Department of Government Efficiency - DOGE

[ButchPlz]

Even if you agree with what USAID is supposed to do, as @NashVol11 seems to (and which is silly considering we can't even properly fix the lives of people like American Veterans, etc.), you should be outraged by the agency. USAID is a travel agency for already wealthy bureaucrats and rich kids. USAID is a buddy system that locks out people that know how to make impact in favor of people that have never actually had to struggle. USAID underperforms church groups and volunteers equipped with a few hundred bucks and a bag of hammers.

As far as this federal tax dollars in state's argument, again, spend =/= value. If I go spend a bunch on a steak, it sounds good, looks good, tastes good, all seems good...but if 12 hours later I'm crapping my guts out on the toilet from food poisoning I didn't get any value and in fact ended up further behind than where I started. This is federal education spending in the US. There is always something tied to it, and it is almost always not in the interest of the state or its citizens.

 

[NCFisher]

View attachment 720440

Again, the article linked is stating TN paid $4.75 for every fed $ received, not the inverse. The article highlights the point by citing most/least dependent. NM for example, pays $0.85 for every dollar received which makes them 'most dependent' by the criteria established by the author.

What % of the state budget those fed $ constitute is a valid but separate point.

 

[hog88]

Cool, you should petition your local lawmakers to cap school superintendent pay statewide at $13.50/hour no benefits.

I'm sure those third-graders will do better on their TCAPs if you can get it passed.

Chicken Little much?

 

[hog88]

Well, it can't considering that Tennessee gets back $4.75 for ever $1.00 collected in tax revenue sent to the federal government.

Yeah it can.

 

[TheDeeble]

Yeah I’m 100% good with it. Considering the duties the constitution laid out for the federal government we should be sending almost nothing in tax dollars to DC. So cut the f out of federal spending, taxes they collect and let the states pay for their programs.

Abso-f******-lutely. Stop sending state tax dollars to the feds to take a cut of then redistribute back to states. Let each state collect it's own taxes and figure out how much funding they need and how to get it.

 

[hog88]

Abso-f******-lutely. Stop sending state tax dollars to the feds to take a cut of then redistribute back to states. Let each state collect it's own taxes and figure out how much funding they need and how to get it.

Bearded can’t wrap his head around that concept

 

[ButchPlz]

Bearded can’t wrap his head around that concept

Clearly we wouldn't have any education in the United States if the DOE didn't exist.

 

[TheDeeble]

Well, it can't considering that Tennessee gets back $4.75 for ever $1.00 collected in tax revenue sent to the federal government.

You sure you're reading this right? Looks to me like Tennessee is sitting only a couple of spots away from California in dollars paid vs was they get back. This says Tennessee pays $4.75 for every dollar it receives. Not receives 4.75 for every dollar they pay. Tennessee is 38. California is 41 at $5.03. And I know California loves to boast about how they get back significantly less than they contribute. New Mexico is the most dependent and they're dark green. We're the same color as California.

 

[ButchPlz]

You sure you're reading this right? Looks to me like Tennessee is sitting only a couple of spots away from California in dollars paid vs was they get back. This says Tennessee pays $4.75 for every dollar it receives. Not receives 4.75 for every dollar they pay. Tennessee is 38. California is 41 at $5.03. And I know California loves to boast about how they get back significantly less than they contribute.

View attachment 720445

 

[NCFisher]

Your problem is you are assuming that a reduction in federal funding couldn’t be offset by a reduction in taxes.

That's my thought; if there is no DOE siphoning and skimming education dollars then rendering remains to the state, those dollars never leave the state.

In this case, Beard misread the article, an honest mistake. TN is paying $4.75 for every fed $ received, for a 375% loss on each fed $ paid by TN.

I think there was a war 150 years ago about this.

 

[ButchPlz]

That's my thought; if there is no DOE siphoning and skimming education dollars then rendering remains to the state, those dollars never leave the state.

In this case, Beard misread the article, an honest mistake. TN is paying $4.75 for every fed $ received, for a 375% loss on each fed $ paid by TN.

