Department of Government Efficiency - DOGE

[BigOrangeMojo]

So, when DOGE starts sending 20% of all the money saved back to the US Citizens, will those who oppose DOGE turn down the checks (roughly $5,000/person)?

All this money "saved".

4.5T increase to debt ceiling......

 

[ETV]

Which is why he signed an EO for it?

2.4T increase in defense spending is almost impossible, and at peace time for a one term president.

The planning and logistics associated with the proposal alone will be a difficult challenge to overcome.

 

[Redleg68]

No one opposes "exposing fraud," that's a stupid question but DOGE hasn't exposed any fraud yet

One definition of fraud is deceit and trickery. I pretty much think that it goes on every day in D.C. The way they spend a lot of "OUR" money not theirs, is full of trickery and deceit.

 

[n_huffhines]

In case you missed it, the justice department filed a claim that Elon does not work for DOGE.

The Emperor having no clothes is the perfect analogy for our current political state. Ignore your team's lies, deception, law-breaking, etc. but then also freak the **** out about it when it's the other team doing that stuff. All principles out the window. Free speech? 4th amendment? Rule of law? Checks and balances? Don't care right now.

Here’s a silly thing that happens sometimes: A powerful person says something obviously false, and everyone pretends not to notice. This is the plot of “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” where an entire kingdom maintains a collective delusion until one child (who, importantly, hasn’t yet learned the sophisticated art of lying to yourself) points out that hey, the emperor is naked.

The story endures because it captures something fundamental about institutional lies, they don’t actually require sophisticated deception. They just require everyone to agree, collectively, to not say the obvious thing. (George Orwell had some thoughts about this too — in Nineteen Eighty-Four, the ultimate flex of authoritarian power isn’t making you believe lies, it’s making you actively deny what your own eyes tell you.)

Here’s the thing about institutional lies though: They can go on for quite a while, but they tend to have a breaking point. And that breaking point often comes when someone says something so obviously, comically false that it forces everyone to confront the absurdity.

This is probably why authoritarian regimes tend to get more ridiculous over time, not less — they keep having to make increasingly outlandish claims to maintain the fiction.

Which brings us to DOGE, Elon Musk, and what might be the most brazen example of institutional gaslighting we’ve seen in recent memory.

Yesterday, the Justice Department filed a declaration claiming Elon Musk isn’t running or employed by DOGE. The audacity of this claim would be almost comical if it weren’t so dangerous. As Cathy Gellis just pointed out a little while ago, this declaration actually makes their potential Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) violations worse, but that’s almost beside the point given the sheer brazenness of the lie.

Let’s go through some of the receipts....

The Elon DOGE Emperor Has No Clothes

Here’s a silly thing that happens sometimes: A powerful person says something obviously false, and everyone pretends not to notice. This is the plot of “The Emperor’s New Clothes,…

www.techdirt.com

 

[n_huffhines]

A precedent has been set.

If memes can be labeled election interference then 60 minutes certainly committed interference.

I just find it funny that you are losing your mind over Musk who has no power to punish anyone for his use of free speech.

I'm not losing my mind over Musk, I am pretty fkn disappointed in about 100 people in this forum who champion Elon as a free speech advocate and never have the nuts to walk that back, call him out, or even acknowledge it when he proves he's a fraud on that topic, time and time again. They just ignore it or make stupid deflections.

 

[n_huffhines]

One definition of fraud is deceit and trickery. I pretty much think that it goes on every day in D.C. The way they spend a lot of "OUR" money not theirs, is full of trickery and deceit.

So is this fraud?

In case you missed it, the justice department filed a claim that Elon does not work for DOGE.

The Emperor having no clothes is the perfect analogy for our current political state. Ignore your team's lies, deception, law-breaking, etc. but then also freak the **** out about it when it's the other team doing that stuff. All principles out the window. Free speech? 4th amendment? Rule of law? Checks and balances? Don't care right now.

