I have been feeling like the entire Beltway media is gaslighting by not covering this with any urgency whatsoever. Although it hasn't helped that Dems have largely also not reacted. They took a relaxing weekend and only seem to be tweeting about the effect of tariffs. They don't seem particularly interested that Musk has coopted the power of the purse from Congress.
Also, it seems pretty clear they picked USAID first because they know that most Americans have no idea what USAID is or what it does. But they're going to move on to other departments shortly, probably the Department of Education next.
USAID is an odd target to start with because its beneficiaries are literally starving children and people dying of AIDS, both of whom can generate some public sympathy in a way that firing people over at the Dept. of Ed. might not. As far as I can tell, Musk got a bug in his brain about foreign aid, thinking everyone else hates it as much as he does, because he can't possibly understand how normal people think.
This is all illegal and a federal court has already overruled his attempt to suspend payments for already-authorized programs. The problem is that the remedy for criminal behavior by government executives isn't in the criminal-justice system, it's through the civil courts, which can take forever to rule, and when they do slap down some illegal behavior the order is usually just "Stop doing that." When people are harmed they can sue for damages, and that can take years to recover. Employees who are illegally fired my get some monetary compensation but they may not get their jobs back (and the compensation, of course, isn't paid by the law-breaker, it's paid by you and me.)
In short, he can run ahead of the law for some time, but I'm not going to give up hope that the law can still catch and stop this, in at least one court ruling it already has.
Mainstream media has been missing the story all along the way. Their refusal to tell the truth about what has happened, what is happening, and what will happen, paved the road for this and all the atrocities to come. One by one by one they are all bending the knee to the new mad king, and eventually, everything is going to burn.
...because they think acquisition of Twitter was such a *smashing* success... I can't wait (sarcasm) for my social security to start being paid in bitcoin.
Setting aside right-wing media capture, I get some of the confusion over how reporting on this is proceeding. While I think most people realize Trump governs by breaking unenforceable norms, I don't think anybody realized the central payment system of the federal government turned out to be one of those.
I feel like every headline or story which doesn't acknowledge Elon Musk as dangerously unqualified in this capacity is missing the mark. His intentions, of course, loom largest, but he doesn't belong there in the first place. That shouldn't be forgotten or undersold.
Same with referring to "DOGE" without explaining that it's not actually a department and that it's operations are unprecedented, dangerous, and illegal. Every news organization needs to explain that every time they write about it. Instead they credulously parrot the bad faith talking points Elon Musk gives them, as though "government efficiency" could ever be achieved by whatever the hell Musk is doing.
I know you didn't ask me, but find a local organization that has good values, join them, help them out however you can. It's not a specific remedy to this, but it's a way to be useful in the meantime.
Hmmm . . . I appreciate this as general good advice. I have been doing this very thing for years. I imagine that you were trying to be encouraging. I am specifically asking what we can do to protect our democracy and civil rights - if there are any new ideas that are not part of the usual playbook.
Great, I'm glad to hear that. If you're talking about the specific problem of a South African near-trillionaire deciding whether we're going to have Social Security this month, I don't think you and I are placed to have much effect on that. This will be fought out in the courts, I think, and I'm not a lawyer and I don't have legal standing to challenge it myself. Of course, if anyone in my town decides to organize a protest against it I'll join in, just as I did with the protests right before his inauguration.
Mainly, I think the role of "ordinary" folks like us is to keep civil society going, which means joining things and going to meetings, developing relationships with people in our community, helping where we can, and especially helping the victims of Trump's policies. Make our communities resilient and better able to withstand the attacks that are coming.
A phrase like "challenged congressional authority and potentially breached civil service protections" isn't how I'd put it myself. "Broke the law and violated the constitution" is more accurate. If I rob a bank, am I "Challenging police authority"?
There are two types of people. One that sets a target for accomplishing great things, get to work, takes some risks, and gets it done. And not once, but multiple times.
And the other are those that don't accomplish much of anything but love to sit in criticism of those that do.
We need many more of the former and many less of the latter.
