You probably didn’t realize it at the time, but if you voted for Donald Trump, you voted for explosive diarrhea.

Before I get accused of having TDS or Trump Derangement Syndrome, what I just wrote is a stone-cold fact.

Last year, due to DOGE cuts, the CDC stopped mandatory monitoring for cyclospora, the parasite found in unwashed food that causes that condition. So far, more than 30 states, including Nebraska and Iowa, have reported over 3,000 illnesses, with Michigan alone reporting more than 1,250 cases.

The DOGE cuts have also resulted in the CDC no longer monitoring for 5 other foodborne illnesses. So, who knows what else may be on the horizon.

You also probably didn’t realize it at the time, but when you voted for Trump, you voted to make it harder for you to vote in the future. The president recently dismantled a bipartisan commission that worked with the states to help make voting easier and more secure.

But he’s not stopping there. With the help of a number of Republican Senators and Congressmen, he keeps pushing the half-truth that the SAVE Act is all about having voter ID. Nebraska and 34 other states already have voter ID. The SAVE Act isn’t about what they are telling you it’s about. It’s really about making it harder for people to be eligible to register to vote.

You also probably didn’t realize it at the time, but when you voted for Trump, you voted for the Department of Justice and the FCC to have the green light to attack the free press.

You thought you were voting for stronger borders, not realizing you were also voting for ICE agents being allowed to murder citizens and immigrants alike with immunity.

And I know that if you voted for Trump, you never could have imagined you voted to get us into a war that raises gas prices and doesn’t seem to have any way out.

Speaking about higher gas prices, I’m betting when you voted for him you didn’t vote for higher food costs and inflated products due to tariffs.

When this administration came back into power and broke so many norms, many people who didn’t vote for the president were angry, outraged, and shocked.

I was one of those people.

But you can only stay angry, outraged, and shocked for so long. After a while, you become numb to all that’s going on. You start to get used to all these abnormal actions and start to think they are normal. Which is just what they want you to do.

But they’re not normal.

Some will just dismiss what I’m writing as TDS. But it’s not TDS; it’s TRS… Trump Reality Syndrome.

There are some things the president has done this time around that I can agree with. Getting NATO to pay more for their defense, shoring up our borders, and reclassifying marijuana come to mind. But the attacks on the foundations of our government, the needless war, the cuts in programs to benefit the poor and elderly, plus so many other abuses of power, override any positives.

The added powers the Supreme Court has given the Executive Office should have us all concerned. Even if you support this president, you may not support a future president who has the same unchecked power.

If I accuse President Trump of cheating on his taxes, you might accuse me of having Trump Derangement Syndrome. But then I’d ask why he would work out a deal with the Department of Justice to avoid him and his family from being audited if he wasn’t cheating on his taxes?

The turnout at the so-called Great American State Fair wasn’t all that great. It may be a sign that many Trump enthusiasts aren’t as enthused as they used to be. Many are now starting to realize that what is happening is not what they voted for.

We can’t count on the Republicans in the House and Senate to keep the president in line like our founding fathers wanted. And we can’t stay angry, outraged, and shocked over everything the president does.

But we do need to stay informed. We do need to get involved. And we do need to be concerned.

Because if we don’t get our checks and balances back like they need to be, explosive diarrhea won’t be the only thing hitting the fan.

Tom Becka is a long time Nebraska broadcaster who for over 30 years has been covering Omaha and Midwest issues on both radio and TV. He has been a guest on numerous national cable and news shows, filled in for nationally syndicated talk radio programs and Talkers Magazine has recognized him as one of the Top 100 talk show hosts in the country 10 times. Never afraid to ruffle some feathers, his ‘Becka’s Beat’ commentaries can be found online on Youtube and other digital platforms.

Opinions expressed by columnists in The Daily Record are not necessarily those of its management or staff, and do not constitute an endorsement or recommendation. Any errors or omissions should be called to our attention so that they may be corrected. Contact us at news@omahadailyrecord.com.