The author, public speaker, and humorist Fran Lebowitz displayed an incredible amount of energy, wit, and wisdom at Saturday night’s Avalon performance in Easton. The evening was pure delight filled with frank and refreshingly honest comments about modern life and politics. Here are just a few of Fran’s viewpoints that I’ve been thinking about the last few days. 

Fran: I’m 74-years-old. America will never elect a woman president in my lifetime. Why? Because white men just can’t handle that concept. They want things to go back to the 50’s where white men were in charge. And if not a white man, at least a man. 

I don’t want this to be true but perhaps it is. Fran talked about how many countries have had women leaders—even Mexico. If Democrats want to win the next election she said they should nominate a white male. She suggested Sheldon Whitehouse, the senator from Rhode Island. Just think about that last name, she said. He would be perfect. 

Fran: Don’t give Justice John Roberts the benefit of the doubt. He’s quieter than some of the others. But he’s also responsible for the sorry state of the current Supreme Court.

 I totally agree with this statement. I’ve been severely disappointed in Roberts’ positions and voting history on a myriad of issues. And don’t forget, Roberts and four other Justices ruled to strike down limits on how much money can be spent on political campaigns, resulting in obscene amounts of money virtually buying some elections. 

Fran: I don’t understand parents’ attitudes towards their grown children in their 30’s and 40’s. My parents did not support me after I went to college. I was totally on my own. 

I agree with Fran on this too. One of the best things my mom did for me was when she said, “I paid for your college education. Now you are on your own.” I knew I had to fend for myself, and I did. 

Fran: I don’t have a computer or a cell phone. Why? Nobody needs immediate communication with me. I’m not a neurosurgeon who needs to be on-call. 

Though most of us can’t imagine life without being glued to our devices, once again, Fran has something here. She spends much of her time reading–a much better use of time than the endless streaming and scrolling that many of us do. 

Fran: I’m more concerned about the decline of American intelligence than the rise of artificial intelligence. I worry about the decline of individualistic thinking alongside a lack of unique opinions. 

I couldn’t agree more. Fran also encouraged young people to get involved, to run for something and take charge of creating the politics that they want to see.

Fran: I love New York because it’s the only place in the world where you can walk down the street and see all kinds of people doing all kinds of things and no one pays any attention. 

Fran’s comments make you once again appreciate the magic of NYC. Even with all its problems, it truly is a place like no other. 

It’s interesting to me that people of all age groups appreciate Lebowitz, including those of many different political persuasions. Perhaps it’s because she doesn’t care whether you like her or not—whether you agree with her or not. She is who she is. And she does a great job of reminding us how crazy many of society’s foibles are.

We can all learn lessons from the value of refreshing candor, especially in this current political environment where so many public figures have become embarrassing pandering sycophants. 

Maria Grant was principal-in-charge of the federal human capital practice of an international consulting firm. While on the Eastern Shore, she focuses on writing, reading, music, and nature.

 

It’s interesting to analyze the effects that various administrations have had on the current state of America. Of course, in a democracy, campaigns are built on the promise of change. Yet, how much sense does it make to take a wrecking ball to almost everything your predecessor has built? How about adopting the concept of saving the best and leaving the rest?

Over the last 65 years, the U.S. went from liberals John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson to conservatives Richard Nixon and Ford, to liberal Jimmy Carter, to conservatives Ronald Reagan and George Bush, to liberal Bill Clinton, to another conservative Bush, to liberal Barack Obama, to a so-called conservative Trump, to a liberal Joe Biden, and then back to a second Trump who has been labelled an extreme right-wing autocrat. 

Each of these so-called whipsaw or flashback political agendas meant that agendas got started and then stalled, started then stalled, and on and on. One president wants the government to promote racial and economic equality and equity. The next wants laissez-faire government. One president calls climate change an existential threat and makes responding to it a top priority. The next wants to eliminate environmental controls. One wants to stop drilling. The next wants to drill baby drill. One cares about improving the infrastructure. The next wants to cut government spending. One wants the wealthy to pay more taxes. The next wants to reduce taxes on the wealthy. 

The result is stymied progress on many initiatives and overall slow going on getting much accomplished, plus a ton of waste and unnecessary spending. 

Trump rescinded Obama’s orders on the Dakota Access pipeline. Obama reversed a ban on abortion funding that George Bush restored, that Clinton revoked, and that Reagan created. 

Nixon tried and failed to dismantle Johnson’s Great Society, and Bush tried and failed to change Social Security. 

President Biden signed an executive order to reinstate the 2015 Paris climate agreement that Trump withdrew from in his first term. Then Biden revoked Trump’s presidential permit granted to the Keystone pipeline. Already in his second term, Trump has signed more than 137 executive orders—everything from. withdrawing from the World Health Organization, to rolling back Federal recognition of gender identity, to pardoning more than 1,500 January 6 rioters, to attempting to end birthright citizenship for new children of undocumented immigrants. 

