#blkgrlmgclwyr – blog

I’m a Soundgarden fan. Not just because Chris Cornell’s voice feels like a scream in the back of your throat when you’ve had enough, but because one of their most haunting tracks — The Day I Tried to Live — is singing prophecy this week.

“I stole a thousand beggar’s change
And gave it to the rich, yeah.”

That lyric?
It’s not just poetic angst.
It’s what Congress just did to the American people.

House Republicans passed their grotesquely named “One Big Beautiful Bill: OBBB” this week — a Frankenstein piece of legislation that slices through Medicaid, shreds SNAP, guts disability benefits, and places what’s left of the social safety net in a dusty filing cabinet marked: “LOL.”

Tax breaks for the rich are en route. Deregulation is ahead. A get-out-of-jail-free card when they pollute, defraud, and exploit.

In my mind: Entitlements are not charity.
They’re not gold-plated pensions for freeloaders.
They’re change — crumbs tossed in the direction of the people this country steps over every day.

We spend more on defense than we do on feeding American children, housing families, or keeping grandma alive.
But the only “entitlement” that seems sacred to this Congress is the military-industrial complex.
If you wear a suit and own a drone factory, you’re in luck.

If you’re poor, disabled, chronically ill, or just trying to get by?
You’re about to feel the full weight of what this country thinks you’re worth. Spoiler: it’s less than zero.

Yes, there is some abuse of public benefits.
One could argue that there is also abuse of oxygen, but no one’s proposing to outlaw breathing.

We don’t dismantle entire systems because of the few who game them.
We fix. We reform. We care.

This bill doesn’t reform a damn thing. It punishes — for being poor, for needing help, for trying to live.

My prediction:

People will riot.
Not because they’re “lawless,” but because they’re hungry.
Because they’re sick and can’t get meds.
Because they’re watching their kids cry from empty bellies and moldy apartments.

And when that happens? When the rage spills over?

I predict this same federal government will roll out tanks, curfews, and teargas — not must needed aid.

We’ve seen this film before, folks.
Los Angeles. Baltimore.
America never misses a chance to criminalize the consequences of its own cruelty.

I wonder: what will the Members of Congress say to their constituents, especially the ones who voted for the OBBB, when this thing they passed causes literal human suffering?

Hamilton fans might ask,

“What did they say to you to get you to sell New York City down the river?”

To which I add: what did they promise you to sell your people out?

Beats me. 🤷🏾‍♀️

But I can tell you what they’ve sold us into:
An era of Unnecessary Pain & Suffering.

Thanks, Republicans.

Author’s Bio

Latrice Burks-Palmerio, also known by her powerful online presence as #blkgrlmgclwyr, is an expert in American politics with a deep focus on the intersection of American fascism and the decline of empire. Latrice’s academic journey began with an International Baccalaureate class on totalitarian regimes, which laid the foundation for her nuanced understanding of authoritarianism. She graduated with honors in Political Science from the College of Wooster, where her thesis examined the dynamics of Black social movements in the U.S. Further refining her expertise, Latrice earned her law degree from USC Gould School of Law, gaining invaluable insights into U.S. Constitutional law.

As an impact litigator specializing in employment law for marginalized communities and representing survivors of sex crimes, Latrice combines her legal acumen with a deep commitment to justice. She has also contributed to the public discourse through self-published articles that analyze and critique the evolving political landscape of America. Latrice’s work examines how the structures of American fascism and empire-building manifest in law, policy, and social movements, making her a critical voice in understanding the political currents shaping the nation today.