President Elon Musk
He probably deserves his own thread at this point, discuss accordingly
Deficit spending isn't bad in of itself but I also never made a comment on the current deficit. Yes, Covid spending was too much but thats also what gave us one of the softest landings in the whole world.
The way the Trump administration is going about "fixing" the deficit will seemingly just make it worse
As for Musks impact being small, thats what lefties on this forum said the whole time. You don't get to make that claim now, wtf
Milwaukee gonna Milwaukee.All our postal workers in Sussex were pretty great.The point is, those shitty workers are protected by an ironclad union agreement, and any attempt at improving the system is met with immediate and overwhelming resistance. DOGE tried finding people that could be eliminated with no impact on government services, and even those people were protected. T
Who told you this was true, and what evidence was offered?
I used to work for the federal government, and I know for certain that this was not the case at my agency.
Deficit spending isn't bad in of itself but I also never made a comment on the current deficit. Yes, Covid spending was too much but thats also what gave us one of the softest landings in the whole world.The way the Trump administration is going about "fixing" the deficit will seemingly just make it worseAs for Musks impact being small, thats what lefties on this forum said th
I made the claim as well here as soon as DOGE started. I also claimed it was good anyway because the actual intent of DOGE was dismantling leftist power sources not fixing the deficit, and what is small for the deficit is still huge for political power (40-50 blns/ year spent for political propaganda is a lot).
There isn't COVID now and 6% deficit at close to full employment is simply insane in any model. Everyone who has any basis in macroeconomics knows that.
6% deficit is what you are supposed to do when things are disastrous
My takeaway from doge is that we are (were?) the richest and most powerful country in the world and from that perspective our government is (relatively) incredibly efficient and was doing an unbelievable job of keeping the gears greasedThere was no crisis, there was no emergency, the country has never been ****ed, etc etc. You've just been lied to, repeatedly and blatantly, st
Pretty much. Just like Trump's first term, Doge will have no lasting impact and they will undo this stuff in 4 years if not before. Reducing spending by cutting federal workforce was always a dumb idea and I've seen first hand how private companies are now fleecing federal government/states because you cut a guy making 100k who knew how to review and write 10 mil+ contracts.
jfc there is no economically-relevant covid-related problem right now, that was the context.
There is covid around as an additional HCoV (the fifth circulating iirc), it does close to nothing to society like the other 4, and it has nothing to do with the economy anymore so the 6% deficit running today in the USA (that was the context) is absurdly high and completly out of whack with all macroeconomic models given the low unemployment
I made the claim as well here as soon as DOGE started. I also claimed it was good anyway because the actual intent of DOGE was dismantling leftist power sources not fixing the deficit, and what is small for the deficit is still huge for political power (40-50 blns/ year spent for political propaganda is a lot).There isn't COVID now and 6% deficit at close to full employment is
Well yes , I guess that inflation spike from Covid (which translate as well in government cost on multiples levels ) increased government spending too while the revenues didn’t match it yet .
It will take some time .
Well yes , I guess that inflation spike from Covid (which translate as well in government cost on multiples levels ) increased government spending too while the revenues didn’t match it yet .
It will take some time .
inflation HELPS THE GVMNT because interests don't grow as much, revenue follows inflation, and only COLA expenses grow with inflation but not salaries necessarily.
inflation is how Italy and Spain reduced the deficit ffs.
with 10% inflation you just don't raise public employees salaries by 10% (which isn't mandatory) and you already save money.
it's far easier to reduce the deficit with inflation than without, because cutting salaries 3-5% is illegal/politically impossible. raising them 5% when inflation is 10 is easy in comparison.
and interest doesn't grow comparably even if short term rates are increased by the central bank. all your previous medium/long term issuances pay the same.
you save a shitload as a GVMNT with inflation over target . it's the best time to rein the deficit
inflation HELPS THE GVMNT because interests don't grow as much, revenue follows inflation, and only COLA expenses grow with inflation but not salaries necessarily.inflation is how Italy and Spain reduced the deficit ffs.with 10% inflation you just don't raise public employees salaries by 10% (which isn't mandatory) and you already save money.it's far easier to reduce the defici
It would be true like you said but sadly it goes directly against what you specifically said :
The biggest government spending is social Security at 22% budget which increase by matching inflation rates with absolutely 0 benefits in return ….
The second is net interest at 14% with 0 benefits in return either
It’s already at 35% of the budget .
Both are increasing in a « virtuous »loop .
So guess what happens when inflation spikes …..
Inflation isn’t reducing debt if you make even more debt to pay down debt and just barely afford interest on the debt .
Not mentioning when inflation goes higher , interest rates goes higher increasing even more interest payment thx to trump by making US debt less enticing to hold by foreigners ( who can trust trump …😉.
The U.S. are in a very very very bad spot due for decades of bad political choices and choosing trump twice …
Trump actually started feeling what Liz truss actually tasted in Britain.
jfc there is no economically-relevant covid-related problem right now, that was the context.There is covid around as an additional HCoV (the fifth circulating iirc), it does close to nothing to society like the other 4, and it has nothing to do with the economy anymore so the 6% deficit running today in the USA (that was the context) is absurdly high and completly out of whack
It is what it always was. A nothingburger unless you are morbidly obese or old. The flu in other words.
The only reason covid caused such economic strife is because all the bedwetters had the crap scared out of them by the lol "experts".
lol look at the badge number!! So edgy
He is a dodgy father though
Story on npr this morning said the total number of fully verified/complete cuts at this point is 5B.
Story on npr this morning said the total number of fully verified/complete cuts at this point is 5B.
Do they have an estimate of how much they will cost?
I mean, I can cut costs by not replacing rotted siding on my house, but it would end up horrendously expensive.
