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0 pointsyibg1y ago0 comments

I have no problem with that. I don't even disagree with government waste, we all see it. If what trump and musk did was:

- Audit spending (at USAID or wherever else)

- Come up with details of where there is waste, being transparent about it for the public to see and review

- Use that to recommend change to congress / the president, again in full public view

Then I'd have no issues. The problem is, what's actually happening is:

- Musk and team are in there with no accountability and no transparency. We don't know what he has access to, what was done

- Unilaterally making changes without public review or oversight. It's a "trust me bro" stance.

- From the few things that has been published, many seem to be outright lies (50m on condoms) or extremely biased conclusions (IRS direct filing)

0 comments

throw109201y ago

Thank you for making an actually thoughtful comment with very reasonable points about the ways in which Musk et al are failing the taxpayers/citizens. I'd add on another one, from the article:

> On Sunday, CNN reported that DOGE personnel attempted to improperly access classified information and security systems at the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and that top USAID security officials who thwarted the attempt were subsequently put on leave.

Retaliation is very bad, especially when it comes to trying to protect national security information. As a semi-technical person running several large technical companies, even if he had zero experience with the DoD before, Musk should at the very least understand how important it is to guard your "IP".

yibgOP1y ago

Retaliation seems like the norm from the current administration. Calls to investigate and jail political opponents, agents that investigated the Jan 6 “protestors”, to deport the Bishop for calls for mercy.

Bullying, intimidation, arrogance. Traits that I would’ve hoped most would be against.

l0t0b0r0s1y ago

>- Audit spending (at USAID or wherever else)

I dont need a line item list to know that USAID DEI Scholarships in Burma $45.00M is wasteful spending.

>Come up with details of where there is waste, being transparent about it for the public to see and review

The waste is right there in the name. Funding DEI Scholarships in Burma is not how the American people want their taxes spent.

>- Unilaterally making changes without public review or oversight. It's a "trust me bro" stance.

The public review was the presidential election. Making changes without oversight is what an executive order is.

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