DOGE opinions

[flogger]

Well, President Trump is pretty much following his campaign promises about cutting waste in the Government among other things. The newly created DOGE department is shaking things up, I like the email request to some government employees asking them to list 5 things they had accomplished at their jobs in the last week. When Musk was asked about it, he called it a 'pulse check'.

No doubt the gov is bloated and top heavy and, we need to trim the spending and it's going to hurt some folks. I know it's early in the program but has anyone here been affected (yet)?

Interesting week in politics with Zelenskyy being asked to leave the White House and the shake-ups in Main Stream Media. Of course, the left is shitting bricks.

The thing that worries me is the import tariff proposition. Two words, CANADA-LUMBER!

[buffalobo]

I work for a large GC, we build $500 million/year plus, for state and fed gov. No effect yet(work we are currently doing contracted and money allocated long before election) but would not have a problem if a couple upcoming projects were deemed unnecessary with revelation that millions of square feet of fed buildings are empty. Much cheaper to remodel/retask.

If you're unarmed, you are a victim

[def90]

The problem is that agencies are already re-hiring the people that were laid off and the new budget passed in the house still increases the debt ceiling, the deficit and spending overall.

[FoxtArt]

And again, if DOGE is a new department (they are "rebranding" one to skirt some rules), ask yourself, why Trump has to nominate people for confirmation to every other department?

But the guy who paid him $250,000,000 and happens to be America's richest Oligarch is suddenly the de-facto vice president and "department head".

I don't know about you, but there are principles and checks and balances integal to our country that should be followed. When people think it's ok if it's "their guy" doing it, you're on dangerous earth.

[bryjcom]

And again, if DOGE is a new department (they are "rebranding" one to skirt some rules), ask yourself, why Trump has to nominate people for confirmation to every other department?

But the guy who paid him $250,000,000 and happens to be America's richest Oligarch is suddenly the de-facto vice president and "department head".

I don't know about you, but there are principles and checks and balances integal to our country that should be followed. When people think it's ok if it's "their guy" doing it, you're on dangerous earth.

I'm so tired of this argument. You're complaining that a well known billionaire is heading up a obscure department that was retooled to look at government waste?

Who would you like to run that? Some obscure bureaucrat that you don't know?

"Defacto Vice President" Yeah not really.. He's not 2nd inline to the presidency and he has no authority to carry out VP duties.

Or my favorite online argument, "eLOn mUsK HaS aCcEss to S.S. iNfO!!" As opposed to obscure IRS agents that you have know idea their names?


Elon Musk , the most well known billionaire in the world is not going to steal your grandma's $1700 SS check or take fraudulent loans out in her name. What he is going to do is use his experience in running and organizing SUCCESSFUL companies and do a complete audit of the monstrous federal government and figure out how to make it operate smoother.

[FoxtArt]

DOGE is good for generating headlines, it has done nothing so far that will cut any costs.

We have the worlds richest oligarch, that was not elected, not confirmed, directing OPM to send messages to federal employees and terminate them without following any of their procedures. After all the terminations are completed months down the road, the payroll that has been allegedly saved will amount to about 1/100th of one percent of the deficit. That's if we ignore the fallout.

Meanwhile, the litigation will greatly exceed the costs of the employees. As well as the unemployment benefits, back pay, etc, because procedures were not followed.

Then you have his desire to replace federal employees with contractors. I happen to know a great deal about how that works. The contractors are more expensive.

Then you have their tax cuts - extending the prior tax cuts and requesting trillions more.

Then you have more stimmy checks - Elon is already trying to curry favor by alleging bread and circuses, a "$5,000" stimulus might be possible.

Economy is tanking so of course, Trump is going to do more stimulus checks, $1000 checks for you with $18,000 in other pork attached onto the bill.

Trump holds the record for an increase in deficiet spending and 40% of the national debt is from his first term.

Anyone who attempts the same thing twice and expects a different result, is a bit insane. Ignore the headlines, look at the bigger picture....
This admin is NOT good at trimming costs. It is great at controversal headlines which people like.

[TRnCO]

who paid who $250,00,000? When and for what?

I guess some people would be happier to let the gov. just keep skipping along unabashed without any checks and balances. Not OK with me. At some point the PEOPLE need to know where all the tax money is going. If one wants to believe that the gov. doesn't have wasteful spending that needs to end, they live under a rock.

[def90]

who paid who $250,00,000? When and for what?

I guess some people would be happier to let the gov. just keep skipping along unabashed without any checks and balances. Not OK with me. At some point the PEOPLE need to know where all the tax money is going. If one wants to believe that the gov. doesn't have wasteful spending that needs to end, they live under a rock.

Elon Musk spent over $290 million on the past election.

[eddiememphis]

Theater.

Much like trotting out the Park Service employees during a "shutdown", these measures will have little effect on the overspending.

The debt ceiling was just raised by Republicans from $36 to $40 trillion.

That does not indicate seriousness about reining in deficit spending.

Until someone has the balls to tackle Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, Doge cuts are removing pennies from total spending.

I do like that someone is doing something to expose waste and fraud, and every little bit helps. But it's not enough.


The Zelenskyy thing is theater as well.

He is in way over his head, not knowing how negotiations work. He went in there, thinking he could get everything done in one deal. These things are done in steps.

He reached for the cookie jar and got his hand slapped. Flew to England to lick his wounds and was taught how things actually work. He will be back this week to sign the mineral rights deal and then it will be Russia's turn for some concessions.

Much ado about nothing. Had this been done behind closed doors as the usual case no one would know about it. The fact they did in front of the press, and the overreactions to it, are hilarious.

Yet predictable.

[Clint45]

The Zelenskyy thing is theater as well.

He is in way over his head, not knowing how negotiations work. He went in there, thinking he could get everything done in one deal. These things are done in steps.

He reached for the cookie jar and got his hand slapped. Flew to England to lick his wounds and was taught how things actually work. He will be back this week to sign the mineral rights deal and then it will be Russia's turn for some concessions.

Much ado about nothing. Had this been done behind closed doors as the usual case no one would know about it. The fact they did in front of the press, and the overreactions to it, are hilarious.

Yet predictable.

Ukraine is a surprisingly complex situation, and a lot of the data is classified.

Zelenskyy is dirty, we all know that, but so is Putin and possibly even Trump... they conduct themselves like mobsters, not that that's a bad thing.

I am fairly certain that Trump and Putin already agreed to a ceasefire on the condition that Zelinskyy sign a mineral rights partnership, which would mean thousands of American citizens flying to Ukraine for employment... and Putin bombing American citizens is kind of a big deal, especially during a ceasefire.

That wasn't good enough for Zelinskyy. Instead of signing the deal, as agreed, he flipped the script to appeal directly to the American public, on live television, basically demanding entry into NATO... which Putin stated, 3 years ago, would likely result in Kyiv being nuked. Instead, Vance gave him a wedgie and Trump sent him home without lunch... so now he's singing his sad song to the EU. Zelinskyy was riding the gravy train for 3 years, with billions unaccounted for and front line troops not getting the supplies we paid for... I honestly do not believe Zelinskyy wants peace... he is being unreasonable and petulant. I would not be surprised if he is served a bowl of polonium borscht soon.