There are several truisms that come to mind regarding continuing care retirement communities in general and Collington in particular. Everyone is old, many in their late 80s and 90s. The vast majority are women, mostly widows. And all are survivors. This also means those of us living in CCRCs have stories to tell regarding the ups and downs of our lives and most of us have experienced losses. The vast majority of single people living here have lost a spouse. Some of us have lost children.

You might think that given the experiences we old folks have had and the health issues and challenges that many at our age face daily that there would be grousing, complaining and “organ recitals” on a regular basis. Not so at Collington. Embry and I have lived here now for almost three months and have not heard a whimper or complaint from anyone about their health or personal challenges. You could say “Collingtonians” soldier on, making the best of the years we have left, squeezing the last few drops out of the lemon. Even though a fellow resident may not know you, you can always count on a smile and a nod and often an enthusiastic hello from someone you pass by on the way to dinner or an event. The only complaints that you hear regularly are about Trump, climate change and his assault on our democracy.

In this post I am going to break the code of silence regarding health issues and tell you about a recent health scare I had, which I have not breathed a word about to anyone at Collington to avoid breaking what appears to be an unwritten code of silence about such matters. About six months ago I was diagnosed with high blood pressure, which I explained to the doctor was a direct response to Trump and the discomfort he is causing to so many. For the past several months the doctors at Kaiser have been tinkering with the dosage of three new   blood pressure meds, which have resulted in readings both significantly above normal ( 180-200 systolic instead of 110-120) or way too low (60-80 systolic). Progress is being made, but so far they have not figured out the right mix that allows me to maintain a consistent relatively normal blood pressure. The most recent challenge has been that the pressure has been on the low side, which is good since it does not signal that I am not on the verge of a stroke but bad because it causes dizziness and could cause me to pass out resulting in a head injury. But, hey, this is just part of the aging process, and the good thing is that doctors have a lot more to work with using medications which were not available for my father who had his first (of several) strokes when he was about my age.

My turn came last Sunday, June 22, when walking to the Kennedy Warren, our old digs, following lunch after church with a fellow parishioner at All Souls. I was in search of a cool place where I could lie down for a couple of hours while Embry worked on stuff to close down her stint as senior warden. The temperature was close to 100 with heavy humidity and a blazing sun. I had not walked more than a dozen steps from the restaurant when I had to pause to keep on my feet, then another dozen steps and more dizziness. I took a deep breath and told myself I could make it through the zoo crowd the next 50 yards to the top of the hill and the entrance to the zoo where I thought I might be able to find a bench in the shade. I got about halfway to the top of the hill when I became very dizzy. At the very moment when the world was spinning around me and I could feel that I was going to pass out, two friends from the Kennedy Warren suddenly appeared before me on the crowded sidewalk, a retired family doctor and his wife, a retired nurse. He grabbed me under one shoulder and his wife under the other, and they guided me up the hill and then toward the Kennedy Warren as we nudged our way between the sweltering zoo goers. With great difficulty we made it to the lounge area in the cool lobby of the K-W where they sat me down on a comfortable couch. My doctor friend excused himself while his wife encouraged me to rest and stay calm. Minutes later he returned with a huge bottle of Gator Aid and a portable blood pressure device (like the one I have at Collington to measure my blood pressure several times a day), and after reading the numbers exclaimed in a panic that he was dialing 911. My systolic blood pressure reading was in the low sixties, a miracle, he said, that I had not passed out. But I surely would have if he and his wife had not come along at exactly that moment. The 911 operator asked what insurance I had and then passed the call off to the “emergency nurse” at Kaiser, who directed me to go to the nearest Kaiser Urgent Care Center. He offered to call a Lyft at their expense and promised that we would be first in line when we arrived. The Lyft ride did not show up, but my friend ordered an Uber, which he paid for, and drove both of us to the Kaiser Capitol Hill Urgent Care Center, about a 30 minute drive. As promised, we were first in line, got to see the urgent care nurse and then a very sharp doctor within minutes where they gave me more Gator Aid and cold water, checked my blood pressure and vital signs, with my friend by my side, monitoring every move and providing encouragement.  After a few minutes my blood pressure was up to close to 100 and in about a half hour, I was rested and was free to leave. He adjusted the prescription, called for a new one for me to pick up at the pharmacy before we left, and made an appointment for me with my primary care physician for early the next week. Embry picked us up in front of the Kaiser office, and we dropped my friend off and headed home. Dodged another bullet, as they say. My guess is that most of my fellow residents at Collington have dodged their share of bullets.

