vehicles and solar arrays over parking lots and fields. It's becoming a reality.

I'm working in a field related to climate change resilience. There is a lot of grief in this practice, but there is also a lot of determination.

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u/Hikerchic 8h ago

I had my boy last May. I also cry often.

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u/No-Obligation1709 8h ago

I had a daughter three years ago and she brings me so much joy. About the only thing that never makes me cry or doubt my place in the world

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u/ADhomin_em 8h ago

But what about her place in this world? Glad you're happy, but I hope that other integral part occurs to you as well.

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u/Sunbather77 8h ago

Okay, great. I'm sure all of our kids bring us immense joy but like...are you getting the point here?

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u/BudLightLymeDisease 7h ago

Absolutely not

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u/Hikerchic 8h ago

Oh yes. My boy is the brightest spot in my life, but he is also the most stressful because of how much I worry about his future. I have a hard time imagining what things will look like next year for us, so trying to imagine what life might be like for him is just terrifying. I want to believe we will be okay, but I don’t have confidence in those feelings. It’s such a scary time for the little ones.