They didn't listen, and now it's too late

Climate, economy, healthcare, education, and democracy—predicted failures now visible.

Before we get into it: if you’re receiving this via email, thank you. You’re already subscribed. If you’re not, now is the time.

For years we’ve said it: if you keep electing people who treat government like a reality show, this is where it leads. And now, here we are.

The country has reached a point where almost every crisis was predicted in plain sight. Climate, economy, health care, education, and democracy itself; the warnings were clear. The evidence was overwhelming. The right ignored them all.

The Climate Crisis “Hoax”

Scientists spent decades warning about deregulation, fossil fuel dependence, and the risks of ignoring renewable energy. The Trump administration’s response was to withdraw from the Paris Agreement and gut environmental protections.

Now the results are unavoidable. Record-breaking heat waves. Wildfires that burn for months. Category 5 hurricanes arriving in rapid succession. Major insurance companies are abandoning entire states (Florida, California) because the math no longer works. When you rebuild the same disaster zones year after year, it stops being a viable business model.

They were warned and they ignored it.

Economists cautioned that permanent tax cuts for the wealthy, mass deportations, and sweeping tariffs would destabilize the economy. Trump promised China would pay the tariffs and that American jobs would boom. Neither happened.

Prices went up, farms couldn’t find workers, construction projects stalled, and the wealth gap widened to levels unseen since the Gilded Age.

Again, the experts were right. They were warned and they ignored it.

The Health Care Meltdown

When Trump tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act in 2017 without a replacement, analysts predicted that up to 30 million Americans could lose coverage. When red states rejected Medicaid expansion, health experts warned that hospitals would close and care would deteriorate.

Today, rural hospitals are closing at record rates. Medical debt is the leading cause of bankruptcy. Americans are rationing insulin and crowdfunding cancer treatments in the wealthiest country on Earth. Few things illustrate moral failure more clearly than GoFundMe as a substitute for a health care system.

They were warned. They ignored it.

Defunding Education and Demonizing Teachers

The same pattern applies to education. Conservative states defunded public schools, vilified teachers, banned books, and inserted culture wars into classrooms. Predictably, teacher shortages are now rampant, and schools are struggling to fill positions.

In some states, educators can’t afford rent. Students are falling behind. Florida’s curriculum is rewriting history, suggesting that slavery had “benefits.” Once again, this outcome wasn’t mysterious.

They were warned and, again, they ignored it.

Democracy Disappearing

When Trump refused to accept the 2020 election results and encouraged the January 6th attack, democracy experts warned of lasting damage. Many dismissed it as alarmism. Now, a sitting president talks openly about prosecuting political enemies.

Trump’s team has treated the Department of Justice as a personal weapon. His rhetoric frames opponents as “enemies within,” feeding a dangerous feedback loop that has fueled a surge in political violence and threats against election workers.

Democratic norms don’t disappear all at once; they erode slowly, exactly as predicted.

They were warned. And they ignored it.

Perhaps the most alarming part is that nothing has changed. Even now, the pattern continues. Every failure is someone else’s fault. Tariffs raise prices? Blame Biden. Climate disasters worsen? Call them “acts of God.” Hospitals close? Blame Obamacare.

Denial has become a governing philosophy. Facts are optional, accountability nonexistent, and power the only real goal. This isn’t a case of “crying wolf.” The wolf is already inside the house.

Much of this behavior follows the playbook of Project 2025, a document outlining a far-right vision for dismantling federal institutions and concentrating power. Roughly half of it has already been implemented. We’re no longer in the warning phase. The damage is here. You see it in higher grocery bills, higher insurance premiums, and underfunded schools.

This isn’t “I told you so.” It’s “we told you exactly what would happen,” and millions didn’t believe it — or didn’t care. Now everyone is paying the price.

The only question left is whether the movement that ignored every warning will change course, or simply keep cashing in while the country burns.

---

We’re reaching over 150 million people every month across YouTube, podcasts, Substack, and beyond. But algorithms can change. Platforms can fold. And when that happens, this newsletter is how we stay connected.

If you’re not yet a paid subscriber, please consider joining.
If you’re already paid on one platform, consider supporting us on both Substack and our website.

You can subscribe on our website and right here on Substack.

And if you’re really on fire, consider gifting a subscription—we’ve got thousands on our waiting list ready to read, watch, and fight back.

Let’s keep building.

—David

PS: Can’t contribute right now? No problem. You can support us for free by subscribing on YouTube, listening to our audio podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or become a free subscriber to this very Substack. Every bit counts.