Discussion on Musk's DoGE ideas, the federal deficit, and GDP

52,363 Views | 977 Replies | Last: 4 hrs ago by chazzed
bear2034
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In just 6 weeks, DOGE has saved American taxpayers an estimated $105 billion per Fox News.
movielover
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Affirmative action has been on the books for six decades, but DEI took it even more out of control.

bear2034
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The left stopped using the term, affirmative action, and replaced it with something worse.
movielover
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"In fact, it already has happened, countless times, all over the country but notoriously, to the most famous affirmative action doctor of all: the black applicant who took Allan Bakke's place at the medical school of the University of California at Davis. Here was an incompetent black doctor whose medical errors couldn't be brushed under the rug, though affirmative action proponents did their best."

"Yes, he was making a difference in his patients' lives, mostly by shortening them. Dr. Chavis' liposuction surgery left one patient bleeding, vomiting and urinating uncontrollably. But instead of taking her to a hospital, he let her bleed in his home for another 40 hours. By the time she managed to escape and check herself into a hospital, she'd lost 70% of her blood."

https://www.fbherald.com/opinion/ann-coulter/article_725b2e38-e594-5686-a874-083b3b694464.html
chazzed
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DiabloWags
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Excellent point.
chazzed
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bear2034
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oh no. scary!
concordtom
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Haloski said:

If we dive into a recession, get ready to hear that the pain inflicted was "necessary" despite promises of instant greatness.


Cousin from TX already said weeks ago that things have to get ****ty for a while before they get better.

So, they are now programmed to believe that decline is good.
Eastern Oregon Bear
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Some of Elon's DOGE henchmen are earning as much or more than Senators and Congress members. This was after being told by Elon during the recruiting process that "compensation is zero". Kyle Schutt at CISA is being paid $195,200 per year. Jeremy Lewin at GSA is being paid $167,000 per year. Congress members and Senators make $174,000 per year. The President pro tem of the Senate and party leaders in the Senate make $193,400 per year.

Yeah, they are eliminating waste all right.

https://newrepublic.com/post/192304/elon-musk-doge-staff-salary
oski003
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Eastern Oregon Bear said:

Some of Elon's DOGE henchmen are earning as much or more than Senators and Congress members. This was after being told by Elon during the recruiting process that "compensation is zero". Kyle Schutt at CISA is being paid $195,200 per year. Jeremy Lewin at GSA is being paid $167,000 per year. Congress members and Senators make $174,000 per year. The President pro tem of the Senate and party leaders in the Senate make $193,400 per year.

Yeah, they are eliminating waste all right.

https://newrepublic.com/post/192304/elon-musk-doge-staff-salary



You can't just cut, cut, cut. Even organizations losing trillions of dollars, like the federal government, need to hire people while downsizing.
movielover
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Eastern Oregon Bear said:

Some of Elon's DOGE henchmen are earning as much or more than Senators and Congress members. This was after being told by Elon during the recruiting process that "compensation is zero". Kyle Schutt at CISA is being paid $195,200 per year. Jeremy Lewin at GSA is being paid $167,000 per year. Congress members and Senators make $174,000 per year. The President pro tem of the Senate and party leaders in the Senate make $193,400 per year.

Yeah, they are eliminating waste all right.

https://newrepublic.com/post/192304/elon-musk-doge-staff-salary



They're more effective and not sitting in a cubicle dialing for dollars.
movielover
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I would put out a PSA saying something like, "If you're a Whistleblower in another Federal department who directs us to potential fraudulent behavior, your patriotic efforts will be rewarded".

bearister
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CDC tells about 180 fired employees to come back to work | AP News


https://apnews.com/article/cdc-reinstatements-c1f0b33d677e5a02a4df1210b82ca930

What Ketamine Does to the Human Brain

Excessive use of the drug can make anyone feel like they rule the world.



https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2025/03/ketamine-effects-elon-musk/681911/?utm_source=msn


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Zippergate
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One side is trying to cut waste in perhaps a haphazard way, the other side is passing tens of billions of dollars to their cronies straight from the treasury with no oversight. I wonder which side of this I should be on...

https://nypost.com/2025/03/05/business/john-podesta-375m-epa-slush-fund-gave-billions-to-newly-formed-charities/?utm_campaign=nypost&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

In one case, former Vice President Kamala Harris handed over a check for nearly $7 billion to Bethesda, Maryland, based group Climate United Fund, which does not appear in the IRS's charities database, and has no federal filings.
The non-profit fund had only been incorporated in Delaware on November 30, 2023, according to public records, five months before Harris handed over the cash in April 2024.

Climate groups received a windfall $20 billion from the EPA in the final weeks of the Biden administration with little oversight.Michael Nigro
The Climate United Fund then announced "the historic investment" in a press release, noting the group's work "delivers benefits like cleaner air…and increased energy security."'

However, because the company is so new, there is no publicly published accounting of how it plans to spend the $7 billion.
Projects have been announced including a $10.8 million "pre-development loan" solar project on Tribal lands in eastern Oregon and Idaho and a $32m solar energy project at the University of Arkansas, but they represent only a drop in the bucket of the grant's amount.