A majority of Americans think this pull and push of various initiatives is a good thing as things don’t go too far to the right or to the left. But is it really? We were making progress on environmental issues. Now, much of that progress is being dismantled. How soon will we be back to square one? 

Cancer and other healthcare research were moving forward. Now much of the grant and research funding has been cancelled. And four years from now, it’s not a particularly easy task to pick up the ball and continue where you left off.

In addition, all this push and pull results in an increasingly polarized America. Democrats and Republicans both have increasing contempt for the opposing party. Many politically active Americans think the opposing party is misguided and a threat to the well-being of the country.

A majority of Americans prefer a political philosophy that is not too far right or too far left—they want a middle-of-the road consensus.

Let’s juxtapose that philosophy with what is happening in China. China’s economic growth over the last 40 years has been the largest and longest lasting in world history. Its GDP has risen at 10 percent per year for the last several years. In 1990, China’s share of global industrial production was 2.5 percent. Today it is 35 percent, as much as the next ten industrial economies combined. China is the leader in green production, such as solar panels and has made great leaps forward in technology and science. 

A big reason for China’s advances in infrastructure, technology, and research and development has been its relatively stable political and economic policies. China also has a relatively decentralized system which stimulates competition. Plus, China has reduced its dependence on coal and moved to more renewable resources. Yet in spite of its huge growth spurt, China still lags behind the U.S. in household wealth, social services, and consumer power parity.

There is no question that escalating trade wars between the two countries along with the proposed tariffs will increase economic uncertainty for both countries in the coming months. And both countries will need to adapt to an increasingly complex global economy. 

China has the advantage of moving forward in a consistent direction given its authoritarian government. The U.S. advantage is in its soft power—that is the support it has from other countries—a support that is currently dwindling thanks to Trump’s pro-Russia stance on the Russia/Ukraine peace talks and his alienating economic policies with other countries. That is unfortunate. 

It is also unfortunate that so many presidents feel compelled to destroy so much of what their predecessors have accomplished. The concept of keeping the good stuff and getting rid of the bad has been foreign to so many presidents. 

Opportunities are multiplied when they are seized. Instead of dismantling everything your predecessor did, it makes much more sense to seize the good stuff, make it even better, and maybe even take credit for doing so. It sure would help the United States move forward in terms of prosperity, innovation, and discovery.

The Desert Rose Band said it best: “One step forward two steps back. Nobody gets too far like that. One step forward two steps back. This kind of dance can never last.”

Maria Grant was principal-in-charge of the federal human capital practice of an international consulting firm. While on the Eastern Shore, she focuses on writing, reading, music, and nature.

 

In his first term, Trump promised to build a wall that Mexico would pay for. He promised to repeal Obamacare. The Washington Post tracked sixty other pledges that Trump made in his first term. Let’s just say his track record is less than stellar.

During the 2024 campaign, here are just a few of Trump’s promises: 

“When I win, I will immediately bring prices down on Day One.”

“They’re dying. Russians and Ukrainians. I want them to stop dying. I’ll have that done in 24 hours.”

Promises made. Promises broken.

“Under my administration, we will be slashing energy prices by half.”

“We will eliminate regulations that drive up housing costs with the goal of cutting the cost of a new home in half.”

Promises yet to be realized. But I doubt that few Americans think “the golden age of America is here,” as their nest eggs dwindle, friends and relatives lose their jobs, and Social Security offices close in droves. 

Of course, Trump is only one of many candidates who have made pie-in-the-sky declarative statements about how rosy life will be when they’re in charge. 

Woodrow Wilson promised to keep us out of war—29 days later he asked Congress to declare war on Germany. 

Herbert Hoover promised “a chicken in every pot.” Less than a year later, the U.S. was in a major depression. 

Lyndon Johnson promised not to send our boys to war. He sent combat troops to Vietnam and escalated the war many times. 

George Bush said, “Read my lips, no new taxes.” Later, he was forced to admit that increases in tax revenue would be necessary. 

Barack Obama promised to “close the political divide in Washington.” When he left office, the country was more divided than before. 

Our illustrious representative Andy “Handgun” Harris promised to serve only six terms but then opted to run again in 2022. An early holdout on Trump’s budget plan, Harris ultimately supported the budget resolution, paving the way for Trump’s “big, beautiful budget bill” which will increase the national debt.

The question is why anyone believes the unlikely scenarios for any of these promises.

Research indicates that voters interpret measured realistic explanations from candidates for possible progress on various issues as weaknesses. They want to see seismic progress on costs, inflation, the economy, border control, etc. So, when a candidate says all these things will happen on day one, they want them to be true, so they tend to vote for that candidate.

The result is major grandstanding by such candidates. They maintain their promises without showing any hint of compromising. Many voters see that positioning as strength. And the more unhappy the voter is with his or her current plight in life, the more likely they are to vote for the so-called “stronger” candidate.

