Summary
Vivek Ramaswamy, recently appointed to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has proposed defunding federal programs that lack current congressional authorization.
This could affect programs like veterans’ healthcare, NASA, and early education initiatives, which still receive funding despite expired authorizations.
Ramaswamy argues that cutting these programs could save billions, and he’s committed to targeting expenditures that “don’t advance the interests of American citizens.”
DOGE, co-led by Elon Musk, aims to curb government spending, with Musk estimating potential cuts of up to $2 trillion.
America: Our soldiers are heroes!
Also America: But they don’t deserve a penny and should pay exorbitant prices for healthcare…
I know this isn’t all Americans, but it’s more than I thought.
Gotta save that money for corporate welfare
If Fuckface 45 and his cronies actually take office on Jan 20, then this country as we know it is gone. It’s over. It’s cooked.
They need to be jailed for their crimes before getting into office.
This next two years of “FO” realizations for the FA crowd will bring me no pleasure. Unfortunately we’re past the point of return now in participative democracy due to a menially literate population that has had the capacity for rational and forethought drowned out for 3+ generations.
Time, yet again history, to teach people lessons the same, hard way. 😔
The problem is that it appears as though there are tens of millions of Americans who are literally unable to FO. Or they FO, but are entirely unable (or perhaps unwilling at this point) to connect it to all the FA they’ve been doing.
I’m sure that’ll be popular and there won’t be any repercussions and that unicorns will poop free candy for everyone.
Sorry, but that unicorn is illegal and should be deported!
Doesn’t matter. Everyone enjoys their face being eaten. They can blame it on the damn (outgroup) and feel better about themselves. Rage and being better than some other tribe is all that matters anymore.
As a US citizen, paying for veterans healthcare and early education programs advance my interests a whole fucking lot more than paying this jackass.
Stupid piece of shit, you don’t speak for us.
I know what you mean but he does, quite literally, speak for us now. This is what we asked for.
I sure as fuck didn’t, I voted against every single fascist asshole on my balot. I’m just angry.
Collectively protest the most American way possible. Stop buying anything but the essentials. Don’t cut out life enjoyment, but make sure it’s for as few dollars as possible. This fucks with the supply chains and their precious stocks.
I already do that cause I’m broke as shit 😅 most of what I let myself buy is stuff that makes it a little easier to manage my sleep disorder
In like a 3rd party way or an actual way?
In like european way or american way?
So did I but unfortunately we lost. That’s democracy in action. The country we live in (the collective we) asked for this.
Right there with you
Thanks for voting. You’re justified in being angry. There’s a lot to be angry about. Right now we need to focus on blocking every action of this government. We need to shine a light on candidates doing the right thing and bring them up to positions of leadership.
Suggestions?
Pick an issue, or a few, you care about. Find the local or regional group that is already fighting for that issue. Join their newsletter. When they have events or meetings near you, go. Meet people and network. Someday you will find a way you can help in a way that fits your skill set, say yes.
It really is that easy to get involved, and these organizations need volunteers way more than they need money. People make the world move forward, not money, not votes. I mean voting and giving helps too, but giving your time is often way more important with activism.
I’ll see what I can do… Appreciate the input.
One more thing I might suggest is to start attending some of your town/city council meetings. You can also ask the clerk to put you on their mailing list for meeting minutes. Some have a sign up on their website. Just getting a feel for what your locality is dealing with can help you to understand what the local issues are. Local politics are often more accessible to change.
This is an unusual question, but do you know any way I can get more involved if I’m not awake when people meet and organize?
I have a severe circadian rhythm disorder and as a result am not awake during the day. All I’ve been able to come up with in terms of contributing is writing cards to potential voters (I got a couple in the mail when I updated my voter registration), and maybe calling potential voters on the other side of the country who are in a different timezone.