It is likely that the funding of many NGOs is in fact illegal. This is why the looney left and some neocons don't want Trump to take it to SCOTUS... because the final word would give him more power to kill them.
After Biden's handlers thumbed their nose at Scotus ruling for things like student loan forgiveness and just did it anyway including issuing pardons for the law-breakers before that geriatric was deplanted from the cabbage patch in the White House cellar soil... Musk and Trump have clear path.
Congress specifically allocates USAID funding and has legislated specific rules about how funds are used. Congress also regularly receives reports from the Inspector General about USAID adherence to the law. Since 1961, all US presidents (yes, even trump 1.0) have requested and been granted funding through Congress budget approval for USAID programs.
From $39 million for “Gender Equality in Water, Power, and Transportation” to “Recognizing the Third Gender in Bangladesh” to “Ukrainian Resilience Through Fashion” to a “TransFormation Salon” to a pre-Taliban plan to help “Afghan Women Enter the Financial Sector,” I can go on and on and on.
It’s a bottomless pit of voter “I don’t want to pay for that.”
Musk wants to take over all that Treasury operation and redirect it to his next venture , XPAY! He will make gazilions and Donny probably gets a cut of the deal. It’s the BIG GRIFT! Look F’n Don is taking us into the resort biz in Gaza…and prison rentals in El Salvador.
I have been feeling like the entire Beltway media is gaslighting by not covering this with any urgency whatsoever. Although it hasn't helped that Dems have largely also not reacted. They took a relaxing weekend and only seem to be tweeting about the effect of tariffs. They don't seem particularly interested that Musk has coopted the power of the purse from Congress.
Also, it seems pretty clear they picked USAID first because they know that most Americans have no idea what USAID is or what it does. But they're going to move on to other departments shortly, probably the Department of Education next.
USAID is an odd target to start with because its beneficiaries are literally starving children and people dying of AIDS, both of whom can generate some public sympathy in a way that firing people over at the Dept. of Ed. might not. As far as I can tell, Musk got a bug in his brain about foreign aid, thinking everyone else hates it as much as he does, because he can't possibly understand how normal people think.
This is all illegal and a federal court has already overruled his attempt to suspend payments for already-authorized programs. The problem is that the remedy for criminal behavior by government executives isn't in the criminal-justice system, it's through the civil courts, which can take forever to rule, and when they do slap down some illegal behavior the order is usually just "Stop doing that." When people are harmed they can sue for damages, and that can take years to recover. Employees who are illegally fired my get some monetary compensation but they may not get their jobs back (and the compensation, of course, isn't paid by the law-breaker, it's paid by you and me.)
In short, he can run ahead of the law for some time, but I'm not going to give up hope that the law can still catch and stop this, in at least one court ruling it already has.
Mainstream media has been missing the story all along the way. Their refusal to tell the truth about what has happened, what is happening, and what will happen, paved the road for this and all the atrocities to come. One by one by one they are all bending the knee to the new mad king, and eventually, everything is going to burn.
This makes me sick and even sicker knowing that the stupid mainstream media isn't covering it like it should!
...because they think acquisition of Twitter was such a *smashing* success... I can't wait (sarcasm) for my social security to start being paid in bitcoin.
Setting aside right-wing media capture, I get some of the confusion over how reporting on this is proceeding. While I think most people realize Trump governs by breaking unenforceable norms, I don't think anybody realized the central payment system of the federal government turned out to be one of those.
I feel like every headline or story which doesn't acknowledge Elon Musk as dangerously unqualified in this capacity is missing the mark. His intentions, of course, loom largest, but he doesn't belong there in the first place. That shouldn't be forgotten or undersold.
Same with referring to "DOGE" without explaining that it's not actually a department and that it's operations are unprecedented, dangerous, and illegal. Every news organization needs to explain that every time they write about it. Instead they credulously parrot the bad faith talking points Elon Musk gives them, as though "government efficiency" could ever be achieved by whatever the hell Musk is doing.
Thank you Parker!
Now, WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT? Please, I need directions for action.
I know you didn't ask me, but find a local organization that has good values, join them, help them out however you can. It's not a specific remedy to this, but it's a way to be useful in the meantime.