To me it's even worse. They siphon the money, give it back to the state, and attach strings (usually in the form of standards) aimed at the lowest common denominator in the classroom. Public schools end up significantly retarding the growth of students with intelligence and capability.

 

[SpaceCoastVol]

If you have proof of fraud you should report it.

Fraud, Waste, and Abuse

comptroller.tn.gov

Here's superintendent and principal pay for all TN counties, how much should their pay be decreased?

How much do principals, superintendents make in your Tennessee school district?

Ever wondered what administrators make in your school district? We've got you covered.

www.tennessean.com

I don't work in the state government. However, I'm sure it's hard to 'bite the hand that feeds you'. I get it. You are happy with the way things have gone for the last 50+ years and find the threat to the power of the left being intolerable. I don't. And a whole lot of other Americans don't either.

MAGA/MAHA/MASA/DOGE!!!

 

[just bob]

Like if they said "we assist with reproductive health all over Africa. This costs $20 million because it's not just condoms, it's education for both civilians and medical staff there, and controlling the AIDS epidemic there is beneficial to the world as a whole" then we could have an honest conversation, but instead that would just be described as "$20 million in condoms for ISIS" or whatever.

Or things like this:

 

[Grand Vol]

And while the DOGE does seem to be aggressively targeting wasteful spending in the executive branch, it remains quite unclear whether those efforts will survive inevitable court challenges and whether the federal budget will actually decline (or at least grow less quickly) as a result.

The main problem in assessing the DOGE project at this point is that so much is unknown—and that much of that opacity seems to be intentional. Even the most basic things like the legal limits of Musk's role and how many staff are working for the DOGE remain unclear. More complicated questions like how much wasteful spending has been cut and whether those cuts can survive legal and congressional challenges are completely unknown. Indeed, even the most foundational aspect of what DOGE is doing—using presidential authority to block spending Congress has authorized—is on shaky legal footing. Musk is obviously moving quickly and causing a great deal of alarm within the administrative state, but it is hard to tell whether he's slashing government, breaking things, or merely putting on a big show for Trump's fans in the media and online.

Here's what we do know: The DOGE's mandate has already shifted significantly—to the point where it looks more like a more aggressive version of a Barack Obama–era project meant to streamline and digitize bureaucracy rather than the budget-cutting entity originally promised.

That might be a worthwhile goal, of course, and one that could give the president more direct control over the federal government's extensive contracting systems. But it is a considerably different one than the bold promise Musk made during the final stages of the presidential campaign: that DOGE would find $2 trillion in budget cuts.

Ramaswamy said last week that his departure from the DOGE was due to a difference in vision. Whereas he wanted to focus on cutting federal regulations and working with Congress to cut spending, as he and Musk noted in their Journal op-ed, he said the department has now "evolved from a focus on legal constitutional issues" to a focus on digital technology.

Has DOGE already lost its way?

Much cutting. Very waste. But the Department of Government Efficiency might not have the legal and budgetary chops to actually reduce spending?

reason.com

I said as much myself. Short term cuts won't help a long term spending habit. Of course, the POTUS doesn't have to ask for the money in the annual budget, so, they're is that. And he can veto the budget when it comes to his desk if they put it back in.

I do wish Vivek was still a part of it as the regulations need trimming. I think Timo needs to do his "peacemaker" bit and get those two back on board. Nothing wrong with Musk taking a battle axe to wasteful spending. Nothing wrong with Vivek dealing with Congress to roll back spending (even though we know they won't) and cutting regulations. It's a win-win for Trump if the two paths were being worked on concurrently.

"Look, Elon has made some beautiful cuts. Like enormous. But Vivek can't get Congress to give up its wasteful spending. He's trying, but they can't stop spending your tax dollars..."

It's right up his alley to pull a toll move like that.

 

[Wireless1]

Lol, yes, I have no idea how the Etowah City School District is spending the federal dollars given to them, but I do know that those federal dollars make up 1/3 of their education budget.

