President Trump: Making America Great Again...

[Jeff Lebowski]

You would think this would all be a wakeup call for the democratic party. But it you have been paying attention to the DNC meetings in recent days you will see that they haven't learned a thing.

Case in point:

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[PaloAltoCougar]

I'm all for cutting spending in the interest of greater efficiency, but my confidence level with Musk is near zero. Consider that the memo that went about layoffs and early retirement had the same subject line (A Fork in the Road) as the memo Musk sent out when he axed a huge part of the Twitter workforce. It's one thing to lop off a major chunk of a nonessential business with a very narrow focus; it's quite another to slash spending and jettison workers across the broad spectrum of government, including essential services. DOGE is using a battle axe where a scalpel is called for, but which Musk has neither the background,
talent nor inclination to use.

[Maximus]

Case in point:

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[myboynoah]

DOGE got wild over the weekend. I'm not mad at it. It could be the wrong way to go about it, but so was status quo. We all know that decades of deficit spending, massive entitlements, spineless politicians, and entrenched bureaucracy would ultimately lead to catastrophe. If either of the parties had been consistently serious about these problems it wouldn't have come to this. I genuinely don't see much of a viable alternative that would result in meaningful change or transparency.

One of the criticisms is that DOGE personnel aren't government workers and they shouldn't have access to government systems. That's a fair criticism. But it's also common. I've been working in federal contracting off and on for a couple of decades and I'd estimate that 80-90% of my administrative touchpoints weren't government employees. I'd bet that a majority of workers on government systems are contractors.

I'm interested in seeing what happens with this over the next few months. Elon claims that they may be able to cut $1T off the federal deficit in the first year. This would likely be a popular move with voters, particularly when coupled with outrageous examples of federal spending. If so, Democrats will have to figure out some new talking points or start taking the issue seriously. They'd be wise to figure out a way to be involved.

Again, Elon Musk is not a government appointee. He is a private citizen who is running roughshod over the USG. It is insanity. This isn't a "oh, I worked with some private sector people who had access to government systems" issue. Those people had been vetted through a security investigation. None of these kids have been vetted or investigated. Why should be give them any access?

As for Musk, he is taking on a task that will affect the lives of every American. The economic impact alone with be gargantuan, and not in a positive way. He should be confirmed by the Senate.

Chaos begets chaos. We will lose. The legal battles alone will cost millions.

[myboynoah]

lol

The little boy who cried wolf.

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[myboynoah]

Case in point:

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Yeah, so stupid.

This guy is trying something.

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[BlueK]

lol

The little boy who cried wolf.

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So it was the stock market that got his attention.

[Northwestcoug]

I'm not sure what you're referring to. The only thing I've seen is one of them who used AI to decipher ancient scrolls.

I'm not sure who the DOGE teenage intern is who has large genitalia. But someone named Gavin Kliger is furiously deleting all his social media accounts, which have shown a certain fondness for Nick Fuentes and other savory individuals.

[Northwestcoug]

Trump's press conference today seems particularly unhinged. If your opening pitch to keep tariffs on is 'I want Canada to be the 51st state', that is a 10/10 on the crazy level.

But I agree wholeheartedly that the 100 million spent on condoms for Hamas is lunacy!!!

[BigPiney]

But I agree wholeheartedly that the 100 million spent on condoms for Hamas is lunacy!!!

Is it a $100 Million now? I thought it was only $50M. Where did that crazy idea come from and why do morons keep repeating it?

[Northwestcoug]

Is it a $100 Million now? I thought it was only $50M. Where did that crazy idea come from and why do morons keep repeating it?

From politifact:

"We identified and stopped $50 million being sent to Gaza to buy condoms for Hamas. $50 million," Trump told reporters Jan. 29. "You know what has happened to them? They've used them as a method of making bombs."

Trump was likely referring to a February 2020 Jerusalem Post article that said Hamas had been launching improvised explosive devices in condoms.

But there’s no evidence that the U.S. had earmarked or spent $50 million for condoms for Gaza. A State Department spokesperson said on X that the freeze stopped $100 million in funding to Gaza which included funding for contraception. But the emergency relief group that, according to news outlets, would have received that aid, told PolitiFact it did not use U.S. funding for condoms.

There is a U.S. program that provides contraceptives internationally — and it spent $60 million worldwide in one year — but Gaza was not among the recipients, a 2024 U.S. Agency for International Development report said.

Here’s what we know about the funding the White House froze to Gaza, and the funding the U.S. gives other countries for contraceptives.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in an X post that the department "prevented $102 million in unjustified funding to a contractor in Gaza, including money for contraception."

The state Department declined to say on the record what the full scope of those grants was, and it did not provide documentation PolitiFact requested before deadline.

Like his unlimited water in California claim, you can expect him to never admit this was not true. And the price will likely continue to rise.

[LVAllen]

Again, Elon Musk is not a government appointee. He is a private citizen who is running roughshod over the USG. It is insanity. This isn't a "oh, I worked with some private sector people who had access to government systems" issue. Those people had been vetted through a security investigation. None of these kids have been vetted or investigated. Why should be give them any access?

As for Musk, he is taking on a task that will affect the lives of every American. The economic impact alone with be gargantuan, and not in a positive way. He should be confirmed by the Senate.

Chaos begets chaos. We will lose. The legal battles alone will cost millions.

Elon Musk and his team were likely given Top Secret / Sensitive Compartmented Information clearance for 6 months via Executive Order and Memo. https://www.whitehouse.gov/president...ent-personnel/

Does that mean they should be given this information? Absolutely not. It means that the person who is charged with protecting the country's information (which now includes the SSN of anyone who has ever even applied for a government job, as they gained access to USAJOBS, the hiring portal) is unfit for the office.

[myboynoah]

Dems pushing back.

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[myboynoah]

Elon Musk and his team were likely given Top Secret / Sensitive Compartmented Information clearance for 6 months via Executive Order and Memo. https://www.whitehouse.gov/president...ent-personnel/

Does that mean they should be given this information? Absolutely not. It means that the person who is charged with protecting the country's information (which now includes the SSN of anyone who has ever even applied for a government job, as they gained access to USAJOBS, the hiring portal) is unfit for the office.

Exactly. Where is my PII right now? Who are these people? I don't give a damn if they did some kind of neat thing deciphering ancient scrolls. I don't want some kind of AI that has not been truly vetted by the USG turned onto government servers. And I certainly don't want private servers linked to USG servers.

And wholesale closing agencies that were established by law?

The legal costs will be out of this world, and taxpayers will foot the bill.

[myboynoah]

If you tell a lie enough times, people will believe it.

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