Here’s a silly thing that happens sometimes: A powerful person says something obviously false, and everyone pretends not to notice. This is the plot of “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” where an entire kingdom maintains a collective delusion until one child (who, importantly, hasn’t yet learned the sophisticated art of lying to yourself) points out that hey, the emperor is naked.

The story endures because it captures something fundamental about institutional lies, they don’t actually require sophisticated deception. They just require everyone to agree, collectively, to not say the obvious thing. (George Orwell had some thoughts about this too — in Nineteen Eighty-Four, the ultimate flex of authoritarian power isn’t making you believe lies, it’s making you actively deny what your own eyes tell you.)

Here’s the thing about institutional lies though: They can go on for quite a while, but they tend to have a breaking point. And that breaking point often comes when someone says something so obviously, comically false that it forces everyone to confront the absurdity.

This is probably why authoritarian regimes tend to get more ridiculous over time, not less — they keep having to make increasingly outlandish claims to maintain the fiction.

Which brings us to DOGE, Elon Musk, and what might be the most brazen example of institutional gaslighting we’ve seen in recent memory.

Yesterday, the Justice Department filed a declaration claiming Elon Musk isn’t running or employed by DOGE. The audacity of this claim would be almost comical if it weren’t so dangerous. As Cathy Gellis just pointed out a little while ago, this declaration actually makes their potential Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) violations worse, but that’s almost beside the point given the sheer brazenness of the lie.

Let’s go through some of the receipts....

The Elon DOGE Emperor Has No Clothes

Here’s a silly thing that happens sometimes: A powerful person says something obviously false, and everyone pretends not to notice. This is the plot of “The Emperor’s New Clothes,…

www.techdirt.com

 

[utvolpj]

2.4T increase in defense spending is almost impossible, and at peace time for a one term president.

The planning and logistics associated with the proposal alone will be a difficult challenge to overcome.

Normally I would agree but I watched a first term potus add $8T and the next guy add the same. If anyone can do it...

 

[n_huffhines]

So, when DOGE starts sending 20% of all the money saved back to the US Citizens, will those who oppose DOGE turn down the checks (roughly $5,000/person)?

What did you do with your socialist Trump $ during COVID?

 

[Orangeburst]

Trump’s ‘Iron Dome for America’ plan would put weapons in space, at a big cost

“Each Iron Dome system can defend an area of roughly 150 square miles. We would need to deploy more than 24,700 Iron Dome batteries to defend the 3.7 million square miles of the continental United States. At $100 million per battery, that would be approximately $2,470,000,000,000”—and that $2,470 trillion system would be good only against relatively small and slow weapons, not incoming ICBMs, nuclear analyst Joe Cirincione wrote last year for Defense One.

 

[n_huffhines]

Trump’s ‘Iron Dome for America’ plan would put weapons in space, at a big cost

“Each Iron Dome system can defend an area of roughly 150 square miles. We would need to deploy more than 24,700 Iron Dome batteries to defend the 3.7 million square miles of the continental United States. At $100 million per battery, that would be approximately $2,470,000,000,000”—and that $2,470 trillion system would be good only against relatively small and slow weapons, not incoming ICBMs, nuclear analyst Joe Cirincione wrote last year for Defense One.

It's cheaper to just have good, open relations with everyone, and mind our own business. Also better for the economy.

 

[85SugarVol]

Everyone keeps talking about Defense. What are you proposing to be cut?

The “iron dome” talk is silly. That doesn’t count.
X% cut across the board is too vague.

Give something specific and justify it.

I’d propose sunsetting the entire ICBM portion of our nuclear triade.
Our Boomers & B-21s can provide all the deterrence anyone wants to tangle with.

I’d also take an axe to the Armored Divisions.

 

[Orangeburst]

It's cheaper to just have good, open relations with everyone, and mind our own business. Also better for the economy.

and that is why Trump proposed cutting defense in half, if Russia and China follow.

and Iron Dome is purely defensive

 

[Orangeburst]

Everyone keeps talking about Defense. What are you proposing to be cut?

The “iron dome” talk is silly. That doesn’t count.
X% cut across the board is too vague.

Give something specific and justify it.