Maybe you should try reaching out to the school board there to get your answers?

School Board - Etowah City Elementary School District

www.etowahcityschool.com

Or possibly the Tennessee state board of education as well.

Board Members

www.tn.gov

While 1/3 of their funding may come from the fed, those dollars come with strings attached so that the net is not 1/3.

 

[Orangeburst]

I particularly like the hundreds of billions spent on students that cant repay. That is smart stuff.

 

[hog88]

Clearly we wouldn't have any education in the United States if the DOE didn't exist.

Whatever did we do for almost 200 years?

 

[ButchPlz]

Whatever did we do for almost 200 years?

Apparently all of our ancestors were non-functional animals since they didn't have schools designed with the same standards as prisons.

 

[DC_Vol]

Whatever did we do for almost 200 years?

Educate our children better.

 

[BeardedVol]

I don't work in the state government. However, I'm sure it's hard to 'bite the hand that feeds you'. I get it. You are happy with the way things have gone for the last 50+ years and find the threat to the power of the left being intolerable. I don't. And a whole lot of other Americans don't either.

MAGA/MAHA/MASA/DOGE!!!

You've proposed that there is fraud occuring in the Tennessee education system, and there's a hotline for citizens to report it; you should do your civic duty.

 

[SpaceCoastVol]

Cool, you should petition your local lawmakers to cap school superintendent pay statewide at $13.50/hour no benefits.

I'm sure those third-graders will do better on their TCAPs if you can get it passed.

So what you are saying is that the superintendent is directly responsible for the scores on standardized testing that our schools are producing.

Ladies and gentlemen... I think we found the problem.

 

[SpaceCoastVol]

You've proposed that there is fraud occuring in the Tennessee education system, and there's a hotline for citizens to report it; you should do your civic duty.

View attachment 720493

It's absolutely precious what you are trying to do here. I am in no way involved with the Tennessee school systems. No kids. Actually I shouldn't GAS, but it is disturbing to me that kids can't count change if the cash register doesn't tell them the amount. Basic survival skills are sorely lacking. But the fed DOE doesn't care about that.

So I'll type slowly for you. I don't know if there is fraud waste and abuse, but it is certain that the product that we are getting for the amount of money we are spending is sub par and getting worse on the world stage. You can do with that what you want, but it is a fact. And ALL of this backsliding occurred AFTER the federal DOE was created. Cause and effect? Maybe, maybe not, but you prefer to bury your head in the sand and block your ears as if nothing's wrong. I am thrilled beyond words that Elon is turning on the lights. Hopefully it is contagious on a state level.

 

[BeardedVol]

It's absolutely precious what you are doing here.

I'll type slowly for you. I don't know if there is, but it is certain that the product that we are getting for the amount of money we are spending is sub par. You can do with that what you want, but it is a fact. And ALL of this backsliding occurred AFTER the federal DOE was created. Cause and effect? Maybe, maybe not, but you prefer to bury your head in the sand and block your ears as if nothing's wrong. I am thrilled beyond words that Elon is turning on the lights. Hopefully it is contagious on a state level.

So why aren't you holding your local school boards and the Tennessee department of education accountable for what you see as a failing education system?

 

[Weezy]

So why aren't you holding your local school boards and the Tennessee department of education accountable for what you see as a failing education system?

Don’t want to get investigated by the FBI.

 

[SpaceCoastVol]

So why aren't you holding your local school boards and the Tennessee department of education accountable for what you see as a failing education system?

Not really my problem. I've made my retirement funds. I've bought and paid for my forever house. It is the generation that has gotten such outstanding degrees as.... well we all know what the worthless crap they are getting is... that is doing the complaining that they can't find a good paying job, or buy a house or...... and that is a direct reflection on the foundation they get in public schools. The sad thing is that you are OK with ****ing the generation that comes after the current one. But keep on doing the same thing you have always done Chief. I will go waaaaaaaay out on a limb and say that 'it won't improve by stealing more tax money and throwing at it.

But I could be wrong.

Do you think the current state of education is a success?