321–330 of 579 posts
The plan seems to be to fire almost all government emoloyees. The only historical parallel I can come up with is the De Baathification program in Iraq 2003.
> Rather than de-Baathifaction, Trump and Musk are giving us de-wokeification. Expect the same ruinous results.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/03/opinion/trump-musk-iraq-t...
I think the main issue for anyone wanting to take the offer is simply: this was never authorized by congress, so the money to pay people to September is questionable if it exists at best. Meanwhile, there's a government funding deadline on March 14, 2025. So there's a very real chance at this deal offering something closer to ~1 month of pay before it suddenly gets dropped due to budget negotiations. It would be an i…
Aren't Twitter workers still trying to get their severances and they took the offer when Twitter actually had the money to pay.
Case: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68307087/agrawal-v-musk...
The only substantive order in the case to date appears to be one denying Elon Musk et al.'s motion to dismiss one of the claims: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.42...
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And what happens when you try to come back to work? Will Musk pay you or allow you into the office? He literally has control of the federal budget for payments now. We are getting into banana republic territory now with no rule of law.
Specifically we're getting into territory where political actors choose to behave like there is no rule of law, in hopes they will be believed. Not sure about that one. Nor do I think the election would have gone the way it did if people generally figured their choice was to have Elon Musk's word be law, and everything else including the Constitution to be thrown away as old hat. I really don't think people priced th…
We are way past the point of rule of law.
While the population as a whole may not be in favor of it, because of how the way the electoral college works, even knowing what they know now, he would win. Not to mention how the Senate is setup - each state has two senators regardless of size - and gerrymandering.
Hell at this point, I hope they reinstate the full state tax deduction, let states tax more, defund the federal government and let the red states rot in poverty and the Blue wealthier states work together
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Aren't Twitter workers still trying to get their severances and they took the offer when Twitter actually had the money to pay.
To my knowledge, no. Former employees sued to get Twitter's old pre-acquisition severance package and the court dismissed it. [1] 1. https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/10/elon-musk-does-not-owe-ex-...
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Well, if any EU companies want to sponsor a work visa for me and my wife, I am certainly open to it. As it stands I don’t really know what I’m supposed to do other than that.
I thought the EU was also turning inward and populist?
I've always found this approach of reducing the number of employees unwise from the company perspective (but pretty good for the employees, though). While the unsatisfied employees are the target, my observations indicate that a high percentage of active and skilled people are willing to take this offer, as they are sure that they will find a new place within a reasonable time, so it's basically, free money. And thos…
> unwise from the company perspective The goal is to destroy most of these federal agencies, so doing things that are "unwise" for the future of those agencies is exactly the point.
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We are kind of locked into what we have. A single digit percentage of House races are ever contested. The vast majority of House districts are won by the party that already holds them[1]. 1: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/10/30/decade-af...
If 4% or 18 seats were switched four years ago why wouldn't that matter because currently the majority is thin and only a few seats. That could flip in two years. My guess after the gaza comments is more likely than not to switch.
It’s quite similar to the student loan forgiveness in terms of it being about financial obligations to middle class citizens and it being attempted without Congress, as well as the likelihood for overpromising and underdelivering. The ordinary citizens making a choice in a way that would have an effect like promissory estoppel adds an interesting wrinkle but I don’t see how it changes the constitutionality of it. I t…
That being said, alot of the actions of the current admin are designed to push the boarders of executive power. They are trying to move fast and break things and do an end run around congressional oversight, before the courts can catch up.
The example of this is USaid, which was probably not legal in the method they went about. But no one will be putting that egg back together.
Contrast this to when Biden did his student loan forgiveness, it was telegraphed for months, and a court immediately blocked it pending review. And most importantly it was a single action.
All that being said, both are bad, my overall point is that we as Americans deserve better, and 'but they did it first' is not a valid excuse.
My hope is that we finally start reducing the power of the executive branch. The past 100 years of congress abdicating it's responsibility has been too much.
My personal and probably not unique prediction is that these people will be let go and not be paid - same thing he did with twitter.
There are some pretty significant differences between Twitter employees and federal government employees, starting with the fact that a lot of latter group are part of a powerful union.
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Let's see what happens. At this point, I'm not convinced the union has any leverage.
The federal employee unions have incredible power, often to the detriment of the government.
My understanding is that the consequences of that decision is being felt even to this day. I only know about it because of the recent airplane accident