I feel really powerless to contribute, but I don’t wanna sit back and do nothing, disability or not :( if you can’t think of anything, that’s okay, I will keep looking for ways to be involved
Voting is a small part of political change, it needs to be done but that’s not where the work is. Getting involved in your community and pushing for changes is far more productive, activism of all types.
I would start by getting on mailing lists for things you care about and email for local city council meeting minutes. You might be surprised by some of the meeting times of local orgs. Some events are evening, but you can still learn about what is needed if you are staying engaged with local things. I can’t tell you what will work, but I reiterate I would start by getting on mailing lists for things you care about and take opportunities when they come.
Edit: and don’t be so hard on yourself, you can only do what you can do. Take your wins when they come and focus on those.
“This bloated liberal socialist program is inefficient and doesn’t work. Because it’s liberal and socialist. So we’re going to get rid of it. We’re planing to plan a replacement plan, but we haven’t planned on when to plan it. But we’ll blame the libs for that too, even though we have essentially captured all branches of the government at this point.”
They’ve learned their lesson from 4 years of failure to repeal and replace Obamacare. “Replacing was hard and expensive and anything that addresses people’s concerns or doesn’t ensure failure to re-elect was to the left of this, so we’ve decided to just repeal and not replace. Get over it loser.”
And people will eat it the fuck up like the hogs they are
"And Goober Nation will believe it when we say that ‘the libs’ are responsible. Despite the fact that we control the presidency, the House, the Senate, the Supreme Court and the news media, because they have the collective memory of a goddamn goldfish. "
Elon musk being like “all that money we’re spending on vets could be going into my pockets.”
The status quo is just a lot more visible, now.
So DOGE is getting cut then?
Not for millenia would I have realized that Department of Government Efficiency stood for DoGE. What a funny little boy Elon is.
The clown is inviting more clowns and they are building up the circus, this could be funny if it wasn’t so serious.
Do it. Cut tricare too. I don’t want those things gone, but holy hell yes please eliminate the willingness of the military to aid you against the constitution. Defund barrack improvements and force married troops to bring their spouses into the barracks while you’re at it.
Crash and burn and let us rebuild America with an understanding it wasn’t immigrants or trans people that did this, it was rich people and fascists.
As a former military child, I largely agree with cutting tricare. It’s pretty good, and military people take for granted that they get socialized Healthcare but not the rest of us. Yeah, “serving the country” and all that, but most military personnel aren’t doing anything that anyone else isn’t doing. Most military personnel are not in combat roles. Everyone should be treated well because everyone benefits the nation. Take away the socialized healthcare of the military and vets and maybe we’ll get socialized healthcare in general.
I doubt this will work, but it’ll at least force military people to come to terms with the fact they have socialized healthcare and how well it works. My dad at least used to argue with me whenever I called it that. I’m not sure if he still thinks it isn’t true. I’m sure other people haven’t even considered that that’s what it is.
they just want Russia to be the top superpower
Don’t know anything about top superpower, but Russia already has better healthcare than american veterans. Even tourists have better healthcare in Russia than americans in America.
most so-called third world countries have better healthcare than the US. what I’m talking about is influence over there world. they’re dismantling the country, and even though they’re already terrible at education and healthcare, it will get worse.
Guys, c’mon. There’s only so much face a guy has to feed the leopards.
FWIW, this breaks from the Two Santas Strategy. This Santa is suppose to be funding things conservatives want, while at the same time reducing taxes (on the rich), thereby driving the deficit up without making their voters mad. If you actually cut funding for a bunch of stuff people rely on, you will earn the ire of the voters, that’s why no one ever does it.
Yeah, there will be a core of people who will defend Trump and Musk to their self-inflicted death, but those people are in the minority. Most Americans (and most people in the world) voted against the incumbent this year because they were unfortunately there during a time of inevitable inflation. And they’ll do it again if their lives continue to get materially worse over the next few years.
I can’t help but wonder how we would be sitting right now if Trump had won in 2020. But we’re due for a generational crisis, and I don’t think that wouldn’t have been nearly as exciting.
