651
submitted 1 year ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

Summary

Elon Musk claims his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is shutting down payments to federal contractors, including a Lutheran charity, asserting it is eliminating corruption.

This suggests DOGE has access to Treasury’s payment systems, though officials have not confirmed the extent.

Senator Ron Wyden warned that DOGE may interfere with Social Security, Medicare, and government contracts.

Musk also called USAID “a criminal organization” that should “die,” amid DOGE’s growing influence over federal financial operations.

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[-] Chozo@fedia.io 315 points 1 year ago

At what point do we declare this a coup? This isn't what even the most diehard conservatives out there voted for, I don't understand how this isn't considered a hostile takeover.

[-] SanctimoniousApe@lemmings.world 156 points 1 year ago

They're in too deep to admit how badly they obviously fucked up. Shit is gonna have to actually reach the ugly bitter end, leaving them no other possible explanation to try to hide behind. In the meantime, this must be what it felt like for the citizens of Rome as it burned.

[-] MummifiedClient5000@feddit.dk 46 points 1 year ago

It is not until it affects them on a personal level they make that realization. That is how far the empathy of the average conservative voter reaches.

[-] Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 1 year ago

Well, in essence and at its purest level the difference in thinking between Leftwing and Rightwing is the difference between "I want people to have a better life" and "I want to have a better life".

All the political complexity above that comes from the different possible ways to achieve either end and from how one end partly overlaps with the other (i.e. for many a general improvement of people's lifes gets translated into a personal improvement).

So yeah, conservatives are just "What's in it for me" types who believe in a different method to maximize their personal upside than the Fascists. In fact many American-style Liberals (the political version of "Liberal" in the US, not to be confused with those who believe in the actual Liberal Ideology) are also rightwingers who believe in yet another method for personal upside improvement.

[-] Mnemnosyne@sh.itjust.works 10 points 1 year ago

Well, in essence and at its purest level the difference in thinking between Leftwing and Rightwing is the difference between “I want people to have a better life” and “I want to have a better life”.

Not even that. The difference is between "I want people to have a better life (objectively speaking)." and "I want to have a better life (as compared to those people)." As long as their lives are better when compared to those people, the conservatives are satisfied. Even if everyone's lives, including their own, get objectively worse.

[-] Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I was going to say I partly disagree and that the "those people" element depends on the Society (i.e. different in different countries) but after thinking about it, I actually agree that wanting to be "comparativelly better" rather than better in absolute is a pretty general thing for rightwingers everywhere, and what changes in the countries I lived in is mainly they way they go about doing it (i.e. in England that overwhelmingly materialises in people spending a lot of time and effort in keeping those below them in the "prosperity ladder" from climbing up, whilst in The Netherlands there's a lot less of that).

So, yeah, thanks for pointing that out.

[-] Xanthobilly@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

“I want to have a better life” does not encapsulate their zero sum game way of thinking. They ignore the possibility of a rising tide lifting all boats. It’s more appropriate to say “I want a better life than everyone I don’t like (our group).” Conservatives create an in group and out group that drives much of their agenda.

[-] Warl0k3@lemmy.world 44 points 1 year ago

And here I am, too damn poor to afford a fiddle...

[-] suburban_hillbilly@lemmy.ml 96 points 1 year ago

This isn’t even what the most diehard conservatives out there voted for

[-] ProIsh@lemmy.world 62 points 1 year ago

Fucking yes.

All conservatives at the tables with all these nazis asking who voted in all the nazis.

At this point your party has folded. Keep saying "but not meeeee, I'm a real conservative!" All you want.

[-] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 23 points 1 year ago

Hungarian here, whose face got eaten by the leopards.

Political illiteracy is a serious problem, and so is the access to information. They actually thought the crime rates were up, because the very few news outlets they're exposed to likes to uplift a few cases with scary headlines, often making anniversary reports on some crimes. They actually thought, that the opposition was "too far-left", because pundits told them so, and they learned in school the real nazis did evil things for the sole sake of evil, thus people that say they want to eliminate crime, and have crime statistics must not be far-right.

This is not for to excuse their behavior, but to explain it. Maybe can even lead to an end of this cycle.

[-] ininewcrow@lemmy.world 38 points 1 year ago

When this happens in a developing country we laugh at their politics.

When it happens in America, no one bats an eye

[-] Korhaka@sopuli.xyz 22 points 1 year ago

Oh no I am absolutely laughing at America

[-] jonne@infosec.pub 20 points 1 year ago

Americans still think their country is somehow different even though it's still a developing country in many respects.

[-] vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 year ago

Not just country nations, reminder the regions with the strongest identities are either the oldest, important, or Mormon. We are very much kn the same state the late western Roman empire was in, where they had African Romance, Brithonic Romance, and Gaulic Romance we have Californian, Texan, and Northestern the east coast tracks to eastern Mediterranean.

[-] Maeve@kbin.earth 3 points 1 year ago

Disintegrating. Crumbling.

[-] skvlp@lemm.ee 13 points 1 year ago

USA is the new banana republic.

[-] neon_nova@lemmy.dbzer0.com 35 points 1 year ago

It’s stressing me out to no end. I think the average person doesn’t even know this is currently happening.

[-] Raiderkev@lemmy.world 16 points 1 year ago

I don't follow politics. I voted for trump because it was badass when he said fight fight fight. Elon's a genius, I'm sure he's gonna make it better.

These are real takes I've heard out there in the world.

[-] Maeve@kbin.earth 16 points 1 year ago

Very rural area dweller, here, two towns over doing errands. Just spoke with an elderly Mango Mussolini voter/Faux News consumer who already regrets his choice.. I commented it's time to stop voting to hurt others and vote for taxpayer dollars to help the common people, rather than billionaires. He agreed.

[-] PyroNeurosis@lemmy.blahaj.zone 12 points 1 year ago

Not to shit on the guy too hard, but it's a bit late on that front. I hope he's around/remembers the next time someone courts his vote.

[-] Maeve@kbin.earth 3 points 1 year ago
[-] DrDickHandler@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago
[-] hovercat@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 1 year ago

It doesn't even need to be. So many of my friends have already decided to tune out completely because they're sick of hearing about the nonstop shit.

[-] neon_nova@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 year ago

I’m also wanting to tune out, but I feel that it’s irresponsible to not follow what’s happening.

[-] DrDickHandler@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

This is the correct answer. They want you to tune out.

[-] Sanctus@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago
[-] redisdead@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

This is exactly what they voted for and they'll fucking do it again.

this post was submitted on 03 Feb 2025
651 points (99.2% liked)

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