"Ethically speaking, it's concerning," said Laurie Styron, CEO of Charity Watch, an independent charity watchdog group.
"What was the purpose of creating middlemen entities when there are so many established groups in the climate space with good track records? What was the value-added in [by] doing it this way, especially with such large sums of taxpayer funds?"
The cash for the charity came from a huge $370 billion climate slush fund of taxpayer money overseen by John Podesta, a political consultant who was chair of Hillary Clinton's failed 2016 bid for president and White House chief of staff to Bill Clinton.
bearister
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No one is going to argue against the fact that government waste has been endemic in the system for decades and needed to be addressed.

Musk's use of a chainsaw as a prop is symbolic of how DOGE is going about it. DOGE's clumsiness is evidenced by its repetitive firing and re-hiring across several agencies, with damage being done in the gap periods.

Musk's pure joy and amusement in the suffering that he is causing, whether the firings are justified or not, is not a characteristic one likes to see in someone with that much power and influence over the fate of our country.

You should be able to appreciate that DOGE's RIF experimentation is much like the medical system you claim is experimenting on us with vaccines.

With regard to the other point in your comment, one side (to be precise, one man) manipulated the global crypto market last week and is manipulating the stock market as we speak, toggling tariffs up and down (at the same time the SEC has been gutted). Trump and his close associates would never view that as an opportunity to exploit, would they?

*I hope you have the same righteous indignation over this:

"Extending the expiring tax cuts would cost $4.2 trillion over the decade 2026-2035, and roughly half of the benefits would go to people making over roughly $320,000 (that is, people with incomes in the top 5 percent)."
https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-tax/2025-budget-stakes-high-income-tax-cuts-price-hiking-tariffs-would-harm

Shouldn't this be an issue that we all agree on, or as I suspect, is it also included as part of the bundle of beliefs you must have to truly love America?

"Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?"
-Johnny Rotten's last words on stage at San Francisco's Winterland Theater, 1/14/78
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DiabloWags
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In a series of meetings Wednesday with Musk, House and Senate Republicans sought to impress upon the billionaire that Congress has a central role in enacting controversial spending cuts that don't run the risk of being overturned in court.

Lawmakers also implored Musk for more communication and warning from his Department of Government Efficiency about looming cuts that could affect jobs and programs in their districts, according to a person familiar with the discussion.

In a meeting earlier in the day, Senate Republicans said they warned Musk that simply slashing government funding without congressional approval was "ephemeral" and risked being struck down by the Supreme Court, which dealt a blow Wednesday to Trump's unilateral foreign-aid freeze.

Instead, senators pushed Musk to send a package of cuts to Congress for approval through a process that requires only a simple majority in both chambers.

Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, suggested the administration's proposal could amount to tens of billions in spending cuts. "Politically now is the time," he added.

Graham and Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky said Musk seemed receptive to the idea. Musk, Graham said, pumped his fists during the discussion.

It's unclear exactly what would be included in the list of so-called rescissions. But Graham said cuts to veterans' services, for instance, would be "political malpractice."

Other cuts particularly those that affect federal and contracting jobs in lawmakers' districts could make passage difficult given the GOP's narrow and fractious majorities in both chambers.

- - - Billy House, Emily Birnbaum, and Erik Wasson for BNloomberg


https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-05/elon-musk-to-meet-with-congressional-republicans-on-doge-cuts?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc0MTI4MTA0MSwiZXhwIjoxNzQxODg1ODQxLCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJTU05PVlNUMEFGQjQwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiI0QTE0NjgyRTVEQjI0RDgyOEVGOTIxMzA1M0U4NzhDMiJ9.lvSb-VlY-Q_rkP2iz3iE2FEH7SVxZQmxc7r9FWx-stY


DiabloWags
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IF THE ORANGE MAN IS TRYING TO CREATE A RECESSION, HE'S DOING A REAL GOOD JOB!

movielover
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New York Post: $375B EPA slush fund handled by John Podesta gave billions to charities founded only months earlier

By Isabel Vincent
Published March 5, 2025, 6:02

""Ethically speaking, it's concerning," said Laurie Styron, CEO of Charity Watch, an independent charity watchdog group.

"What was the purpose of creating middlemen entities when there are so many established groups in the climate space with good track records? What was the value-added in [by] doing it this way, especially with such large sums of taxpayer funds?..."

"...Last year, EPA advisor Brent Efron was caught on video describing how the agency hastily parceled out a related $20 billion climate fund that was held by Citibank before the end of the Biden administration.

""Get the money out as fast as possible before they [Trump Administration] come in … it's like we're on the Titanic and we're throwing gold bars off the edge," he said in video posted online by activist group Project Veritas."

https://nypost.com/2025/03/05/business/john-podesta-375m-epa-slush-fund-gave-billions-to-newly-formed-charities/
DiabloWags
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How's that DOGE gig been working out for Musk and his shareholders?


bearister
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Trump tells cabinet secretaries they, not Musk, are in charge of staff cuts | Reuters


https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-tells-cabinet-secretaries-they-not-musk-are-charge-staff-cuts-2025-03-06/

WASHINGTON, March 6 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump told his cabinet members on Thursday that they, not Elon Musk, have the final say on staffing and policy at their agencies, according to a source familiar with the matter.

