The nuance is appreciated but it doesn’t negate the point. Democrats are okay with the police state, imperialism, corporate welfare, genocide, etc. so long as everything goes according to procedure and decorum.

If you scroll down there is a graph showing an increase of 760 million dollars. Here’s the graph for your convenience:

Note that the ICE budget is now over 9 billions dollars. (Even before Trump’s massive increase in 2025.) Inflation in 2023 was 4%. An increase to keep up with inflation would be about half of the increase that we see from 2023 to 2024.

The point is that there is no one to vote for that will abolish ICE because both parties agree that it should continue. And there are many such examples of bi-partisan agreement that supports the wealthy, fascism, or both. I’d be happy to list them for you if you’d like more concrete examples.

I’m not preaching nihilism. To the contrary, we need to be more involved in grassroots organizations now more than ever. Anyone who hasn’t done so should join a leftist org. Look for a PSL, DSA, FRSO, or CPUSA chapter near you.

The growth outpaces inflation.

https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/fact-sheet/the-cost-of-immigration-enforcement-and-border-security/

Truthfully, the entire agency should be abolished. Any Democrat politician who tells you this can be reformed is continuing the American police state.

You do realize that the powers of the president have been growing for some time now? That the militarization of the police took several decades? That the US has been involved in forever wars under both parties? That the working class has been on the decline for 50 years?

Just ask yourself: why would Biden increase the ICE budget after the first Trump presidency. Democrats told us to vote for them but they never addressed the precursors to fascism. There is a massive overlap between Establishment Dems and MAGA, the Dems are just more polite about serving their billionaire donors.

Liberals never want to zoom out and look at how we got here. George Bush created ICE after 9/11 even though we already put down Al Queda leadership. Then Obama increased its budget and deported 3 million people. Then Trump increased the budget. Then Biden increased the budget. Then Trump increased the budget again.

oh boy, hope this doesn’t awaken anything

You’re mad that we didn’t get a 4chan joke? And you think we’re the autistic ones?

I would like some lemons/limes please

Priming biases the results. Top-down processing and all that.

You’re making two points here that I’d like to distinguish: 1) Difficulty, 2) Progression. The two points are connected, and I can see how your lived experience is relevant here.

As regards difficulty (#1), this has always been true for every conflict with the state, even for mere civil disobedience. No one wants to face dogs, or fire hoses, or firing squads, or artillery shells. Most people just want to take care of their family (myself included!). But the fact that resistance will not be easy does not make it any less necessary. The ruling class’ quest for infinite profits, which started with imperialism (of land, labor, and resources) abroad, has been steadily coming for the workers at home. Every administration we see the powers of the president growing, every decade it is harder for workers to get by. Now the situation is so dire that the rulers are no longer attempting to hide their disdain for the Constitution and international law. (We are openly throwing brown people in the backs of vans and kidnapping foreign leaders.) If we do not resist, the rulers will consolidate their power under a fascist regime.

Progression (#2) brings up a practical question concerning time frame. And here I concede your point that the difficulty of resistance requires groundwork. (This is why veterans are so helpful to the groups that are now making preparations.) Note, however, that we do not have the luxury of time. The ruling class is watching how we react and is working against us. The people must be willing to escalate in favor of their demands and must do so quickly. If we are not willing to escalate, then peaceful protests will continue to be ignored (e.g., The Woman’s March); If the people do not escalate quickly enough, then we will either lose steam (e.g., Roe v. Wade protests), be co-opted by the establishment (e.g., Occupy Wallstreet), or be violently suppressed (e.g., BLM).

There are historical examples showing how swift regime change is possible, but this comment is long enough as is.

I don’t mean to reduce collective action to open revolt; rather, the former is insufficient. Historically, unions, strikes, civil disobedience, and violence were all employed in order to win concessions from the ruling class. Civil rights and workers rights were won in blood. But these concession were clearly temporary because we are not addressing the root of the problem.

armed conflict could needlessly get innocents killed.

The perpetual violence of the state–both domestically (e.g., against protestors) and abroad (e.g., Venezuela, Palestine) – and the violence of our institutions (e.g. healthcare, prisons) already result in countless preventable deaths. Innocents are quietly dying every day and will continue to do so until we address the problem.

Ironically, logistical questions become much easier to answer if We the People are willing to rebel instead of merely protest.

Revolutions are essentially all or nothing; anyone who picks up weapons should be prepared to appropriate the food, clothing, housing, medicine, etc. needed to keep it going. Essential goods and services can then be distributed by the revolutionaries themselves (e.g., food/clothing drives, car pools, communal daycare, skills training, weapon’s training, etc). Not only does this mutual aid allow us to fulfill our own needs: it allows us to build solid networks of trust. Lastly, the revolutionaries must stay on the offensive to keep the state on the back foot. The moment they are put on the defensive, the state will capitalize on its overwhelming advantages (organizational, logistical, informational) and the revolutionaries will be ruined.

Neat!

the cake is a lie

Hijacking this comment for a PSA; We are currently in the midst of a mass extinction event; many more plant, animal, and insect species are on the brink of extinction than normal. Scientists also estimate that forty-one percent of ecosystems are on the verge of collapse. Climate change, human encroachment, pollution, hunting, etc. have done a number on the environment.

This image also caused me to masturbate furiously at work, so I can attest to this being not safe for work. I am in deep shit.

You are correct that socialism is by no means inevitable. We just might fall for the Christian White supremacist technologically dystopian fascist state that the wealthy are trying to implement to preserve their position at the top.

On the other hand, there is a growing class consciousness as the internal contradictions of capitalism become too obvious to ignore. Will class consciousness reach a critical mass? Fascism or socialism, time will tell.

We only need numbers and organization. There simply is no ruling class without the workers. The entire monetary system is predicated on workers providing services, producing goods, and maintaining infrastructure. As cliche as it sounds, we really have the power.

The problem is that we are (collectively) convinced that 1) we can solve the problems of capitalism through electing the right person(s) and 2) we can solve the problems with peaceful demonstrations.

As regards #1, those who work within the system only reinforce the position of the oligarchs. (This is by design. It is no accident that Bernie failed.) As regards #2, mass demonstrations (e.g., Occupy Wallstreet, Woman’s March, BLM, Anti-ICE, etc.) have largely been ignored. Put simply, more extreme resistance is necessary.

But the urgency of the situation should be a source of motivation. As the search for infinite profit runs contrary to the environment, the global south, and workers at home, the oligarchy will be forced to institute increasingly subtle and blatant forms of violence both domestically and abroad. The choice we’re facing is between socialism or fascism; whether we will effectively employ the appropriate numbers and organization to “eat the rich” is up to us.

By your logic we should have beat the Vietnamese. In reality, the guerilla forces have a tremendous advantage. We only need numbers and organization. You can’t force the entire population to comply.