Current events discussion

[Jimi77 Premium Member]

Supporting migrants, but only if it's somebody else's problem.

 

[RobGMN Premium Member]

Are you stupid or something? I didn't say he was working for DOGE. I said he is a government employee. Jesus Christ.

And? Were you looking to create an argument where there was none?
Didn't you just complain about that?

Did you post this thinking it was some big "get over" on me, only to find out you failed again?

Right. Now YOU seem to have memory loss.

You made the claim. If you can't back it up, then you shouldn't have made it.
Don't ask me to prove your claims for you.

 

[Jimi77 Premium Member]

Except some of these folks were involved in demonstrations that resulted in taking over buildings, shutting down campuses, etc. What gang members are you referring to?

The ones where Trump ignored a court order and did what he felt like doing, instead.

Rob..... seriously you really need to let go of your hatred for all things Trump, Elon or conservative leaning. WTF does your comment have to do with the demonstrations that I cited (that occurred under Biden/Harris). Seriously, I get it when you're talking to your leftie friends all you need to do is say "Trump" and facts, logic, go out the window, but on here you need to make some semblance of sense.

 

[ThxOne Premium Member]

And? Were you looking to create an argument where there was none?
Didn't you just complain about that?
View attachment 64272

Did you post this thinking it was some big "get over" on me, only to find out you failed again?

You made the claim. If you can't back it up, then you shouldn't have made it.
Don't ask me to prove your claims for you.

Says the guy originally complaining that Elon doesn't work for the government so he shouldn't have access to information or that the DOGE team was a bunch of kids. Whatever Rob.

 

[ThxOne Premium Member]

If you read this and it doesn't anger you in any way, you're probably an enemy of the country.

February 2, 2025 (Sunday)
"Billionaire Elon Musk’s team yesterday took control of the Treasury’s payment system, thus essentially gaining access to the checkbook with which the United States handles about $6 trillion annually and to all the financial information of Americans and American businesses with it. Apparently, it did not stop there.
Today Ellen Knickmeyer of the Associated Press reported that yesterday two top security officials from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) tried to stop people associated with Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, from accessing classified information they did not have security clearance to see. The Trump administration put the officials on leave, and the DOGE team gained access to the information.
Vittoria Elliott of Wired has identified those associated with Musk’s takeover as six “engineers who are barely out of—and in at least one case, purportedly still in—college.” They are connected either to Musk or to his long-time associate Peter Thiel, who backed J.D. Vance’s Senate run eighteen months before he became Trump’s vice presidential running mate. Their names are Akash Bobba, Edward Coristine, Luke Farritor, Gautier Cole Killian, Gavin Kliger, and Ethan Shaotran, and they have little to no experience in government.

Public policy expert Dan Moynihan told reporter Elliott that the fact these people “are not really public officials” makes it hard for Congress to intervene. “So this feels like a hostile takeover of the machinery of governments by the richest man in the world,” he said. Law professor Nick Bednar noted that “it is very unlikely” that the engineers “have the expertise to understand either the law or the administration needs that surround these agencies.”

After Musk’s team breached the USAID computers, cybersecurity specialist Matthew Garrett posted: “Random computers being plugged into federal networks is obviously terrifying in terms of what data they're deliberately accessing, but it's also terrifying because it implies controls are being disabled—unmanaged systems should never have access to this data. Who else has access to those systems?”
USAID receives foreign policy guidance from the State Department. Intelligence agencies must now assume U.S. intelligence systems are insecure.

Musk’s response was to post: “USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to die.” Also last night, according to Sam Stein of The Bulwark, “the majority of staff in the legislative and public affairs bureau lost access to their emails, implying they’ve been put on admin leave although this was never communicated to them.”
Congress established USAID in 1961 to bring together the many different programs that were administering foreign aid. Focusing on long-term socioeconomic development, USAID has a budget of more than $50 billion, less than 1% of the U.S. annual budget. It is one of the largest aid agencies in the world.

Musk is unelected, and it appears that DOGE has no legal authority. As political scientist Seth Masket put it in tusk: “Elon Musk is not a federal employee, nor has he been appointed by the President nor approved by the Senate to have any leadership role in government. The ‘Department of Government Efficiency,’ announced by Trump in a January 20th executive order, is not truly any sort of government department or agency, and even the executive order uses quotes in the title. It’s perfectly fine to have a marketing gimmick like this, but DOGE does not have power over established government agencies, and Musk has no role in government. It does not matter that he is an ally of the President. Musk is a private citizen taking control of established government offices. That is not efficiency; that is a coup.”

DOGE has simply taken over government systems. Musk, using President Donald Trump’s name, is personally deciding what he thinks should be cut from the U.S. government.

Today, Musk reposted a social media post from MAGA religious extremist General Mike Flynn, who resigned from his position as Trump’s national security advisor in 2017 after pleading guilty to secret conversations with a Russian agent—for which Trump pardoned him—and who publicly embraced the QAnon conspiracy theory. In today’s post, Flynn complained about “the ‘Lutheran’ faith” and, referring to federal grants provided to Lutheran Family Services and affiliated organizations, said, “this use of ‘religion’ as a money laundering operation must end.” Musk added: “The [DOGE] team is rapidly shutting down these illegal payments.”
In fact, this is money appropriated by Congress, and its payment is required by law. Republican lawmakers have pushed government subsidies and grants toward religious organizations for years, and Lutheran Social Services is one of the largest employers in South Dakota, where it operates senior living facilities."

Hint: Privacy Act of 1974

You know when you shared this because it aligns with your views. Stated above is that Elons team consist of engineers just out of or in one case still in college.

It also states above that Elon is not a government employee... but he is. You posted because you agree with it, not because you were disputing it.