……The meeting was convened following complaints about DOGE's blunt-force approach from agency heads to top White House officials, including chief of staff Susie Wiles. The White House Office of Legislative Affairs has been inundated with calls in recent days from frustrated Republican members of Congress all over the country, some of whom have faced anger from constituents at home.

….Thursday's meeting was a sharp departure in tone from Trump's first full cabinet meeting last week, when he allowed Musk to deliver a monologue about DOGE at the start of the meeting and later asked, "Is anybody unhappy with Elon?" to scattered laughter."

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DiabloWags
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bearister said:

Trump tells cabinet secretaries they, not Musk, are in charge of staff cuts | Reuters




How long before Elon gets thrown under the Bus?
I say he's out of the conversation by Labor Day.

bearister
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DiabloWags said:

bearister said:

Trump tells cabinet secretaries they, not Musk, are in charge of staff cuts | Reuters




How long before Elon gets thrown under the Bus?
I say he's out of the conversation by Labor Day.




They say Trump learned from Roy Cohn to get dirt on people to control them (like J. Edgar Hoover did). Think Lindsey Graham.

Musk knows everything there is to know about Trump (think Roddy Ho's ratf@ucking hacking skills in Slow Horses). In addition, Musk would have the ability to use his team of hacker bros. to dick around with the Trump financial empire and the personal assets of all the family members.

Musk is embedded like an incurable virus. Trump sold his soul to the devil and the devil ain't giving that stanky putrid thang back to him.

Does it use Tesla parts?

SpaceX loses contact with Starship after 'rapid unscheduled disassembly'


https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/03/06/spacex-loses-contact-starship-rapid-unscheduled-disassembly/81819882007/
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bear2034
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Typical Nazi behavior.
bear2034
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"When you trim fat, pigs squeal!"
bear2034
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DiabloWags said:

bearister said:

Trump tells cabinet secretaries they, not Musk, are in charge of staff cuts | Reuters
How long before Elon gets thrown under the Bus?
I say he's out of the conversation by Labor Day.

Elon is the real president per Project 2025, geniuses.
Eastern Oregon Bear
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This article from The Intercept claims to have worked out Elon Musk's DOGE work email and are filing FOIA requests.

You can use the email address erm71@who.eop.gov if you don't want to use your own email to sign up and read the article. You could possibly use that email address for other things, but that would be wrong.
DiabloWags
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When Larry the Cable guy crashes your staff meeting.


Zippergate
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Elon should just use a private email server. Worked for HRC and Fauci.
DiabloWags
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Zippergate said:

Elon should just use a private email server. Worked for HRC and Fauci.

How long before the Orange Man throws Elon under the Bus?
Can't wait for those cuts to Medicare and Social Security.
Those will be SUPER POPULAR!


Zippergate
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As if your side has a plan for the reigning in entitlement spending. As if your side did anything to stop the rampant waste and fraud in the federal government that has put this country on the precipice of economic disaster. The denouement will probably not happen on your party's watch. Congrats, I'm sure that will be great consolation to you.
DiabloWags
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Zippergate said:

As if your side has a plan for the reigning in entitlement spending. As if your side did anything to stop the rampant waste and fraud in the federal government that has put this country on the precipice of economic disaster. The denouement will probably not happen on your party's watch. Congrats, I'm sure that will be great consolation to you.

Not sure you're able to comprehend this or not, but when I was an undergrad at CAL in 1980 and voted for my very first U.S. President, I voted for Ronald Reagan. He promoted a concept called American exceptionalism, which seems to be a terribly foreign idea to Trump and his supporters.

I'm not sure which "side" you think that I'm on.

Donald Trump is not a Republican.
Not even close.




Zippergate
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Great. Huge admiration for Reagan. Of course, Trump was a Democrat, as was Tulsi, Elon, Vivek, and RFK Jr. I am a small "c" conservative and moved on from the Republican party. So why have I supported Trump? Because there is very little that is conservative about people like McConnell or Graham who are content to get rich as the Washington Generals of politics. Being generally pro-business doesn't mean selling out to banks, defense, pharma, multinationals, etc. I think it was Winston Churchill who said that democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others. That's how I feel about Trump.

bear2034
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Zippergate said:

Elon should just use a private email server. Worked for HRC and Fauci.


Inspirational. Breathtaking.

Hillary Clinton's use of a personal email server while serving as Secretary of State is not only an enduring political scandal, it's also a new hit song.

Performed by Hillary Clinton and FBI Director James Comey, this soulful tune tells the story of one woman and her ability to transcend the traditional confines of U.S. law.
OsoDorado
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Musk's eyes and mouth remind me of Butt-head's. What a ghoul:



 
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