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Elon Musk's Demolition Crew

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Re: Elon Musk's Demolition Crew

#151

Post by spdgg »

pimlottc wrote: post #42
mberning wrote: post #33

What’s even crazier is that the uniparty is like 2 issues away from restoring their kleptocratic stanglehold on the country.

I have no idea what this means.

Uniparty probably references the fact that D and R parties have maintained a status quo and only differentiate themselves through inconsequential arguments. Kleptocracy in the way those Congress members have colluded to give money to their benefactors (unjust wars, subsidizing bank failures, subsidizing health insurance companies that screw most of us). It's not mysterious.

Re: Elon Musk's Demolition Crew

#152

Post by chris_wot »

adamtaylor_13 wrote: post #87
chris_wot wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The evidence is fairly smacking you in the face. Have you seen the number of Executive Orders that Trump has been signing? Many of which are almost certainly to be overturned?

Yes, what does signing a lot of executive orders have to do with it? Historically-speaking American presidents are using more and more executive orders to push things through. That doesn’t inherently make them bad.

Because your democracy is being run by fiat, and many of those Executive Orders are batshit insane, or just plain illegal. And you seem to be OK with this.

Re: Elon Musk's Demolition Crew

#153

Post by lapcat »

wallawe wrote: post #146
lapcat wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Trump got 49.8% of the vote with 63.9% turnout, which would be 31.8% of eligible voters. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_United_States_presidentia...

More than half that voted is all that matters

> More than half that voted is all that matters

49.8% is less than half.

Re: Elon Musk's Demolition Crew

#154

Post by tomrod »

motorest wrote: post #149
monero-xmr wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

> OK, we have an independent judiciary to decide on the legality. You don't. > Just because you say it's illegal doesn't mean it is. It's illegal to the point it even violates the US constitution. > Biden unilaterally cancelled a trillion dollars of college debt, which the Supreme Court said was illegal, (...) The Supreme Court ruled that the Department of Education didn't had the authority to enact such a large prog…

And what's even worse, the person you replied to may lot even realize how disingenuous they are being. This is the level of propaganda that is tearing through the US.

Re: Elon Musk's Demolition Crew

#155

Post by ClarityGuy »

kevingadd wrote: post #63
ClarityGuy wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Who are the domestic political prisoners you're talking about? The rioters who broke into the capitol, reportedly resulting in 5 deaths and at least a hundred injuries? Or different ones

[flagged]

Re: Elon Musk's Demolition Crew

#156

Post by amazingamazing »

chairmanwow1 wrote: post #143
amazingamazing wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m curious how you believe elons experience here would be beneficial?

Same way the man that knew nothing about rockets built the company that builds the world’s most sophisticated launch vehicles. By understanding problems and then solving them. I cannot think of a more universally useful skillset.

I’m not following - no one has the skill of understanding and solving problems in any domain. There’s no reason elons experience in the tech sector makes them uniquely capable

Re: Elon Musk's Demolition Crew

#157

Post by motorest »

meowkit wrote: post #106
Trasmatta wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Laws are being broken, Congress is being bypassed, and power is being consolidated by the executive branch and a private unelected citizen. The next part of the playbook is to ignore orders by the court. The goal is to dismantle democracy. The playbook is so obvious - Trump himself even said nobody would have to worry about voting for him again because they would "fix it".

Which law is being broken?

[flagged]

Re: Elon Musk's Demolition Crew

#158

Post by refurb »

agildehaus wrote: post #73
monero-xmr wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Something like USAID is established by statute (The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961). It cannot be eliminated or gutted by executive order. Sidestepping this, which is happening left and right currently, is democracy failing.

USAID still exists, it's now under the State Department. It is true that one could argue where the authority of the President starts and stops, but that's going to be figured out in the courts.

And the Trump administration was smart to start with USAID. It's been an arm of the CIA since it's origination. Look at the role it played in the Vietnam War - arming of a militia under the guise of "development". It also was the org that funded the fake "polio vaccination campaign" in the search for Bin Laden.

And it's funny to see the pearl clutching going on when only 3-4 years ago there were numerous press reports on just how unaccountable USAID was to the federal government.

Re: Elon Musk's Demolition Crew

#159

Post by tomrod »

Jtsummers wrote: post #126
adamtaylor_13 wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I doubt it, but hey welcome to the club. Like 1/4 of everything I make goes to social security. But just because I’ve been contributing my whole life doesn’t mean we should double down of a failing program.

> Like 1/4 of everything I make goes to social security. If you want to be taken seriously, don't make false claims. It weakens your other arguments. Social Security is 6.2% (12.4% if self-employed since the employer takes care of half) on the first $176,100 of your net income (which for the median US taxpayer is on all their income). Medicare is 1.45% (2.9% if self-employed, same as Social Security). So if you are s…

I agree, that was a striking claim to make. Perhaps the person you responded to puts a lot into their 401k thinking it is social security or thinks income tax is FICA?

Re: Elon Musk's Demolition Crew

#160

Post by ajcp »

amazingamazing wrote: post #93
Trasmatta wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Comments like this remind me that many Americans genuinely want a dictator It's baffling

How did you come to that conclusion from their comment?

-> consolidate power in the executive

-> which is badly needed

In the US power is divided between three branches of government to prevent any one bench from becoming too powerful through checks and balances. Consolidation of power in one branch would mean unchecked, dictatorial powers.

-> How did you come to that conclusion from their comment?

How did you not?

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