DOGE

[Pat Hartman]

It's like if you stop drinking coffee, you'll become a billionaire.

If you've got a $10 per day Starbucks habit, you should at least think about it. Starbucks is like Apple. They charge way too much for their product and sell it to people who are willing to wear labels on their clothing advertising their brand choice. My daughter had a $7 per day DD habit. I bought her a good coffee maker (the water needs to be really hot to extract good flavor), a coffee grinder so she can freshly grind her coffee, two pounds of good quality coffee, and a quart of light cream. It took a couple of tries to get the right combination of ingredients but now she spends about $5 per week on coffee instead of $50. She was drinking simple iced coffee. If your drink of choice is fru-fruey, it will be harder to replicate but give it a shot. You might need an espresso machine with a milk frother. But a few hundred dollars for good hardware can easily save you $3500 per year. My daughter's solution was also simplified because she was drinking the coffee cold so she could make a fresh pot after dinner and have it be ready for ice in the morning on her way out the door AND, she could bring a spare (without the ice) for later in the day. But many coffee machines have timers so they can turn themselves on at the appropriate time and you can wake up and smell the coffee

 

[Steve R.]

An excellent eye opening discussion of how USAID and the EPA were used to launder money for the benefit of those associated with the Democratic party.

DOGE is more than tough love

Podcast Episode · The Drill Down with Peter Schweizer · 02/26/2025 · 29m

podcasts.apple.com

Since this is computer forum, I got a kick out of the exposure that the US government was paying for excessive software licensing fees. Specifically, that some of these programs could actually be obtained for "free" so there was no need to buy them.

 

[Thales750]

Exactly, rules for thee, but not for me. Macro politics in a nutshell. Economics is meaningless in a tyranny.


That's a pretty high sanctimonious pedestal you put yourself on. Maybe you can take Rachal Maddow's place on MSNBC after she gets fired. I'm sure her crew will buy all your BS.

It has been 40 years. Nothing I can say will override the religious style economic beliefs held by conservatives. Even as they watch the economy fall, and the people get poorer based on the no-tax-the-rich, trickle down, they still will not admit they are wrong about cause and effect in the economy.
If I gave you a decent time line of the last 50 years, all of it backed up with facts from financial reports or industry reports, you would still believe the conservative talking heads.

And you have obvious contempt for anyone that actually has been studying beyond talking heads from either side.

It's coming for you. but it brings with it an opportunity for you to have a life changing epiphany.

Unfortunately it's coming for all of us.

It will take decades to recover from what is being done right now.

 

[Thales750]

If you've got a $10 per day Starbucks habit, you should at least think about it. Starbucks is like Apple. They charge way too much for their product and sell it to people who are willing to wear labels on their clothing advertising their brand choice. My daughter had a $7 per day DD habit. I bought her a good coffee maker (the water needs to be really hot to extract good flavor), a coffee grinder so she can freshly grind her coffee, two pounds of good quality coffee, and a quart of light cream. It took a couple of tries to get the right combination of ingredients but now she spends about $5 per week on coffee instead of $50. She was drinking simple iced coffee. If your drink of choice is fru-fruey, it will be harder to replicate but give it a shot. You might need an espresso machine with a milk frother. But a few hundred dollars for good hardware can easily save you $3500 per year. My daughter's solution was also simplified because she was drinking the coffee cold so she could make a fresh pot after dinner and have it be ready for ice in the morning on her way out the door AND, she could bring a spare (without the ice) for later in the day. But many coffee machines have timers so they can turn themselves on at the appropriate time and you can wake up and smell the coffee

I never have been able to drink coffee that expensive for anything other than a special occasion.
Saving your coffee money will end up as a noticeable amount at retirement, but as with any scale problem, it will not make you wealth. Just like DOGE is not going to make even a dent in our debt. Which, by the way, is owed to us.

 

[moke123]

Looks like 6 who sued are getting their jobs back and 45 days of back pay. The firings were deemed illegal and it likely applies to everyone else who was fired.
Nice 45 day paid vacation thanks to Leon. Efficiency at it's best.

 

[Thales750]

You start with eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse. Then you go to 0-based budgeting and make every department justify their staff and increased expenses if they want more money for next year. Just because you needed $200,000 for building repairs or computer upgrades last year, doesn't mean you need that money next year unless it was a multi-year job. Yes, inflation matters but so does reality.

