Let’s not mince words: we are on the brink. Of what, exactly, depends on how many people show up. This Saturday, April 5, a nationwide day of action called “Hands Off!” will mobilize thousands across the country in defense of public services, working people, and what remains of American democracy. The call to action, organized by a broad coalition of labor unions, advocacy groups, and concerned citizens, has one unifying demand: keep your hands off our schools, our jobs, our Social Security, our health care, our freedoms, and our future.
At the heart of the protest is a scathing critique of what the Hands Off! coalition calls a “coordinated, billionaire-funded assault on our democracy.” They’re not coy about who they think is behind it: Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Wall Street profiteers, and a cadre of right-wing operatives whose master plan is to gut public institutions, enrich the ultra-rich, and leave the rest of us fighting for scraps.
If you’re thinking this sounds like hyperbole, take a closer look. In recent weeks, the Trump administration has floated plans to cut or privatize Social Security and Medicare, programs that tens of millions rely on. They’ve fired or driven out federal workers en masse, replacing expertise with political loyalists. They’ve turned the Department of Justice into a tool for vengeance, threatened to use the military on American soil, and proposed restrictions on the press that would make authoritarian regimes proud. All while funneling more power and money into the hands of tech billionaires like Musk, who’s Orwellian-sounding Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), is simply a massive deregulation and privatization scheme.
The organizers behind “Hands Off!” say we’ve seen this movie before—and we know how it ends. The difference is that this time, the villains aren’t hiding behind think tanks or corporate lobbying—they’re out in the open, tweeting about it, cutting deals on live TV, and daring the American people to stop them. That’s what Saturday is about.
“This is a five-alarm fire for democracy,” reads the group’s website. “If we don’t show up now, we may not get another chance.” The tone is urgent, but not panicked. It’s a call to action, not despair. These folks believe in collective power—and they’re betting that the rest of us still do too.
Here in the Hudson Valley, where activism and civic engagement are part of the local DNA, there are six events planned in solidarity with the national movement. The largest will be held in Kingston at Academy Green Park at 11am. There will also be rallies held in Saugerties, Gardiner, and Newburgh.
One thing worth noting: This isn’t your standard march-and-go-home protest. Organizers want people to stay involved. They’re distributing flyers, training volunteers, signing up voters, and building what they call “an infrastructure of resistance” to meet the moment not just on April 5, but in the months and years ahead. That includes showing up at town halls, testifying at school board meetings, and yes, voting in every election from dogcatcher on up.
The cynics will say this is all performative. That protests don’t change anything. That power doesn’t flinch in the face of signs and chants. But history tells a different story. From Selma to Standing Rock, from the Women’s March to the George Floyd uprisings, the act of showing up—together, in numbers—has always been the spark that lights the fuse.
The fuse, in this case, is long but fraying. Saturday is a chance to say no—to authoritarianism, to corporate overreach, to government by the few and for the few. But more than that, it’s a chance to say yes—to democracy, to solidarity, to the belief that this country still belongs to the people who live in it.
So bring a sign. Bring a friend. Bring the kids. Let them see what democracy looks like before it’s gone.
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Spoiler alert:
The federal Social Security trust fund is at risk for bankruptcy by about 2030. Clearly, something must be done as the Babyboomer retirees are still more numerous than the younger generations (Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z). And we must also take in to account that the oldest Gen Xers turn 60 this year, so they will start retiring soon. Left alone, the program is unsustainable. IMHO, a lot of angst is being ginned up by bad actors who are just reacting irrationally to anything the Trump admin will try to do to alleviate wasteful (and in some cases illegal) spending, which could be reallocated in order to bolster the Social Security trust fund into the next decade and beyond.
Truth be told, some people just have way too much time on their hands.
Many were paid to be there and protest. Most people understand that we can’t go on adding dead people and non citizens to our social security.