Now how lucky was that! Just as I was about to pass out on a crowded sidewalk leading to the zoo, along come two people I knew—a retired doctor and retired nurse—who knew instantly that I was in serious trouble and knew exactly what to do. What would have happened if I had passed out? What were the chances of hitting my head on the sidewalk? What were the odds of this miraculous rescue happening at this time and in this place?

As Embry drove me home, I remembered reading a line from (I think) A Gentlemen in Moscow which said that “a coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous.”

 

 

 

How afraid should we be at this moment? Let me count the ways:

Trump is going all out on ridding the country of undocumented immigrants. The needless pain and suffering he is causing is beyond the pale. There are all sorts of stories of kids five or six years old or younger whose parents were ripped out of the car by masked ICE workers fully armed leaving the kids alone and abandoned. Trump has taken control of the California National Guard and ordered  the marines to energize immigrant arrests and expulsions. While Los Angeles is getting hit the hardest, Trump has warned that this is just the beginning. No city is safe. Blue cities and blue states are next, and sanctuary cities are top on the list. Due process  is being  ignored and will continue to be ignored  as long as Trump can get away with it.  Top aid Stephen  Miller just announced that by the end of the year, one million undocumented immigrants will have been deported, and hinted that by the end of Trump’s  second presidential term they all will be gone. Friends, there are between 12 and 13 million undocumented people living in the U.S. They make up over five percent of the population and a considerably higher percent of the work force. Industries like construction, hospitality, agriculture, long term care, restaurants, landscaping, and many others on depend on them. They do the heavy lifting no one else wants to do. Not only is this unbearably cruel. It is stupid, will harm the U.S. economy, and will cost billions.

Israel has just bombed Iran in the most lethal bombing yet. Iran is retaliating. Many believe that this could quickly get out of hand leading to a regional war or worse. Trump is doing nothing for now. We could get drawn into this and do not know where it will lead, yet our diplomatic acumen is a thing of the past.

The war in Ukraine lingers on with more drones killing people in major Ukrainian cities and also in Russia. There have been over a million deaths and casualties on the Russian side, fewer on the Ukrainian side, but a higher percentage of the population. There is no end in sight. Russia has more nuclear weapons than any country including  the U.S. (which has close to the same number, just over 5,000). What are the chances that one mistake or miscalculation could lead to a nuclear holocaust?

The U.S. has given NATO the middle finger and told them in so many words that what is happening in Ukraine is their problem, not ours. Putin and Kim Jon Ung continue to be Trump’s buddies.

The largest military parade in U.S. history—with 7,000 soldiers, dozens of massive tanks and missiles, planes, helicopters and paratroopers)  will happen today, Saturday, June 14, celebrating Trump’s 75^th birthday (and, yes, the army’s 250th anniversary, but really does anyone think that this is a coincidence?). Trump has threatened dire consequences to anyone who protests.

The war in Gaza continues every day with body counts of innocent victims whose bodies are beneath the rubble of yet another building destroyed. And for what reason? Aid trucks are still on most days stalled at the border. Trump’s solution? Move them all out and build towering casino’s and hotels along with another Trump golf course and resort.

The health care system is now led by a nut case who does not believe in vaccines and has replaced  all the experts in the public health leadership team with people who agree with him.

Thousands of federal workers have been arbitrarily laid off by “genius” Elon Musk and a bunch of whiz kid, tech DOGE bros for no apparent reason except to limit the size of the federal  government and to cut costs including  aid to poor countries. If this stays in place, thousands will die. Many are already dying, and the desperate pleas for help you see on television news are heart breaking.

While it is becoming apparent that maybe extreme tariffs are not the smartest thing for the U.S. or the world economy, there is no assurance that the TACO President (“Trump always chickens out.”) will back off before scarcities of goods start to happen, U.S. businesses fail, and prices skyrocket.

Trump is doing everything he can to cut every environmental regulation he can and reenergize the fossil fuel industry.

Government programs like SNAP, the Affordable Care Act, and Medicaid are all on the chopping block in Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” and Medicare and Social Security are likely to follow.

The billionaire class is about to get the biggest tax break ever, resulting in massive federal operating deficits and adding between  three and five trillion dollars to the national debt, a  dire situation which no reputable economist in the country believes is sustainable. Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill if it becomes law will result in the largest transfer of money and wealth from the poor to the rich in the history of the Republic.

And Trump has declared war on higher education, withdrawing financial support from major colleges and universities, threatening to bring them to their knees. He has also gone after major law firms, most of which have caved and agreed to his bidding for free.

Watching over this is a morally and intellectually bankrupt Republican Party, which when the Boss says jump, responds with “how high.” And they are the ones who have the majorities in both the House and the Senate.

