It’s the cost of living, stupid: The MAGA agenda will only succeed if Americans feel material relief

Spectator World ^ | 11/17/2025 | Bridget Phetasy

[Brian Griffin]

“ICE raids”

[I proposed this several months ago.]

The Secretary of the Treasury shall set up an ICE Bank System and take reasonable steps to ensure its successful operation, which may include requiring a fee to open an account and periodic account servicing fees.

All persons and entities who engage in any type of physical real property activity must use the ICE Bank System to take payment:
1. after December 31, 2025, for such activity in Florida counties on the Gulf of Mexico having at least 50,000 people according to the US census,
2. after January 31, 2026, for such activity in the District of Columbia and Florida counties on the Atlantic Ocean,
3. after February 28, 2026, for such activity in Dallas County, Texas, Tarrant County, Texas and Harris County, Texas and adjacent counties,
4. after March 31, 2026, for such activity in Fulton County, Georgia and adjacent counties,
5. after April 30, 2026, for such activity in Bexar County, Texas, Travis County, Texas and adjacent counties,
6. after May 31, 2026, for such activity in Fairfax County, Virginia, Henrico County, Virginia and adjacent counties,
7. after June 30, 2026, for such activity in all other political subdivisions in which the ICE Bank System has set up a branch at least two whole months previously.

Failure to do so shall be considered a felony and void the right to receive or retain payment or corresponding amounts and all such payments and amounts shall be subject to confiscation as the Secretary of Homeland Security may specify.

Such physical real property activity shall be deemed to include building facility cleaning under contract and all building construction, building repair, building painting, septic system work, building site preparation, irrigation work, paving, landscaping, landscape maintenance, fencing and mowing.

Employees who do such work as a minor part of their workplace efforts such a waiter or retail store employee cleaning up, a cowboy mending a cattle fence shall be exempt for their work as such an employee.

Agricultural employees shall be exempt, except in the named counties, with respect to their agricultural work on properties of a type typically eligible for an agricultural property tax exemption in many states.

The ICE shall have the power to void liens it reasonably deems contrary to the underlying intent of this law. Subversive failure to cooperate shall be a felony and shall permanently nullify any right of the violator to receive work-related government funding.

The identity of each customer and person to have account access shall be verified via verification of account holders’ domestic government photo ID before an account is activated. The Secretary of Homeland Security shall impose reasonable reverification requirements by regulation.

Violators shall be subject to a fine reflecting the lack of compliance and a term of imprisonment of 12 months for willful violation, or any lesser term the Secretary of Homeland Security may specify.

A property owner who conspires to subvert this law may also be fined up to three times the apparent extent of the conspiracy.

[CodeToad]

Typical TDS eHem.

[Brian Griffin]

If Mr. Preexisting Condition gets $40,000/year in medical care and products and pays $6,000/year in premiums and $8,000/year out-of-pocket, other people have to make up for that $26,000 difference.

That might mean 20 people might each have to overpay by various means $1,300/year on PPACA coverage.

[Emcane]

You realize you just described the Insurance industry and that is how we as a public share the risk of catastrophic expenses. It is like that in every insurance area. Do you shame people whose homes are destroyed in a fire? Those huge claims are paid out and all home owner’s’ premiums cover that. Were you trying to make a point? Is it you don’t like insurance?

[kaktuskid]

It is impossible to not notice the cost of groceries. That affects everyone.

My suggestion..buy the store brand instead of the name brand. It is often much cheaper and often made by the same company that makes the name brand.

[Adder]

Sure...but even those have gone up and by a lot.

Its not how to stretch a dollar...its that the dollar has to be stretched significantly.

[Adder]

Its almost easier to note things that are not exponentially more expensive.

Ice berg lettuce..from $.99 to $2.57 over 2 years.

Pasta across the board. Ex: de Cecco from $2.50 to $4.49

Cereals, all types from $4 to near $6

The list goes on and on. Way past the “official” rate of inflation.

And thats just some food items. Lowes and Home Depot are filled with items that have seen double digit price hikes.

So you don’t see those? Its just normal?

Healthcare is a huge part of the economy and it is heavily subsidized so it is obscenely expensive. The more you subsidize something the more it costs. [see college tuition...]

[Texas resident]

“Are you better off than you were 4 years ago?”

Reagan.

[central_va]

Ridiculous chicken little BS. Don’t bother.