Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, is about to form a new third party after announcing his plan on the social media platform X, which he owns. It is registered with the Federal Election Commission and is expected to focus on two or three U.S. Senate races and about eight or 10 House seats in the 2026 election cycle.

Heading up DOGE and wielding a chainsaw as he slashed one government program after another, Musk, before his fallout with President Trump, was dubbed the first buddy after pouring millions into Trump’s campaign war chest. In the previous elections, he had supported Barack Obama and others.

Musk’s efforts might be viewed as a spoiler, preventing the Democrats from retaking control of the House. The logic would be to split the anti-Trump vote; it would be unlikely that Musk would back a winner in a plurality race. Mark Cuban, the billionaire who was a supporter of Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 contest, has expressed interest in Musk third-party effort. The former White House communications director under Trump, Anthony Scaramucci, seems inclined to follow suit in backing Musk’s effort.

Musk’s effort in the political arena must put the fear of God in the average citizen after touching nationwide protests with his Paul Bunyan-like axing of the nation’s social safety net.

Be on guard for age-weighted voting, for younger voters could address the potential for bias toward the interests of older voters. A young voter’s ballot would count for one vote, while a person who is 80 years old would only count for 10 percent. By 2050, there will be more people older than 65 than there are children in this country. We will have twice as many people older than 80 as we do today. The African American population will increase while the Hispanic segment of society will show a larger increase, according to Pew research, while white Americans, who have been a minority in U.S. schools since 2014, will see their numbers decline even further. Young women will wait longer before having children, meaning the number of children from working households will drop further.

The concept of only those who contribute to society can eat as resources become more scarce, as the population will grow.

The old, the weak, and the infirm would be denied calories for life.

Meat will become a luxury item reserved for the rich in mid-century America.

A drought that will affect 44 of 48 states will unfold. It is likely to be dry and cold in much of the United States. The polar vortex will come more often, reaching deeper into the American breadbasket.

Alfalfa and winter wheat crops would be killed or severely impaired by heaving, a soil condition that occurs with swings between freezing and thawing.

Ancient Egyptian civilization flourished during a period with a climate conducive to successful agriculture, primarily due to the predictable and fertile flooding of the Nile River.

Ancient Greek civilization, known for its thriving city-states and cultural achievements, was heavily reliant on agriculture, which was well-supported by the Mediterranean climate.

The Mayan civilization, particularly during the Classic Period (250-900 CE), thrived during a time characterized by favorable climatic conditions that supported extensive agriculture.

The Roman Empire flourished during a period known as the Roman climate optimum (or Roman warm period), which coincided with its expansion and peak prosperity.

All societies that have abandoned the middle class in history have failed. Be it the Egyptians, Greeks, Mayans or Romans, who felt their culture would last forever, all that is left are crumbling ruins across the planet.

As in the United States, a nation’s wealth is determined by what it pays for its food.

Trump’s climate policy is taking the United States in the wrong direction.

The 50 Republican members of the Senate and Vice President J.D. Vance have set this country on the highway to hell.

(Traubert is a resident of Wellsburg)