Few guardrails are left. The adults in the room during Trump’s first term are out and a group of sycophants and extremists are in with Trump’s cabinet labeled by many as the worst of all time.

What have I missed?

Oh, yes, Trump’s war on all things DEI and his overt racism.

The question is whether there is a silver lining. The courts appear to be (for now) the only hope we have for softening the blows, but six of the nine justices are Republican presidential  appointees, including three by Trump. The only two who might save us from catastrophe are Barrett and Roberts. Pray that they will save us. But will Trump obey a Supreme Court order he does not like? If he doesn’t, then the American experiment is over.

But there are signs of hope. Trump’s popularity is plummeting in recent polls. Massive demonstrations will happen in all 50 states today,  Saturday, June 14, proclaimed  “No Kings Day.” People are speaking out. Newsome’s resistance and comments are inspiring.  Despite the apparent disarray of the Democratic Party and its gerontocracy, people are starting to step up. Younger, fresher faces are emerging.

And most of all, we are not bad people in America. Yes, we are a nation in turmoil and discontent (much of which is due to social and economic inequalities), but there are many people who want to do the right thing and there are many MAGAs who must be beginning to realize that they have been sold a bill of goods. Trump has pulled the country’s biggest bait and switch. For now the courts have not caved, and in only a year and a half there will be new elections for Congress. A court ordered Trump to turn over control of the California National Guard to Newsome. There is hope. But it is likely to be a rough ride and could get worse, much worse, before it gets better.

So yes. We are inching closer to the abyss but it does not have to end that way. Fasten your seatbelts and fight the good fight. But keep it nonviolent. This worked in the Civil Rights Movement. It can work again.

 

On June 3 The New York Times podcast, “The Daily” featured an interview with New York Times  political correspondent, Shane Goldmacher, who had just completed a voting analysis of how every county in the country voted in the last three presidential elections. Boy, was this an eye opener! The shift in voting behavior in this election was staggering. In counties where there were significant numbers of low income and working class people, Trump made huge gains—and not just from white working class voters. More African Americans and Latinos also voted for Trump and switched their votes in large numbers from Democratic to Republican. His conclusion: In 2024 the Republican Party became the party of the working class in America due to the charisma of Donald Trump and his message trashing the Democrats as elitist. Goldmacher’s message was this: Trump owes his victory in large part to this switch in voting behavior and since there are more moderate income and working class voters in presidential elections than there are professionals, intellectuals, and highly educated people, if the Democrats have any hope of recovering, they must reclaim their former role as the party of the working class.

I was not surprised about the white working class, but African Americans, Latinos, and others with moderate incomes? I was shocked. What are those who switched their votes to Trump thinking? What do they see in Trump?

Trump, of course, is a fraud. However, he also has talent in marketing and communicating, saw an opening and pounced on it. He sensed the anger and despair so many feel who live from paycheck to paycheck. His message of revenge and retribution resonated with many who are struggling and the Democrats allowed him to get away with the Big Lie that he and only he will right the wrongs that ail America’s working class.

I am hopeful that it will soon become obvious to many people  who voted for him that fundamentally his polices overwhelmingly favor the rich and the superrich, not the working class. He has tossed them a few crumbs like no taxes on tips or overtime work, but the thrust of the Trump/ Republican budget bill now being debated is a huge giveaway to the ultrarich, partially paid for with cuts to programs which help those with modest incomes—Medicaid, SNAP (food stamps), the ACA, and affordable housing subsidies. In addition, Trump’s tariffs, the huge increase in the national debt due to tax breaks for the megarich and his trade wars will result in higher prices across the board along with higher interest rates, hurting lower income Americans the most. This is classic Bait and Switch 101.

Surely, when you lose your health care, your food stamps, and your rents go up and when the prices of essentials at the grocery store start to skyrocket, you are likely to ask the question, is this really what I voted for. It is only a matter of time. But how long will it take? And how much damage will have been done? Recent polls indicate that Latino converts are already having second thoughts as they see their neighbors handcuffed and carted away.

At this point it is not clear what will emerge out of the Senate. Trump can only lose three votes, and of the five or six Republican Senators who say they will not vote for the bill that came out of the House, it appears to be split down the middle between those who are against the cuts to Medicaid and SNAP and those who demand more cuts to social programs which help the working class in order to lower the deficit. How this ultimately works out is “to be continued,” but already there is pushback from Latinos who are terrified by the deportations and by others who depend on the social programs for survival. Good luck, Republicans, on keeping the new working class voters who helped elect you and Trump in 2024. So there is hope for the Democrats, but this  won’t happen until  the midterm elections in 2026 and lots of damage will have been done before the Democrats can regain control of the House.