The irony here is that many of those voters who felt they’ve been screwed by the so-called “elites” voted for Trump. They wanted stronger border protection, lower prices, and more jobs returning to America. Almost all Trump’s actions will benefit the wealthy more than the working class. The Urban Brookings Tax Policy estimates that households in the top five percent will get 45 percent of the benefits. 

Average grocery prices were about 2.4 percent higher in March 2025 than they were in March 2024, according to Consumer Price Index data, which was the highest year-over-year inflation rate since 2023. Trump has continued to claim that grocery prices are going down, down, down. (This inflation statistic is accurate even though egg prices have dropped because of an improved supply due to a reduction in bird flu, lower wholesale costs, and declining demand following peak pricing.) Yesterday the value of the dollar sank to a ten-year low.

Then there are the upcoming spending cuts for programs like Medicaid and Food Stamps.

Tariffs will result in higher prices on most goods, including clothes at Target made in China. The Center for American Progress estimates that the proposed tariffs could cost the typical middle-class American family an estimated $2,500 to $3,500 per year. 

The League of Women Voters claims that candidates can sometimes distort the truth in ways difficult to detect. The League suggests that voters be on the lookout for name calling, appeals to prejudices, rumor mongering, catchwords, passing the blame, promising the sky, and evading real issues. Sound familiar? Let’s attribute all our problems to DEI initiatives and trans athletes. (Out of the 510,000 athletes competing at the collegiate level in America, fewer than ten have identified as trans.)

We as Americans must do a better job of holding our elected officials accountable. We must keep scorecards on the promises they have made in the past and track their success rates. An independent body that publishes a monthly report on statements made accompanied by actual facts and outcomes would be a great first start. And voters have a responsibility to be as well informed as possible, something that is becoming increasingly difficult with partisan media and the outright misinformation on various streaming platforms. 

Many of you reading this article will say, “Hey, Trump said he was going to secure the border, cut costs, etc. He’s doing that.” But let’s peel back that onion further. The mucked-up deportations to the El Salvador prison will cost taxpayers about $15 million for starters. That is money that should have been approved by Congress. Plus, we don’t even know who a majority of these prisoners are—none of whom received due process. And the jury is out on how much money is actually being saved by firing all these Federal workers. Laying off 25 percent of Federal workers would only reduce the Federal budget by one percent. And prepare yourself for the crippling effect these cuts will have on services rendered. 

The proliferation of political promises rendering false hope reminds me of a few lyrics in the song Smiling Faces Sometimes by The Undisputed Truth. “Smiling faces show no traces of the evil that lurks within (can you dig it?) Smiling faces tell lies, and I’ve got proof.”  

Maria Grant was principal-in-charge of the federal human capital practice of an international consulting firm. While on the Eastern Shore, she focuses on writing, reading, music, and nature.

I’ve been a huge fan of Brandi Carlile for years. I love her voice. I love the songs she writes. But lately, I’ve been thinking about what a difference she has made in two performers’ lives—Joni Mitchell and Elton John. Perhaps we can all learn a few lessons from her efforts. 

Joni Mitchell has been a “rockstar” folksinger and songwriter since the 1960’s. Her famous songs include Chelsea Morning, Both Sides Now, Big Yellow Taxi, and River, to name only a few. In 2015, Mitchell suffered a brain aneurysm rupture which led to a long period of recovery and therapy. She basically needed to learn to walk again. For the next several years, she stopped making public appearances. 

In 2017, Carlile organized music sessions and recruited musicians to play music and sing in Mitchell’s Laurel Canyon living room. These sessions were called Joni Jams. In 2022, Mitchell joined Carlile and others at the Newport Festival. It was her first public performance in nine years, and it was a triumphant return. The response was overwhelming. 

Mitchell got the performing bug again and has done several concerts since then, many of them with Carlile, as well as a host of others. (If you haven’t watched the Kennedy Center honor Joni Mitchell, accessible on YouTube, please do. You will be in for a special treat, especially listening to Carlile, who frequently reinterprets Mitchell’s songs, sing River. By the way, I don’t imagine many folk singers will be frequenting the Kennedy Center in the coming days and months.)

The legendary Elton John, also one of my all-time favorites, has been dealing with a severe eye infection that has left him blind in one eye and with only limited vision in the other. Carlile and John have been friends for almost 20 years. Carlile credits John with being the main reason she picked up an instrument and wrote a song when she was just eleven. To stir John’s creative juices after his eye issues surfaced, Carlile and John collaborated on an album called Who Believes in Angels? If you haven’t heard any tracks from it, trust me, it’s well worth the time. The songs are magical and almost tear-inducing. The recent collaboration for this new album inspired the ailing John to new creative heights. Together they have made a sensational album. John says it’s his best since 1975!

