Austin activist Suzy Shelor joins the Plutopia podcast to discuss a range of pressing issues with the politics of the moment, including Elon Musk’s increasing influence over government, Trump’s authoritarian shift, and the mainstream media’s rightward drift. She critiques the lack of foresight in policy decisions, highlighting mass firings at the IRS and attacks on birthright citizenship. The conversation touches on grassroots movements like the 50501 protests, resistance efforts, and economic instability under Trump’s administration. Suzy and the Plutopians express concerns about political and corporate overreach, the suppression of dissent, and the erosion of democratic institutions, drawing parallels to historical authoritarian takeovers. Despite the grim outlook, they emphasize the importance of collective action and independent media in resisting authoritarianism.
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Suzy Shelor:
Everything has just been done with a hatchet. I mean, there’s no thought of – I think they’ve probably spent more money closing things down than they would have if they’d just gone through each institution for a year or so, and weeded out that way, but they’re just cutting it. I mean, the IRS just lost 5,000 people in tax season. Nobody thought this out. For all of their “We have this great plan 2025,” nobody thought about consequences. These people, MAGA people just never think about consequences. They think they have the right to say whatever they want to say, and they do, but there are consequences.