Perhaps some people don't find the analogy apt, but to quote Rococo from another thread referencing a relative: "I'm a little worried about how many dam operators we are firing."
Do they have an estimate of how much they will cost?
I mean, I can cut costs by not replacing rotted siding on my house, but it would end up horrendously expensive.
Perhaps some people don't find the analogy apt, but to quote Rococo from another thread referencing a relative: "I'm a little worried about how many dam operators we are firing."
The opposite can be true though, for example if you cut DEI training you get back more than the cost, because they were genuinely destructive for productivity, a massive negative return on the costs.
The opposite can be true though, for example if you cut DEI training you get back more than the cost, because they were genuinely destructive for productivity, a massive negative return on the costs.
One DEI program which was cut was the U.S. Forest Service's $75 million grant awarded to a foundation that helps low-income communities plant trees. Without going into the nitty-gritty, trees in urban neighborhoods is a good investment ecologically, prevents floods, dissipates heat and also has social benefits.
For comparisons, Trump's golf outings so far in his term has cost taxpayers about 25 million dollars, and his own resorts overcharges the government 3 times approved hotel rates for staff and security. While staying at those resorts, he sells one-to-one dinners to PAC-donors for 5 million a pop or group meetings for 1 million a pop and treats the emoluments clause like a pinata.
That you and others believe that a person like this is genuinely out to cut government spending displays an almost laudable amount of naivety.
This has just gone in circles this whole thread.
Luciom — these cuts are great and saving hella money!
Others - they’re lies and propaganda.
Luciom - lol, of course they can’t actually be significant cuts you idiots! government is soo huge and terrible I’m just happy that it is being destroyed!! Burn baby burn!!!
This has just gone in circles this whole thread.
Luciom — these cuts are great and saving hella money!
Others - they’re lies and propaganda.
Luciom - lol, of course they can’t actually be significant cuts you idiots! government is soo huge and terrible I’m just happy that it is being destroyed!! Burn baby burn!!!
Significant cuts can happen (And should) , but can only happen through congress.
Small (as a % of the budget) cuts can happen at the executive level and those are mostly done to reduce the power of leftism, not to fix the budget. For example making being a public employee worse in general would redirect smart and talented people away from government jobs at the margin, which reduces state capacity, which is a proxy of leftism. Leftism can't accomplish much with low state capacity.
Yes that would mean that some of the stuff the gvmnt actually needs to do even under a rightwing model will be done worse. Price to pay to avoid the existential risk of leftism, and still a good outcome for society on net if it happens.
One DEI program which was cut was the U.S. Forest Service's $75 million grant awarded to a foundation that helps low-income communities plant trees. Without going into the nitty-gritty, trees in urban neighborhoods is a good investment ecologically, prevents floods, dissipates heat and also has social benefits. For comparisons, Trump's golf outings so far in his term has cost t
Do you realize that the USA is a *federation of states* and that "helping poor areas planting trees" isn't in the explicit list of powers of congress so for an actually rightwing person it's insane congress even did that to begin with, and as for most other things which aren't explicitly listed as the duties of the federal government, it should be done at the state level exclusively?
maybe you live in a "centralist" country and can't even comprehend the idea of the federal government staying the **** away from everything that isn't indispensable to do at the federal level as listed in the constitution.
There are a zillions things that the federal government does that shouldn't happen at the federal level NO MATTER what you think of their effects on society.
Now a "forestry service" at the federal level makes sense because the feds actually own massive amount of forests, but why in the actual hell should an agency that exists with the specific mandate of managing federal owned tree-covered land , under the dpmnt of agriculture, give grants to planting trees in cities? regardless of what you think of the idea of public money being spent to plant trees in urban settings, it's obscene, insane, for that to be happening in that way.
Without going to the "nitty-gritty" it's clear that that grant, and 1000 other grants like that, is just a way to pay salaries to parasites who then will vote left because their whole income depends on the left granting them money
Significant cuts can happen (And should) , but can only happen through congress.Small (as a % of the budget) cuts can happen at the executive level and those are mostly done to reduce the power of leftism, not to fix the budget.
The right : we want no tax , cut everything , government employees sucks , etc
The right : we want great employees working for the government .
Me: payed how exactly and how much ?
The right : the private sector needs tax cut to pay better there employees to get the best ….
Me : why the best employees would be working for the government if u don’t want to pay them ?
Ps: the right or left employees both contain efficient employee despite your beliefs to the contrary luciom.
Do you realize that the USA is a *federation of states* and that "helping poor areas planting trees" isn't in the explicit list of powers of congress so for an actually rightwing person it's insane congress even did that to begin with, and as for most other things which aren't explicitly listed as the duties of the federal government, it should be done at the state level exclus
And yet look at trump actions putting his nose in everything …..
But since it’s the right , the meaning of centralized power changed I suppose ….
I'd actually prefer my federal dollars go toward preventing people from throwing their garbage out their car windows before we bother planting trees in medians that'll just be neglected afterward.
Driving through Milwaukee every day on the way to work reminds me of straying off the tourist path in somewhere like Curaçao.
Watching City workers water the suspended flower pots in the "nice" parts of outer downtown while their trucks crunch through a mountain of fast food containers and plastic cups is quite the contrast.
Do they have an estimate of how much they will cost?
I mean, I can cut costs by not replacing rotted siding on my house, but it would end up horrendously expensive.
Perhaps some people don't find the analogy apt, but to quote Rococo from another thread referencing a relative: "I'm a little worried about how many dam operators we are firing."
It wasn't a breezy quick story but it was super early yesterday morning and I don't remember if they went at quite that angle. Prob not too hard to find though--it seemed like one of those segments that get repeated thru the day.