These two scenarios of Carlile coming to, in a sense, rescue ailing musicians got me thinking. It’s a wonderful thing when people make Herculean efforts to rehabilitate others and reignite hope and talent. We have all had teachers, professors, friends, relatives, and colleagues who have been huge influences on our lives. Many of them may suffer from various maladies in their later years. It’s a true service if, with kindness and empathy, we make an effort to spend time with them, letting them know how special their talents are and how much they have influenced our lives. It also is a way of letting them know that all isn’t over yet—there may still be some gas in the tank for more creativity and output—even if it is of a different kind. (Think Matisse’s fabulous cut-outs when he was almost blind, or Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 when he was virtually deaf.) 

In doing so, we won’t just be helping an ailing soul, we too will gain special rewards. Imagine how both Joni Mitchell and Elton John have enriched Brandi Carlile’s life. It’s truly amazing. Plus, studies have shown that helping others can reduce stress, improve moods, and even boost immune systems. 

The closing lyric from the new Elton John/Brandi Carlile cover song, “Who Believes in Angels Anyway?” is: “There’s no need to curse the stars or bite before you bark. But when you need someone to walk with in the dark, I have been there. Man, I’ve been there.” That pretty much says it all. 

Maria Grant was principal-in-charge of the federal human capital practice of an international consulting firm. While on the Eastern Shore, she focuses on writing, reading, music, and nature.

While playing golf at his Bedminster Golf Club during his first administration, Trump declared, “That White House is a real dump.” He also told a journalist that “Camp David would be likable for about 30 minutes.” Last week, Trump said the Kennedy Center was “in tremendous disrepair.”  And he has made several derogatory comments about D.C. itself, suggesting he should take it over and run it. 

So, what is Trump’s taste in décor? Many designers have labeled it “dictator chic.” Peter York authored a book called Dictator Style: Lifestyles of the World’s Most Colorful Despots. He studied 16 dictators and concluded that their styles were remarkably similar. I’ll sum up common attributes. See if they sound familiar. 

These dictators tend to “go big.” They don’t like antiques. Everything is repro—new, crisp, and shiny. They like French décor because they think it says “money” much more than the subtler English look. They get many of their design ideas from hotels–big reception rooms, big public rooms. They like gold—gold wall decorations, gold furniture, gold columns. After gold, they use a ton of glass–lots of shiny surfaces, chandeliers, giant mirrors, and tabletops. Art and ornaments are big and bright. They tend to commission large paintings of themselves, sometimes life-size or bigger. 

All these attributes are the opposite of the design traditions of Washington, D.C. The American Capitol was designed to avoid Europe’s autocratic excesses and instead project a message of simplicity, democracy, and egalitarianism. 

Each time I see Trump in the Oval Office since January 20th of this year, I notice more of his signature style. He brought gold angel statues from Mar-a-Lago. He added gold picture frames, a gilded TV remote, gold figurines on the mantle, gilded Rococo mirrors on the doors, and gold framed medallions now decorate the fireplace. There are 15 paintings on the walls, including a massive one of Ronald Reagan. He asked for the original Declaration of Independence, but the National Archives houses that faded document. So instead, Trump hung a valued replica of the Declaration that he hid behind a drape for its initial unveiling. He reinstalled his Diet Coke button. And he has added a big map of the Gulf of America. Let’s just say the Oval Office is now jam-packed with stuff. 

Psychologists have done studies on the psyche of conspicuous consumption. The results are interesting. Such consumers are seen as arrogant, less moral, and less warm. Their ostentation is not effective in cooperative environments but tends to work in competitive environments—one-upmanship if you will. 

It’s interesting because in some ways these preferences represent the major divide in our country. Some citizens are impressed with flaunting excess. They believe that society needs to be ordered based on social rank and see ostentatious tendencies as reinforcers of that rank. Others are completely turned off by it. They believe that equality and fairness are important and see ostentatious behavior as a manifestation of power, social inequality, and waste. 

In general, western cultures tend to value equality more than Asian cultures which value social order.

The philosopher Bertrand Russell once wrote, “For my part, the thing I would wish to obtain from money would be leisure with security. But what the typical modern man desires to get with it is more money, with a view to ostentation, splendor, and the outshining of those who have hitherto been his equals.” Interesting. 

Maria Grant was principal-in-charge of the federal human capital practice of an international consulting firm. While on the Eastern Shore, she focuses on writing, reading, music, and nature.

  

As President Trump rants about government waste, he continues to spend taxpayer money, as my mom used to say, “like a drunken sailor.” Want some examples? Here are just a few. 

Since the beginning of his second term, Trump has flown to his properties every week to play golf. How much do these little excursions cost? Let’s take a look. In his first 30 days alone, he played golf nine times. So far, the cost of these golf expeditions is estimated at $18 million. These junkets involve Air Force One flying him back and forth, plus additional expenses for flying down vehicles, including two presidential limos and Trump’s motorcade. Let’s also consider the cost of the Secret Service staying at his properties during these weekends for which the government pays for rooms and meals. 