I’d propose sunsetting the entire ICBM portion of our nuclear triade.
Our Boomers & B-21s can provide all the deterrence anyone wants to tangle with.

I’d also take an axe to the Armored Divisions.

MQ-25..

sorry..that was such a hanging pitch

 

[Redleg68]

In case you missed it, the justice department filed a claim that Elon does not work for DOGE.

The Emperor having no clothes is the perfect analogy for our current political state. Ignore your team's lies, deception, law-breaking, etc. but then also freak the **** out about it when it's the other team doing that stuff. All principles out the window. Free speech? 4th amendment? Rule of law? Checks and balances? Don't care right now.

Here’s a silly thing that happens sometimes: A powerful person says something obviously false, and everyone pretends not to notice. This is the plot of “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” where an entire kingdom maintains a collective delusion until one child (who, importantly, hasn’t yet learned the sophisticated art of lying to yourself) points out that hey, the emperor is naked.

The story endures because it captures something fundamental about institutional lies, they don’t actually require sophisticated deception. They just require everyone to agree, collectively, to not say the obvious thing. (George Orwell had some thoughts about this too — in Nineteen Eighty-Four, the ultimate flex of authoritarian power isn’t making you believe lies, it’s making you actively deny what your own eyes tell you.)

Here’s the thing about institutional lies though: They can go on for quite a while, but they tend to have a breaking point. And that breaking point often comes when someone says something so obviously, comically false that it forces everyone to confront the absurdity.

This is probably why authoritarian regimes tend to get more ridiculous over time, not less — they keep having to make increasingly outlandish claims to maintain the fiction.

Which brings us to DOGE, Elon Musk, and what might be the most brazen example of institutional gaslighting we’ve seen in recent memory.

Yesterday, the Justice Department filed a declaration claiming Elon Musk isn’t running or employed by DOGE. The audacity of this claim would be almost comical if it weren’t so dangerous. As Cathy Gellis just pointed out a little while ago, this declaration actually makes their potential Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) violations worse, but that’s almost beside the point given the sheer brazenness of the lie.

Let’s go through some of the receipts....

The Elon DOGE Emperor Has No Clothes

Here’s a silly thing that happens sometimes: A powerful person says something obviously false, and everyone pretends not to notice. This is the plot of “The Emperor’s New Clothes,…

www.techdirt.com

I think that this is Horse Manure being spread by both sides. It is called creating illusions to the point that no one know the truth. A mainstay of our politicians and their minions.

 

[85SugarVol]

MQ-25..

sorry..that was such a hanging pitch

Should have seen that coming…

 

[DinkinFlicka]

So, when DOGE starts sending 20% of all the money saved back to the US Citizens, will those who oppose DOGE turn down the checks (roughly $5,000/person)?

I dunno. Do you think covid deniers tore up their stimulus checks?

 

[Fun coupon VOL]

Lots of this recently

View attachment 722997

Cry more

 

[BigOrangeMojo]

Everyone keeps talking about Defense. What are you proposing to be cut?

The “iron dome” talk is silly. That doesn’t count.
X% cut across the board is too vague.

Give something specific and justify it.

I’d propose sunsetting the entire ICBM portion of our nuclear triade.
Our Boomers & B-21s can provide all the deterrence anyone wants to tangle with.

I’d also take an axe to the Armored Divisions.

The problem is you can cut 10% from any federal agency with 0 impact. That's almost 100,000,000,000.00 per year here.

Especially when this same agency goes tens of billions over budget and years behind schedule with aircraft carriers they procured...

 

[Jxn Vol]

Defense is a big one and usually the sacred cow of the right. Its spending is going up

Probably should since Biden got us into a couple wars and allowed our country to be invaded by illegals.

By Biden I mean his handlers because we all know he didn’t have a clue what was going on.

 

[85SugarVol]

The problem is you can cut 10% from any federal agency with 0 impact. That's almost 100,000,000,000.00 per year here.

Especially when this same agency goes tens of billions over budget and years behind schedule with aircraft carriers they procured...

