DOGE at work

[Jim at Gentex]

I'm not opposed to what they want to accomplish. I'm opposed to how they are going about it.

Fair enough.

I think part of the reason people are uncomfortable is that Trump's decisive actions on immigration, tariffs, DOGE, etc. are such a drastic contrast to the last 4 years of utter inaction and failure of the previous administration.

But as pointed out here earlier, these things were all talked about over and over by Trump on the campaign trail, and people voted in overwhelming agreement with his agenda to address those issues.

Now that he is actually doing it, I think people are shocked at the speed and aggressiveness at which things are moving.

So we can disagree with the methods, and we can nit-pick every detail, but that doesn't change the fact that Trump is delivering on those key issues that got him elected.

Maybe the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction, and that's a fair point.
But I think Trump has accomplished more in 2 weeks than Biden did in four years, and that scares some people because it flies in the face of the status quo.

[neurosis]

So we can disagree with the methods,

My biggest concern, and it's been brought up in this thread at least once already, is the precedent this might set moving forward. Everyone is OK with it when their guy is doing it. Are you going to be OK with it when it's the other guy doing it? The question was answered with a whataboutism. 

This scorched earth agenda may end up causing a drastic pendulum swing in the other direction and I don't want to see that.

@Jeff That's why I said that I hope we don't get a vendetta presidency a few months back when you told me I was just parroting left wing talking points.   I don't want to see the backlash.

[Incogneeto]

I'd rather have these guys than a bunch of 70 year old coots who don't even know what a CPU is.

Isn't that the shiny gold robot in star wars??

[gcode]

I think one of the reasons DOGE's investigation into USAID is causing so much uproar is because a whole lot of pockets
are getting filled in ways that don't bear close scrutiny.

Just one day in we've got the Catholic and Episcopal church, Bill Kristol, fake Nigerian trucking companies, Hamas,
and the Taliban.

Who knows what day 2 will uncover?
I'm of the opinion that the louder some public official is yelling, the dirtier they are. 

[mowens]

I would if Trump had a 50+ year corrupt political career but he doesn't.
Or if he picked a cabinet like the Biden admin did because they ticked off certain boxes to get the job.
Trump has a history of getting shit done which we can't say the same for PedoJoe.

I hope your blind faith pays off.

[beej]

My biggest concern, and it's been brought up in this thread at least once already, is the precedent this might set moving forward. Everyone is OK with it when their guy is doing it. Are you going to be OK with it when it's the other guy doing it? The question was answered with a whataboutism. 

This scorched earth agenda may end up causing a drastic pendulum swing in the other direction and I don't want to see that.

@Jeff That's why I said that I hope we don't get a vendetta presidency a few months back when you told me I was just parroting left wing talking points.   I don't want to see the backlash.

it get's scary when politicians do what they say they were going to do. None of us are used to that.

[mowens]

You're getting all bent out of shape because of assumptions and speculations.

You are giving them a pass based on assumptions and speculations.

It's the same old "my guy good, your guy bad" bullshit.

The American people are still going to end up getting fucked. We always do.

[neurosis]

You're assuming that it's a true statement.

So vetted? Still in the air.  Security clearance, they didn't have.

"USAID Security Clearance Issue
Elon Musk's team, known as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), attempted to access classified information at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) but lacked the necessary security clearance. According to reports, USAID security chiefs John Vorhees and his deputy Brian McGill were legally obligated to deny access to the classified information because Musk's team did not have the appropriate security clearance. Despite this, the DOGE team eventually gained access to the classified materials, which included intelligence reports. The USAID security chiefs were subsequently placed on leave following this incident."

[beej]

I hope your blind faith pays off.

You seem to have faith in that fact that all of the people who have been working in Government already, had our best interest in mind, that they were properly vetted and not just some nephew of a significant campaign donation. None of us really know who they are either. None of them were elected were they? Anyway, who does the vetting on these people? Should we trust the vetters? I replied to you, Mike. But I'm really just asking these questions to all of us.

[Incogneeto]

You seem to have faith in that fact that all of the people who have been working in Government already, had our best interest in mind, that they were properly vetted and not just some nephew of a significant campaign donation. None of us really know who they are either. None of them were elected were they? Anyway, who does the vetting on these people? Should we trust the vetters? I replied to you, Mike. But I'm really just asking these questions to all of us.

And this is why You Clean House.

[neurosis]

Should we trust the vetters? I replied to you, Mike. But I'm really just asking these questions to all of us.

I get what you're saying, but should we just give any Tom, Dick, or Harry, access to Treasury computers? Do you think there shouldn't be a vetting process?

[mowens]

You seem to have faith in that fact that all of the people who have been working in Government already, had our best interest in mind, that they were properly vetted and not just some nephew of a significant campaign donation. None of us really know who they are either. None of them were elected were they? Anyway, who does the vetting on these people? Should we trust the vetters? I replied to you, Mike. But I'm really just asking these questions to all of us.

You seem to be living in a different universe than the one I'm posting in. I don't trust government. Any government. The worshipful nature many on here seem to view Trump with is no different than the cult of personality that was around Bill Clinton or Barak Obama. It will bite you in the ass the way it always does. Like I said we will get fucked, we just don't know how yet. We always do.

[beej]

I get what you're saying, but should we just give any Tom, Dick, or Harry, access to Treasury computers? Do you think there shouldn't be a vetting process?

I do think they should be vetted. I guess, I'm just wondering why you think Musk's group hasn't but you assume the people they are checking on are. Are the vetters just inconsistent in your mind?

[Incogneeto]

You seem to be living in a different universe than the one I'm posting in. I don't trust government. Any government. The worshipful nature many on here seem to view Trump with is no different than the cult of personality that was around Bill Clinton or Barak Obama. It will bite you in the ass the way it always does. Like I said we will get fucked, we just don't know how yet. We always do.

That is The Point.

Elon is not Government and Not being paid.

[Jeff]

The sky is falling!
The sky is falling!