Last weekend, Trump did not break his golf-every-weekend streak. He flew to Florida, boasted that he won the tournament at Palm Beach once again, and then attended an awards banquet. He did take time out from his busy schedule to watch airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis on a remote display screen.

If Trump continues playing golf at this rate throughout his term, the cost is estimated to be $500 million. (His first-term golf expenses were $152 million.) 

All indications are that Melania is seldom at the White House. The estimated cost of protecting the First Lady while she is in Trump Tower in New York City and Mar-a-Lago is $300 million per year. 

Various financial newspapers estimated the cost of Trump’s trip to the Superbowl. Here is the breakdown. Secret Service: $7 to $10 million. Air travel and motorcade: $5 million. Stadium security upgrades: $2 million. Local law enforcement: $1 million. Conservative estimates make the total cost for this boondoggle at $15 million. Trump left at half time. 

Trump’s trip to the Daytona 500 is estimated to have cost taxpayers around $5 million. The costs again included an Air Force One trip, presidential motorcade, secret service, and security, staffing and logistical support, and additional emergency and military resources. Trump did a flyover on Air Force one before his presidential limousine drove him around the track for a lap. He left the event after 11 laps. 

So far, Trump’s Guantanamo Bay fiasco has cost taxpayers $16 million. Trump promised to send 30,000 migrants to Cuba. As of today, he detained 300 migrants there for a short time. Now all of them have been flown to various other places. The Wall Street Journal reported that hundreds of U.S. troops were guarding empty tents. 

During his first term, Trump spent $1.7 million redecorating the White House. So far, his plans in this term include replacing the Rose Garden with a hard surface that resembles a patio like the one he has at Mar-a-Lago. In recent days, Trump has also said he would like to build a new ballroom in the White House similar to the one at Mar-a-Lago. I doubt that any of the thousands of fired Federal employees will have an opportunity to check out the new ballroom.

Let’s remember that Federal employee salaries in total amount to less than five percent of the Federal budget. In 2024, the average Federal employee earned about 24.7 percent less than their counterparts in similar positions. The conspicuous consumption during the early days of this administration juxtaposed against thousands of Federal employees losing their jobs is difficult to swallow.

Adding up Trump’s cited exercises in excess in less than 60 days, and trust me this is the tip of the iceberg, would conservatively equate to about 6,000 Federal employee salaries. You know, employees who were working on cancer research, saving children’s lives in Africa, helping veterans get appropriate healthcare, and so much more, who are no longer employed.

Philosopher Bertrand Russell once wrote, “We have, in fact, two kinds of morality side by side; one which we preach but do not practice, and another which we practice but seldom preach.”

Maria Grant was principal-in-charge of the federal human capital practice of an international consulting firm. While on the Eastern Shore, she focuses on writing, reading, music, and nature. 

 

In last Friday’s Wall Street Journal Mansion section, there’s a story about Trump’s appointee for Undersecretary of State for Growth, Energy, and the Environment Jacob Halberg, who is listing his Miami Beach mansion for $65 million. It’s 15,000 square feet, has an aquarium so big it requires a scuba diver to maintain it, and looks like a modern museum. Halberg recently purchased a $7 million house in D.C.’s Kalorama neighborhood. 

A story published in the Washingtonian last week reports that Trump’s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick purchased Fox News’s Bret Baier’s D.C. Foxhall Road mansion for a record $25 million—in cash. 

Trump has surrounded himself with a bevy of billionaires. Seated in the VIP section at his inauguration were the wealthiest man in the world, Elon Musk, who is worth $400 billion, the chair of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Facebook’s Chief Mark Zuckerburg, and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos. They all contributed to the Inaugural event, along with Open AI CEO Sam Altman, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. In total, the inaugural fund raised more than $170 million. Why contribute? To gain favor and to gain access.

Linda McMahon, Trump’s pick for Education Secretary, is the wife of billionaire WWE wrestling executive Vince M. McMahon. Doug Burgum, Trump’s Interior Secretary, sold his business to Microsoft and has more than $100 million in assets. Scott Bessent, Trump’s Treasury Secretary, is a veteran hedge fund manager with a sizeable net worth. Howard Lutnick, Trump’s Commerce Secretary, made his fortune as a financial services executive. Kelly Loeffler, Small Business Administration Secretary, is married to Jeff Sprecher, CEO of Intercontinental Exchange, the publicly traded firm that owns the New York Stock Exchange. Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East Envoy and real estate tycoon, has a net worth of more than $500 million.

Although Trump ran on a populist platform, all the above individuals stand to benefit immensely from Trump’s proposed tax cuts. 

Since the 1970s, there has been slower economic growth and rising income inequality. In the U.S., income inequality is at its highest point in almost 75 years. Over the past 40 years, the growth rate of household income in the top quintile has been nearly four times faster than in the middle class. CEOs, on average, make 275 times more money than their workers. 