 

[RobGMN Premium Member]

You know when you shared this because it aligns with your views. Stated above is that Elons team consist of engineers just out of or in one case still in college.

So you attribute someone else's words to me.
A bit dishonest, no?
Vittoria Elliott of Wired has identified those associated with Musk’s takeover as six “engineers who are barely out of—and in at least one case, purportedly still in—college.”

It also states above that Elon is not a government employee... but he is. You posted because you agree with it, not because you were disputing it.

Which part of what Seth Masket said was incorrect at the time he said it?
"Elon Musk is not a federal employee, nor has he been appointed by the President nor approved by the Senate to have any leadership role in government. The ‘Department of Government Efficiency,’ announced by Trump in a January 20th executive order, is not truly any sort of government department or agency, and even the executive order uses quotes in the title. It’s perfectly fine to have a marketing gimmick like this, but DOGE does not have power over established government agencies, and Musk has no role in government. It does not matter that he is an ally of the President. Musk is a private citizen taking control of established government offices. That is not efficiency; that is a coup.”

I don't see anything in there that I should dispute.
But, go ahead and share your analysis.

 

[Jimi77 Premium Member]

Says the guy originally complaining that Elon doesn't work for the government so he shouldn't have access to information or that the DOGE team was a bunch of kids. Whatever Rob.

When the POTUS says somebody works for the gov't, you'd think that'd be enough even if the POTUS isn't in your preferred political party. At this point it's just obstruct DOGE as much as possible and lie, lie and lie some more. If that fails, then DOX, bring up a tweet from their past and call them a 1930s German National Socialist Party member. If we eliminated the words Dictator, Fascist, Nazi & Racist from the lexicon, the left would literally have no platform left.

 

[ThxOne Premium Member]

So you attribute someone else's words to me.
A bit dishonest, no?
Vittoria Elliott of Wired has identified those associated with Musk’s takeover as six “engineers who are barely out of—and in at least one case, purportedly still in—college.”

View attachment 64273

You posted them which means you agree with them. Just using your own rules against you Rob. Someone has to keep you honest.

Which part of what Seth Masket said was incorrect at the time he said it?

Look at you being a tricky little shit. "at the time he said it"

"Elon Musk is not a federal employee, nor has he been appointed by the President nor approved by the Senate to have any leadership role in government. The ‘Department of Government Efficiency,’ announced by Trump in a January 20th executive order, is not truly any sort of government department or agency, and even the executive order uses quotes in the title. It’s perfectly fine to have a marketing gimmick like this, but DOGE does not have power over established government agencies, and Musk has no role in government. It does not matter that he is an ally of the President. Musk is a private citizen taking control of established government offices. That is not efficiency; that is a coup.”

I don't see anything in there that I should dispute.
But, go ahead and share your analysis.

The bold words for one.

 

[Jimi77 Premium Member]

This is why gov't agencies need to be audited and ironically enough why the Dems are fighting so hard to prevent that auditing. But keep in mind when it comes to auditing tax returns, the Dems are all aboard.

Audit finds Colorado Department of Labor over-collected millions of dollars from employers

The Office of the State Auditor says a programming error in the Department of Labor and Employment's system for unemployment benefits led to some employers overpaying and others underpaying.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[Jimi77 Premium Member]

One less person for RFK to fire.

Top vaccine official resigns from FDA, criticizes RFK Jr. for promoting 'misinformation and lies'

The top vaccine official with the Food and Drug Administration has resigned and criticized the nation's top health official for allowing “misinformation and lies” to guide his thinking behind the safety of vaccinations.

apnews.com

 

[Jimi77 Premium Member]

This has the left terrified.

RFK Jr. eyes changes to SNAP benefits

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr is pushing for major changes to school meals and food assistance programs.

www.yahoo.com

 

[RobGMN Premium Member]

You posted them which means you agree with them. Just using your own rules against you Rob. Someone has to keep you honest.

So I agree with them. That mean's I said the words that are in quotation marks?
Interesting spin.

Look at you being a tricky little shit. "at the time he said it"

Yes. That's kind of how history works.
I did 50 in a 50 zone that was later reduced to 40. Do you think I should get a ticket for doing 50?
Time is pretty important in the discussion of history.
Do you disagree?

The bold words for one.

Very good. You learned how to make letters bold.
Now, tell me if it was factually correct when it was spoken.
Facts are important.

I'll even give you a little help, since you seem to have trouble fact-gathering: Seth made that Claim on 31 January, 2025.

 

[RobGMN Premium Member]

This has the left terrified.

RFK Jr. eyes changes to SNAP benefits

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr is pushing for major changes to school meals and food assistance programs.

www.yahoo.com

He's right. NO child should have access to meals at school. It's utterly ridiculous in America where everyone makes more than enough money to live comfortably, to provide food for children at school.

Besides, we need that tax money to fly Trump to his golf courses every weekend so he can relax.
He's TIRED!

 

[RobGMN Premium Member]

They sure are.
Reversing the downward trend of inflation.
Increasing unemployment.
Increasing the cost of food, energy, many imported products.
Increasing the number of people on welfare.
MAGA!

 

[ThxOne Premium Member]

So I agree with them. That mean's I said the words that are in quotation marks?
Interesting spin.


Yes. That's kind of how history works.
I did 50 in a 50 zone that was later reduced to 40. Do you think I should get a ticket for doing 50?
Time is pretty important in the discussion of history.
Do you disagree?


Very good. You learned how to make letters bold.
Now, tell me if it was factually correct when it was spoken.
Facts are important.

I'll even give you a little help, since you seem to have trouble fact-gathering: Seth made that Claim on 31 January, 2025.

Just like the left... you accept no accountability for what you do but will spend your whole life questioning others.