What brought us to the state we’re in? A tit-for-tat escalation of actions that we all agree are bad—and yet we’re doing it anyway. 

It started in the Texas Legislature, which—after a show of resistance from state Democrats (who ran away so there wouldn’t be enough legislators to vote)—voted in August to redistrict its congressional districts mid-decade to add more Republican seats to the U.S. House so the Trumptater’sagenda could hang around like a bad hangover. 

Outright gerrymandering. We’re cool with that? 

Before Texas even voted, the California Legislature led by Gov. Gavin Newsom passed a response in the form of the Proposition 50 ballot measure. It would suspend the state’s independent redistricting commission until the end of the decade and replace the map created by the commission with a gerrymandered one favoring even more Democratic districts in the state—currently, of the state’s 52 representatives, 43 of them are Dems. If the special ballot measure passes on Nov. 4, expect to see at least 47 districts with Democrats at the helm. 

So, we’re not cool with it, but it’s OK if we do it? 

Now, Missouri has a new map, Utah has a new map, and Indiana just called a redistricting session. Kansas is trying to call one. Ohio is redrawing its maps, Louisiana wants to (but it hinges on a Supreme Court case), and Maryland, Florida, New York, and Illinois are getting nudged.

What is happening? The slippery slope argument disappeared, apparently, and we’re all continuing to slide down it into oblivion. 

Cal Poly professor Michael Latner blames Congress for our conundrum.

“Congress should have long ago passed the laws that prohibit partisan gerrymandering,” he said. “We are the only democracy in the world that only seats two parties in its national legislature. It’s ridiculous, and it’s time that we move on past this arcane machinery that just incentivizes this sort of manipulation.”

Manipulation indeed. 

It is ridiculous. Even independent and decline-to-state voters only have two options—and usually, no one likes either candidate because they both suck. And Congress can’t even finalize a budget, which is its main job, without shutting the federal government down. Hello, week four of the shutdown! 

And now, the nation’s lowest-income, most vulnerable 42 million residents—including 29,000 in SLO County—won’t be getting the benefits they need to help feed themselves and their families this November thanks to Congress’ inability to do anything constructive and the Trump administration’s quest to punish “Democrats” for disliking him. That’s literally half the country: roughly 156 million people. 

Grow up!

Drunk on power and fueled by revenge and the need to spread inappropriate and illegal political propaganda through taxpayer-funded government agencies, an arm of the Trump administration also known as the U.S. Department of Agriculture sent out a notice that SNAP benefits wouldn’t be funded starting Nov. 1 thanks to “congressional Democrats.” 

“Bottom line, the well has run dry,” the USDA said, parroting a favorite Republican stereotype about those who rely on government benefits.

Good to know that our federal agencies are still nonpartisan. 

The political games that upend American lives are never-ending with Trump, which is why even anti-gerrymandering Cal Poly professor Latner is advocating for the state’s residents to vote yes on Proposition 50 and describes it as a “horrible position” for the United States to be in. 

“It’s not a comforting vote because you’re voting to suspend one of the best redistricting commissions in the United States,” he said. “It’s not a simple argument, but the argument I equate it to is the hypothetical argument of, ‘Would you kill baby Hitler?’ Most people would say no, that’s a horrible idea, but if you talk about killing baby Hitler and avoiding the consequences that would follow, then it makes it much more appealing.” 

Way to bring the Nazis into the discussion! That’s what it always comes down to, doesn’t it? I won’t even ask about baby Trump. 

So, Trump asked Texas to gerrymander more Republican seats into being so he wouldn’t have to face the consequences that most presidents face in the midterms: that the sitting president’s agenda is dogshit and America’s moderate voters are over it. Trump’s agenda is absolutely ripping the U.S. apart (On that we should all be able to agree, amirite?), and he doesn’t want to pay the consequences—not surprisingly, as he seems to believe those don’t exist for him—of being beholden to a House of Representatives with a Democratic majority. 

So now, Americans are cool with gerrymandering whenever it pleases the president. They did it, so we can do it. 

Is this the wave of the future? Sounds like a slog where even less gets done and our crumbling semblance of a governance structure continues to erode into oblivion, oligarchy, and a presidential monarchy. But if you pay for a presidential ballroom, that will keep you out of the Trumptater’s crosshairs! Great. Go Amazon! Go Meta! You rich traitors who have no need for food stamps—although some of your employees might. 

Things are definitely going to get worse—not better. 

Deb from Lompoc said it all feels like a “bad movie.” Democrats aren’t any better than Republicans, and neither party is doing what they should.

“It’s all corrupt,” she said. 

No kidding. ∆

The Shredder wants a 15-party system. Send new political party names to [email protected].

This article appears in Oct 30 – Nov 9 2025.