Technology and automation have played a part in this massive income disparity. Work can essentially get done with fewer workers. Our economy is now driven more by professional service workers and less by manufacturing. Consumers spend less on manufactured goods than in times gone by. 

The U.S. minimum wage has dropped by almost 30 percent since the 1960s when adjusted for inflation. (France’s minimum wage is equal to more than $12 in the U.S. compared to our Federal $7.25 minimum wage. Some states have increased their minimum wage above the $7.25 amount.) Unions are less powerful than they used to be. Instead of approximately 30 percent of workers belonging to a union as was the case 50 years ago, now only about 10 percent of Americans belong to a union. Climate change also has a greater effect on low-income workers as they are more exposed to environmental threats such as flooding and hurricanes.

So, what happens when wealth inequality gets out of control? It puts power in the hands of the super-rich which results in little social mobility for most of the population. Eventually, it weakens trust in public institutions and can result in rising crime rates, mental illness, and social unrest. 

What should be done about improving the income inequality equation? Pretty much the exact opposite of this administration’s game plan. In addition to having empathy and consideration for the lower- and middle-class citizens, here’s what experts suggest:

Provide tax relief for low-income workers, meaning programs such as food stamps, reduced healthcare programs, housing subsidies, child and dependent care tax credits, and trade adjustment assistance. 

Reduce payroll taxes and tax capital gains at higher rates. 

Create a wealth tax that taxes the net wealth of the richest citizens. 

Keep the estate tax to address inherited economic inequality. 

Start unemployment benefits automatically during recessions. 

Provide tax credits for more research and development. 

Create automatic unemployment benefits. 

Provide universal early childhood education and increase support for childcare. 

Raise the Federal minimum wage and enforce existing minimum wage laws.

Provide more job training.

Create strong competition policies that promote technological innovation.

Eliminate noncompete agreements.

Expand access to healthcare.

Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Oh America, how often have you taken necessities from the masses to give luxuries to the classes. God never intended for one group of people to live in superfluous inordinate wealth, while others live in abject deadening poverty.” Amen. 

Maria Grant was principal-in-charge of the federal human capital practice of an international consulting firm. While on the Eastern Shore, she focuses on writing, reading, music, and nature.

 

This administration’s sledgehammer approach to dismantling the federal government has left massive devastation in its wake. Fun facts as we contemplate this eve of destruction: Federal employee salaries make up only 4.3 percent of the federal budget. Social Security makes up 22 percent, and Medicare and Defense each make up about 14 percent. Also, the Federal workforce was bigger in 1990 than it is today by about 400,000 workers. Please keep these facts in mind as we review some recent heartbreaking cases in point. 

A former colleague quit her consulting job to take her dream job at the National Institute of Health (NIH). Because she had been there less than a year, she was still a probationary employee. She lost her job last week. She is seven months pregnant. In addition to my former colleague, NIH laid off almost 1,200 probationary employees which included animal care technicians, pharmacists, lab managers, and procurement officers. 

So far, approximately 220,000 Federal probationary employees have been fired. These include federal employees with less than a year of service, federal employees who transferred to different positions, and federal employees who were recently promoted to new positions. 

A recent college graduate relocated to D.C. to work at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). His job involved weather forecasting, which is becoming increasingly important given the effects of climate change. He was given one hour to clean out his desk and exit the building. 

Because the National Park Service laid off approximately 1,000 workers, there are already long lines to get into the parks. Many reservations have been summarily canceled. There are also concerns that the lack of rangers will make it difficult to keep hikers and other park visitors safe.

The head of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) food safety division resigned last week saying that the DOGE cuts will damage the FDA’s ability to safeguard our food supply. 

As of this date, RFK Jr. hasn’t been seen much at the Health and Human Services (HHS) building and has done nothing to address the measles outbreak. Within the last few weeks, more than 164 measles cases have been reported, and the first measles death in a decade occurred involving a school-age unvaccinated child in Texas. RFK Jr. claimed that “measles outbreaks are not unusual.” Don’t get me started on bird flu.

More than 1,000 employees from the Veteran’s Administration have been fired, including employees who were working on cancer treatments, opioid addictions, prosthetics, and burn pit exposure. 

Approximately 10,000 United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have been placed on administrative leave. The dismantling of the Agency has sent global health into chaos, ending grants for HIV treatments and prevention, tuberculosis, polio, malaria, Ebola, and nutrition assistance for infants in developing countries. China is beginning to pick up the slack. 

More than 350 employees who work at the National Nuclear Security Administration were ousted, many of whom lost access to their email before they were fired. DOGE then attempted to reinstate some of them after realizing the error of their ways. 

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has been ordered to stop all work—effectively shutting it down. Since its establishment in 2011, the CFPB has returned more than $21 billion to consumers by enforcing federal laws and protecting consumers from unfair business practices. 