This is certainly good practise. And yet, in the end if, it is extremely successful; it will shrink the economy.
There will be less revenue, and less services, which end up costing more.

More, being a percentage of the GDP.

 

[Thales750]

Looks like 6 who sued are getting their jobs back and 45 days of back pay. The firings were deemed illegal and it likely applies to everyone else who was fired.
Nice 45 day paid vacation thanks to Leon. Efficiency at it's best.

Overreach is encouraged, if it follows one's own agenda.

 

[Mike Krailo]

Looks like 6 who sued are getting their jobs back and 45 days of back pay. The firings were deemed illegal and it likely applies to everyone else who was fired.
Nice 45 day paid vacation thanks to Leon. Efficiency at it's best.

Except there is no such thing as an illegal firing. Who exactly do they report to BTW. Who exactly are they accountable to ultimately?

Were any people fired for not getting the jab?

 

[Isaac]

Even if the ONLY THING that Doge does is help fire up the American people and legislators, psychologically, to start heading down the path of cutting spending, - if that's literally all they do, like a cheerleader at a sporting event, without the good looks - that would be a good thing. IF all they do is bring the national debt to the public's attention and outrage, that will be a good thing. Provided they don't cause more problems than the sumtotal benefits, which is of course a bit of a matter of opinion.

conservative have always been brainwashed into blaming the government for all of their person inadequacies,

I think it's the opposite. Liberals tend to see government as the cause of all problems and, oddly enough, the cause of all solutions. They depend on the gov writing checks to throw more money at every problem, or putting more regulation.
I as a conservative was taught that my own failures are almost always going to be the result of my own bad decisions. ?

 

[Isaac]

I guess we'll see.
It's like if you stop drinking coffee, you'll become a billionaire.

I tend to side with Dave Ramsey on that one. The little things DEFINITELY add up for the individual person.

It seems so silly to see people getting food stamps, lining up for various school-related benefits, but they make sure to show up holding their $8 starbucks drink - it's clearly a status symbol that they think makes them look 'cool', the biggest pickup truck money could ever go for at $800/mo payment.

The coffee is just symbolic of the whole problem - which is spending luxuriously on a bunch of small stuff and ignoring the more important things, like having a retirement investment account, and getting out of CC debt, etc.

I know this because there've been times when I've had to blame myself, as well. I make way over the average household income and have no particular forms of adversity financially coming against me, yet (during these times I'm thinking of), I couldn't seem to climb out of CC debt. Then I looked at my credit card and it's amazing how fast gas station stops involving totally frivolous things will add up to 100's and 1000's - when you've got a $4 Monster in one hand, chewing on a $4 beefstick and sucking on a $19 disposable vape.

Yeah I'm def with Ramsey on that one

 

[Thales750]

Even if the ONLY THING that Doge does is help fire up the American people and legislators, psychologically, to start heading down the path of cutting spending, - if that's literally all they do, like a cheerleader at a sporting event, without the good looks - that would be a good thing. IF all they do is bring the national debt to the public's attention and outrage, that will be a good thing. Provided they don't cause more problems than the sumtotal benefits, which is of course a bit of a matter of opinion.


I think it's the opposite. Liberals tend to see government as the cause of all problems and, oddly enough, the cause of all solutions. They depend on the gov writing checks to throw more money at every problem, or putting more regulation.
I as a conservative was taught that my own failures are almost always going to be the result of my own bad decisions. ?

It's both. They both sing victim songs. They just, like all aspects of propaganda, use different messages. Start listening to the messengers, and the language they use. You will notice.

They can both be saying the exact thing, and many ideologically biased people will hear salvation from their leaders, and condemnation from the others. It's not just the black and white, it's the grays as well. Read the contemp people on here have for me. Just because I don't buy into trickle down give the world to the crown.

They call me stupid, claim I'm a liberal, and of course arrogant. The last part has some truth, I admit.

 

[Thales750]

I tend to side with Dave Ramsey on that one. The little things DEFINITELY add up for the individual person.

It seems so silly to see people getting food stamps, lining up for various school-related benefits, but they make sure to show up holding their $8 starbucks drink - it's clearly a status symbol that they think makes them look 'cool', the biggest pickup truck money could ever go for at $800/mo payment.