Hmmm . . . I appreciate this as general good advice. I have been doing this very thing for years. I imagine that you were trying to be encouraging. I am specifically asking what we can do to protect our democracy and civil rights - if there are any new ideas that are not part of the usual playbook.
Great, I'm glad to hear that. If you're talking about the specific problem of a South African near-trillionaire deciding whether we're going to have Social Security this month, I don't think you and I are placed to have much effect on that. This will be fought out in the courts, I think, and I'm not a lawyer and I don't have legal standing to challenge it myself. Of course, if anyone in my town decides to organize a protest against it I'll join in, just as I did with the protests right before his inauguration.
Mainly, I think the role of "ordinary" folks like us is to keep civil society going, which means joining things and going to meetings, developing relationships with people in our community, helping where we can, and especially helping the victims of Trump's policies. Make our communities resilient and better able to withstand the attacks that are coming.
The FBI homepage specifically identifies as terrorism these type of actions being carried out by musk & trump
The Old Grey Lady must have heard you. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/03/us/politics/musk-federal-government.html?unlocked_article_code=1.uU4.nB2s.Db0oHWCSwbSG&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
A phrase like "challenged congressional authority and potentially breached civil service protections" isn't how I'd put it myself. "Broke the law and violated the constitution" is more accurate. If I rob a bank, am I "Challenging police authority"?
Bonnie & Clyde challenge banks authority to hold on to their money.
There are two types of people. One that sets a target for accomplishing great things, get to work, takes some risks, and gets it done. And not once, but multiple times.
And the other are those that don't accomplish much of anything but love to sit in criticism of those that do.
We need many more of the former and many less of the latter.
Too much of a pussy to say "I think what Elon is doing is good and right regardless of the legality of it," so he has to couch this in bland truisms.
This is not the greatness-accomplishing, risk-taking behavior of the former category.
I had very little respect for anything but your masochistic tendencies, Frank, but you're not even letting those fly by wimping out here.
It's literally "Mussolini made the trains run on time." These guys haven't had a new idea since 1932.
And he didn't.
More like "Got us into a war that got all our trains bombed to shit by B-17's."
It is likely that the funding of many NGOs is in fact illegal. This is why the looney left and some neocons don't want Trump to take it to SCOTUS... because the final word would give him more power to kill them.
After Biden's handlers thumbed their nose at Scotus ruling for things like student loan forgiveness and just did it anyway including issuing pardons for the law-breakers before that geriatric was deplanted from the cabbage patch in the White House cellar soil... Musk and Trump have clear path.
There's the useless child-toucher we know and love!
"It is likely that the funding of many NGOs is in fact illegal"
Ha ha, that's just like his opinion, man.
Congress specifically allocates USAID funding and has legislated specific rules about how funds are used. Congress also regularly receives reports from the Inspector General about USAID adherence to the law. Since 1961, all US presidents (yes, even trump 1.0) have requested and been granted funding through Congress budget approval for USAID programs.
From $39 million for “Gender Equality in Water, Power, and Transportation” to “Recognizing the Third Gender in Bangladesh” to “Ukrainian Resilience Through Fashion” to a “TransFormation Salon” to a pre-Taliban plan to help “Afghan Women Enter the Financial Sector,” I can go on and on and on.
It’s a bottomless pit of voter “I don’t want to pay for that.”
I want to pay for that, and I specifically cancel you out.
All lies, all stuff Grandpa saw on Facebook so he knows it must be true.
Link from crankers.com coming in 3,2,1...
What the fuck are you even talking about? Why are you here?
What's he doing here? Not accomplishing much, sitting in criticism of others.
Sorry dear if this is over your head.
Don’t call me “Dear” you weird fucking prick.
This is no place for you to type your sexual fantasies dear.
You are here specifically for the purpose of masturbation, we have established this.
Christ, what an asshole.
Musk wants to take over all that Treasury operation and redirect it to his next venture , XPAY! He will make gazilions and Donny probably gets a cut of the deal. It’s the BIG GRIFT! Look F’n Don is taking us into the resort biz in Gaza…and prison rentals in El Salvador.