Approximately 7,000 Internal Revenue Service (IRS) workers have been fired just as tax filing season hits full steam, which may delay tax refunds and the ability to answer phone calls or respond to help lines.

Nearly 300 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) workers were fired last month. There have been several aviation accidents just weeks after a midair collision over D.C. killed 67 people. 

Before the federal purge began, the U.S. government employed more than three million people. Federal workers live across the U.S., but the D.C. area has a disproportionate amount of them. Approximately 450,000 federal workers live in the D.C. area; about 162,000 live in D.C. (approximately 20 percent of D.C.’s population); about 144,000 live in Virginia; and approximately 143,000 live in Maryland. Of those living in Maryland, about 23,000 live on the Eastern Shore. (Interestingly, California has the most federal workers with more than 147,000.)

The sudden surge of unemployed workers in our area could have a devastating effect on our economy. Unemployed workers will seek new jobs, spend less money, potentially miss car payments, and more, and they will definitely add a lot of uncertainty into the mix. Add that to the pressure of tariffs and mass deportations, and many economists predict major economic upheaval in our area, particularly in the housing market. 

Already in D.C. more than 7,000 workers have filed for unemployment insurance in recent weeks. Many of the skillsets that unemployed Federal workers have do not coincide with job openings in the area—jobs such as nursing, culinary work, and hospitality services. Both Maryland Governor Wes Moore and Virginia Governor Youngkin are encouraging fired federal workers to apply for State jobs.

I haven’t even begun to unpack the effect that cancelled government contracts have on consulting firms and other public and private companies in the area.

There are many ways to create a more efficient, streamlined federal workforce. Encouraging creative, innovative solutions and actually implementing recommendations that many of the now-fired inspectors general suggested in their reports when identifying waste are just a few ideas. 

A thoughtful studied approach is the opposite of what has transpired in the last five weeks. Instead, according to Sunday’s New York Times, the approach used to fire employees arose from a $50,000 a plate fundraising dinner for Vivek Ramaswamy when he was running for president which Elon Musk attended. While there, Musk spoke about his frustration with federal regulators who were stifling progress on his pet projects with Space X and Tesla. Hence the brainchild of breaking into the federal digital servers.

All this upheaval, why? So that Trump can raise the debt ceiling and give tax cuts to the uber wealthy. 

So, how do you mend a broken heart? How do you stop the rain from falling down? It will be up to the Courts to decide how much power the President has. And it will be up to the Courts to ensure that its decisions are enforced. And then there is the “pie-in-the-sky” hope that Congress will eventually do its job. Stay tuned.

Maria Grant was principal-in-charge of the federal human capital practice of an international consulting firm. While on the Eastern Shore, she focuses on writing, reading, music, and nature.

 

During these troubling and turbulent times, it’s often necessary to seek escape. For me, that means burying my head in a book. Since the November election, I’ve been reading even more than usual. Here are three of my most rewarding escapes. 

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. This book was a selection for one of my book clubs. I was somewhat skeptical, as it is based on a true story about a midwife in the 1700s named Martha Ballard. I’m happy to report that I loved this book and am extremely glad I read it. The book centers on Midwife Martha’s Journal, which she kept for several years, summing up births and various ailments that she addressed while traversing a frozen river in Maine. 

The Journal notates that Martha delivered more than 800 babies without losing a single mother or baby. The story also involves a murder, and a corrupt judge who threatens many town members, as well as Martha’s’ family’s land where her husband has erected a mill. This book is a wonderful example of historical fiction that depicts a vivid portrayal of life in the late 1700’s and more than holds your interest until the story ends. 

Presumed Guilty by Scott Turow. I remember reading Presumed Innocent when it first was published in 1987 and then seeing the movie with Harrison Ford in 1990. Both the book and movie almost haunted me over the years. The plot of Presumed Guilty involves a young Black male who dropped out of college and is accused of murdering his girlfriend while they were on a camping trip. Turow was inspired to author this novel after the murder of Gabby Petito in 2021 who was killed by her boyfriend. Rusty Sabich is the suspect’s lawyer in this novel, the same lawyer who was key to the plot of Presumed Innocent. And like Presumed Innocent, Presumed Guilty is a page turner that is chock-full of legal maneuvers, strategies, and surprises. I found it a spellbinding read that was difficult to put down. 

Three Days in June by Ann Tyler. I’m a huge Ann Tyler fan and devoured her short new novel the day it was released. It did not disappoint. Like most Tyler novels, it involves Baltimore, grappling with the human condition, the eccentricities of friends and families, and the foibles of aging. In this case, Gail is in her 60’s, loses her job at a private school, her daughter is about to be married, a fly in that proposed marriage surfaces, and Gail’s divorced husband appears on her doorstep with a cat, intending to move in with her until the nuptials are behind them. This novel captures the joy and heartbreak of everyday life and, as with most of Tyler’s other books, gives the reader more than a little food for thought. 