The coffee is just symbolic of the whole problem - which is spending luxuriously on a bunch of small stuff and ignoring the more important things, like having a retirement investment account, and getting out of CC debt, etc.

I know this because there've been times when I've had to blame myself, as well. I make way over the average household income and have no particular forms of adversity financially coming against me, yet (during these times I'm thinking of), I couldn't seem to climb out of CC debt. Then I looked at my credit card and it's amazing how fast gas station stops involving totally frivolous things will add up to 100's and 1000's - when you've got a $4 Monster in one hand, chewing on a $4 beefstick and sucking on a $19 disposable vape.

Yeah I'm def with Ramsey on that one

It is a part, and over time it will have an impact, but not as much as buying or making income producing property.

 

[Isaac]

It's both. They both sing victim songs. They just, like all aspects of propaganda, use different messages. Start listening to the messengers, and the language they use. You will notice.

They can both be saying the exact thing, and many ideologically biased people will hear salvation from their leaders, and condemnation from the others. It's not just the black and white, it's the grays as well. Read the contemp people on here have for me. Just because I don't buy into trickle down give the world to the crown.

They call me stupid, claim I'm a liberal, and of course arrogant. The last part has some truth, I admit.

Remember though you're incurring some of what is just pure reactionary to you calling them MAGA - but I agree, many conservatives and liberals and people of all sides are brainwashed. I for one have no problem calling out Trump stuff I'm not in full agreement with, and have listed them before. Some of the stuff he says is just stupid, and some of the stuff he does is stupid. Still I think republicans are better for society than democrats and one way or another we are running out of money. I'll take the people who at least pretend to care about fiscal issues rather than people who unashamedly don't - it's a start, tho not a great one

 

[moke123]

Except there is no such thing as an illegal firing.

I guess I'll have to tell my lawyer buddy who does wrongful terminations cases that he needs a new profession.

 

[Mike Krailo]

I was referring to federal employees. It seems federal employees are impossible to fire unlike in a normal company. My question is who are they ultimately accountable to? This is the key question.

 

[Steve R.]

I was referring to federal employees. It seems federal employees are impossible to fire unlike in a normal company. My question is who are they ultimately accountable to? This is the key question.

It's the swinging pendulum. At one time, political patronage ruled hiring. That abuse got knocked down. The new abuse, you can't fire them.
Technically, all federal employees work for the public. Of course that broad statement needs to be clarified to say that all employees in the Executive Branch work for the president. The president, to a degree, should be able to fire anyone who is refusing to implement the lawful policies of the president. I suppose, it should be re-written to say that if you don't like the policies of the president; quit.

 

[Mike Krailo]

It's the swinging pendulum. At one time, political patronage ruled hiring. That abuse got knocked down. The new abuse, you can't fire them.
Technically, all federal employees work for the public. Of course that broad statement needs to be clarified to say that all employees in the Executive Branch work for the president. The president, to a degree, should be able to fire anyone who is refusing to implement the lawful policies of the president. I suppose, it should be re-written to say that if you don't like the policies of the president; quit.

And hence the federal bureaucracy. I believe you are correct about the elected commander in chief is the ultimate authority because the people voted for him. Case closed.

 

[Mike Krailo]

Technically, all federal employees work for the public.

We don't have a public, we have a re-public. Hee he he

 

[Isaac]

Didn't see the libs crying when the Keystone pipeline not only screwed over a lot of people's jobs, but their careers, as those type of workers sometimes plan years ahead at a time

 

[Steve R.]

Didn't see the libs crying when the Keystone pipeline not only screwed over a lot of people's jobs, but their careers, as those type of workers sometimes plan years ahead at a time

Just demonstrates their sanctimonious hypocrisy. Go to fire one federal worker and they break-out the end-of-the-world crying towel. But their cold unsympathetic reaction when it came to the Keystone Pipeline layoffs, they can go learn a new "green" job. Quite amazing that the Democrats are now taking the position that we can't eliminate fraud and abuse from government. Based on the USAID disclosures, they were the beneficiaries of that waste and fraud. For Democrats its all about the political optics. Not what is right.

Listen to this podcast:

DOGE is more than tough love

Podcast Episode · The Drill Down with Peter Schweizer · 02/26/2025 · 29m

podcasts.apple.com