Notes from the edge of civilization: January 26, 2025
Just a week and so much baiting, switching, fear, and loathing — is your head spinning yet?
EDITOR’S NOTE: We swear we tried to make this week’s Notes ‘ABT’ — anything but Trump. We failed. Forgive us. We’ll try harder next week. The President is moving swiftly, which is good, but that is why it’s important to keep an eye on the ball. We owe it to ourselves and to America.
It looks like Trump’s big promise to “Make America Healthy Again” didn’t even make it past inauguration day. Sludge (oh the beauty of that name alone!), a magazine focused on lobbying and money in politics, is reporting that the new USDA chief of staff, Kailee Tkacz Buller spent years working for Big Corn, Big Snack, and Big Seed Oil — the trifecta of everything wrong with the American diet. Fox, meet henhouse.
Tkacz Buller’s résumé includes stints at the Corn Refiners Association (think high-fructose corn syrup) and National Oilseed Processors Association (blamed for chronic health issues like obesity and cancer). On her LinkedIn profile, she writes: “My skills in lobbying, communication, and collaboration empower our mission to advance the U.S. oilseed industry.”
Sludge says she has even lobbied for the snack industry:
Prior to her work for the corn refiners, Tkacz Buller was a lobbyist for SNAC International, which prides itself on being “the only snack-centric trade association.” Its members include The Hershey Company, PepsiCo, Wise Foods, and many more companies whose names you may see on the packaged food products at the grocery store.
Tkacz Buller was at the USDA under the first Trump administration, between 2017 and 2020, and now she’s back to help shape the nation’s food policies again — aka, invite her old industry pals over for Oreos and a Diet Coke. Maybe some Nerds, as well.
The question isn’t whether this is a conflict of interest — it’s whether MAHA was ever more than a slogan. Those pinning their hopes of RFK, Jr. coming in to save the day surely realize by now he’s either a Trojan horse or fighting a losing battle? Either way, it stinks. Bigly!
Last week amid a flurry of Executive Orders, Trump made a big show of banning Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) federally. But if you think that’s the end of the story, you’ve probably never read the fine print of a government promise.
The executive order banned CBDCs on the one hand, but also established an advisory council “on Digital Asset Markets” to figure out what comes next. Translation: We’re not doing it now, but let’s workshop it for later. As you well know, political promises are about as solid as wet toilet paper.
While the US plays coy, other countries are sprinting toward the dystopian finish line. China’s Digital Yuan already tracks every move its citizens make, Russia’s working on its own version, and even Canada has whispered sweet nothings about digital loonies. If you really think the US will sit this one out while the rest of the world corners the market on financial surveillance, we’ve got a bridge to sell you.
In the latest Collapse Life podcast, The Bitcoin Capitalist, Mark Jeftovic, posits that an interesting twist in the CBDC saga is coming. He muses that CBDCs are an inevitability and that states may soon start wading into the fray, passing laws against federal CBDCs while leaving the door open to their own versions. Picture Texas rolling out the "Lone Star Coin" or Montana launching “Big Sky Bucks.” They’ll claim it’s about autonomy and freedom, but really the leash just gets shorter.
If nothing else, Jeftovic’s chat with Collapse Life host, Zahra Sethna, is an interesting primer on cryptocurrencies now dominating the spotlight, how the monetary landscape is shifting rapidly and exacerbating the current bifurcation of haves and have nots, and showcasing the ongoing disparity of wealth.
We all know the US dollar is on life support. Inflation, debt, and geopolitical tensions are grinding away at its status as the world’s reserve currency. If the dollar collapses — and it could, within the next decade — CBDCs or some rebranded version thereof will most certainly be trotted out as the fix-all. “Don’t worry, folks,” they’ll cajole. “It’s just like cash, but better!”
In case you missed it, earlier this week we told you about how Trump kicked off his second term by pulling the US out of the WHO — again. It’s being sold as a stand for national sovereignty, but with no clear plan to replace the WHO, it looks more like political theater.
The WHO isn’t just a global health group; it’s a playground for big donors like China and the Gates Foundation, steering policy toward their own interests. Cutting ties could free the US from this mess — or just hand control to the same private players under a different banner. Meanwhile, Trump’s vague order leaves key obligations intact, setting up the perfect excuse for a future flip-flop.
Without a real alternative, this isn’t sovereignty; it’s just swapping one puppet master for another. Bold move or hollow gesture? You be the judge.
It didn’t take long for Trump’s second term to throw the bloated, woke federal workforce into chaos. As Politico reports, executive orders to gut job protections, end remote work, and kill off diversity programs have bureaucrats cleaning out their inboxes, encrypting their chats, and panic-Googling “early retirement.”
One quote in the Politico story really stood out — a staffer who said "I would love to leave, but I don’t know where I’d go, and I am terrified of not being able to pay rent and not having healthcare." Much as we’d like to empathize, this doesn’t exactly scream “commitment to public service.” It’s a stark reminder that for many, a government job is less about serving the greater good than it is about job security, benefits, and a steady paycheck.
This situation certainly isn’t unique to federal workers, but it’s especially glaring in a system often criticized for inefficiency and bloated budgets. If the motivation is survival over service, how can we expect government workers to function effectively, consider the needs of the population, or (god forbid) prioritize innovation? This dependency loop — where workers are trapped in their roles by fear of failure in the private sector and taxpayers fund their golden handcuffs — feeds the perception that the federal workforce is less about solving problems and more about sustaining itself. The United Nations is a lot like that, too.
When the fear of losing cushy benefits outweighs the desire to make a real impact, maybe it’s time to shut the whole thing down. Good on you, Mr. President. Release the DOGE!
UPCOMING EVENTS
TODAY: Prepping for Collapse - Live panel discussion
The time to prepare is NOW! Tune in today at noon ET for a panel discussion on all things prepping and how to navigate the uncertain future. Co-hosted by Collapse Life, we’re bringing together an eclectic lineup:
Zahra from Collapse Life
David from The Freedom Conversation Podcast
Limina from The Human Responsibilities Tribunal Podcast
They’ll be diving deep into practical advice, resources, and strategies to help you get ready for the challenges ahead.
Date: January 26
Time: 12pm ET
Platform: https://x.com/FreedomConvoPod or https://rumble.com/user/TheFreedomConvoPodcast
Don’t miss out on this live discussion that could change your future! 🔥
FEBRUARY 6: Exclusive Ask Me Anything with William Banzai 7
Want to ask William Banzai 7 your burning questions about the state of the world and what comes next? Now’s your chance!
Join us for a special Ask Me Anything session on February 6. William, renowned for his sharp commentary, will tackle YOUR questions on everything from geopolitics to the economy, and beyond. This is your opportunity to hear directly from one of the most provocative thinkers of our time.
Date: February 6
Time: 7pm ET
🔴 Subscribe now and turn on notifications so you don't miss this rare, unfiltered session.
Re:Buller
Perhaps consider that a paid courtesan is willing to reveal the secrets of her old patron to her new patron. Just watch out when she finds the "newer".
This CBDC push could go so dystopian, depending on how much people know and what they are willing to put up with. If you can see it coming... the total control and surveillance network, then you might be able to prepare by ditching the propaganda surveillance devices, going private, and using monero and bitcoin as a backup to the controlled systems they will sell us.