I wrote the book on criticizing US Capital Shipbuilding - it’s atrociously inefficient and wasteful.
I support severing the incestuous relationship between the Admiralty and Defense Contractors.
I also support outsourcing Destroyer & Frigate production to the Japanese & Koreans.
Combined, those would save $Billions.

Of course you can argue 10% cuts across the board.

But I was looking for specifics. It’s why I proposed ICBM & Armor.
I’m not too keen on cuts to the Navy when we’re staring down great peer competition in the Pacific.

 

[Orangeburst]

I wrote the book on criticizing US Capital Shipbuilding - it’s atrociously inefficient and wasteful.
I support severing the incestuous relationship between the Admiralty and Defense Contractors.
I also support outsourcing Destroyer & Frigate production to the Japanese & Koreans.
Combined, those would save $Billions.

Of course you can argue 10% cuts across the board.

But I was looking for specifics. It’s why I proposed ICBM & Armor.
I’m not too keen on cuts to the Navy when we’re staring down great peer competition in the Pacific.

and I already mentioned that procurement is like 150B year..people see 900B and just see dollars. Our armed forces are smallest since pre WW2. We need to get more out of that 150B for sure.

Defense spending covers a wide range of activities​

Fiscal Year 2023:
$820 Billion
Operation and
Maintenance
39%
Military Personnel
22%
Procurement
17%
Research and
Development
15%
Other
7%

 

[85SugarVol]

and I already mentioned that procurement is like 150B year..people see 900B and just see dollars. Our armed forces are smallest since pre WW2. We need to get more out of that 150B for sure.

Defense spending covers a wide range of activities​

Fiscal Year 2023:
$820 Billion
Operation and
Maintenance
39%
Military Personnel
22%
Procurement
17%
Research and
Development
15%
Other
7%

We spend a lot of money maintaining and operating ICBM & Armor, as well as Army bases all across Europe…

For sure need to stretch that 150B further.

 

[Orangeburst]

nm

 

[SamRebel35]

In case you missed it, the justice department filed a claim that Elon does not work for DOGE.

The Emperor having no clothes is the perfect analogy for our current political state. Ignore your team's lies, deception, law-breaking, etc. but then also freak the **** out about it when it's the other team doing that stuff. All principles out the window. Free speech? 4th amendment? Rule of law? Checks and balances? Don't care right now.

Here’s a silly thing that happens sometimes: A powerful person says something obviously false, and everyone pretends not to notice. This is the plot of “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” where an entire kingdom maintains a collective delusion until one child (who, importantly, hasn’t yet learned the sophisticated art of lying to yourself) points out that hey, the emperor is naked.

The story endures because it captures something fundamental about institutional lies, they don’t actually require sophisticated deception. They just require everyone to agree, collectively, to not say the obvious thing. (George Orwell had some thoughts about this too — in Nineteen Eighty-Four, the ultimate flex of authoritarian power isn’t making you believe lies, it’s making you actively deny what your own eyes tell you.)

Here’s the thing about institutional lies though: They can go on for quite a while, but they tend to have a breaking point. And that breaking point often comes when someone says something so obviously, comically false that it forces everyone to confront the absurdity.

This is probably why authoritarian regimes tend to get more ridiculous over time, not less — they keep having to make increasingly outlandish claims to maintain the fiction.

Which brings us to DOGE, Elon Musk, and what might be the most brazen example of institutional gaslighting we’ve seen in recent memory.

Yesterday, the Justice Department filed a declaration claiming Elon Musk isn’t running or employed by DOGE. The audacity of this claim would be almost comical if it weren’t so dangerous. As Cathy Gellis just pointed out a little while ago, this declaration actually makes their potential Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) violations worse, but that’s almost beside the point given the sheer brazenness of the lie.

Let’s go through some of the receipts....

The Elon DOGE Emperor Has No Clothes

Here’s a silly thing that happens sometimes: A powerful person says something obviously false, and everyone pretends not to notice. This is the plot of “The Emperor’s New Clothes,…

www.techdirt.com

Oh look, left wing biased pearl clutching from a tech nerd. How original.

 

[n_huffhines]