Tyler is best known for her novels Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, The Accidental Tourist, and Breathing Lessons for which she won the Pulitzer Prize. 

These three novels dealt with several issues including healthcare, court cases, corruption, job loss, and the overall human condition. They truly provided an escape, but they also caused me to once again think about today’s world in which people in developing countries no longer have access to healthcare with the dismantling of USAID; the rising numbers of court cases; government corruption being front and center; and the thousands who are losing their jobs. I especially think about those probationary federal employees who were let go last week, many of whom recently relocated and now are jobless and will soon lose their benefits. 

The writer Nora Ephron once wrote, “Reading is escape and the opposite of escape; it’s a way to make contact with reality after a day of making things up, and it’s a way of making contact with someone else’s imagination after a day that’s all too real.” 

Maria Grant was principal-in-charge of the federal human capital practice of an international consulting firm. While on the Eastern Shore, she focuses on writing, reading, music, and nature.

 

 

As I watch this second Trump administration unfold, I can’t help but notice how different the optics are between men and women.

Elon Musk stands in the Oval Office with his four-year-old son on his shoulders. Then the son stands next to the Resolute Desk and tells President Trump to “hush” while his dad is talking. Can you imagine the comments that would surface if a woman had done the same thing with her young child in the Oval Office? Editorials galore would be written about her lack of professionalism. 

Vice President Vance brought his whole family to Germany for the Munich Security Conference. Photographers captured several photos of his wife and three children exiting the plane. Not sure why the whole family was on this “business trip.” 

Let’s just say Kamala Harris had won the Presidency and decided to attend the Super Bowl. It is estimated that Trump’s little jaunt cost taxpayers between $15 to $20 million, which included Secret Service protection, Air Force One travel at a cost of about $3,000 per minute, a motorcade, stadium security upgrades, local law enforcement overtime and personnel. Had Harris decided to make such a boondoggle, the uproar would have been through the rafters. Oh, and by the way, Trump left at half-time. (I decided not to add up the cost of Trump’s truncated-because-of-rain trip to the Daytona 500 on Sunday which included an Air Force One fly-over and a pace lap around the track in the presidential limo.) 

And what if Harris had tried to profit from her election? The Wall Street Journal has estimated that since Trump won this election, he and his family have made more than $80 million. This includes donations to his library, a $10 million settlement with Elon Musk’s X, and millions from “meme coin” cryptocurrency ventures. In addition, the Trump Store launched 168 new products between Election Day and Inauguration Day, some of that money eventually going directly into Trump’s pocket. Such grift is unprecedented. No other president in the history of this country has done anything close, and for whatever reason, no agency seems to be reining in this profiteering. 

During his campaign, Trump frequently stated that he wanted to be a “protector of women whether they like it or not.” (Perhaps he would have profited from DEI training.)

 When you examine the demographics of voters who voted for Trump, the dynamics are interesting. Trump frequently alluded to the fact that men needed to take back control and assert dominance over their women. So disempowered men voted for Trump so that they would feel more powerful. 

Many women who manage the budgets in their households voted for Trump because of the rising cost of groceries, even though many of these same women also voted for protecting a woman’s right to choose. 

Project 2025 specifically states its desire to roll back feminist gains and replace them with “conservative Christian family values.” Hence, the J.D. Vance “childless cat ladies” and “helping raise children is the whole purpose of the post-menopausal women” comments. (Tabulations are currently being run on how many pregnant Federal workers were fired last week during the Trump/Musk purge of Federal employees.)

During the campaign, Trump frequently said that Harris would not be able to hold her own against “world leaders.” He claimed they would make mincemeat of her. So, what do we have instead? Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Berlin telling leaders that Ukraine should not expect to reclaim its pre-war borders or become a member of NATO—essentially giving away the store before negotiations begin. And Vice President J.D. Vance scolding European leaders, telling them that they are the real concern—not China or Russia. After his remarks, Vance met with far-right Alternative for Germany Party Leader Alice Weidel. 

Trump has awarded several men accused of sexual assault with powerful posts—Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Health and Human Services RFK, Jr. And then, of course, there is his own sordid past. In short, he doesn’t seem to have a problem with men asserting control over women. Couple that with his whole gender ideology stance which makes it much more difficult to uncover inequities in politics, the labor market, and society in general. 

So, I guess we’re lucky to have such strong sophisticated talented white men at the negotiating table to end the war in Ukraine—men like Trump, Hegseth, and Vance. And we are saved from Harris, as Trump said during the campaign, “They look at her and they say we can’t believe we got so lucky. They’re going to walk all over her.” 

Yes indeed, we have master negotiators doing “the art of the deal” who are caving to Vladimir Putin’s demands, and, as Hamilton might say, President Zelensky wasn’t even “in the room where it happened.”  

Maria Grant was principal-in-charge of the federal human capital practice of an international consulting firm. While on the Eastern Shore, she focuses on writing, reading, music, and nature.