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Trump Dictatorship and All Things Politics

LogGrad98 said:
Definitely applaud this. Curious where the money is coming from though. We don't have unlimited supplies. Are we going to see tax raises coming for those making more than $400k or something? What will they cut to accommodate it besides DOJ attacks removing good qualified people from critical roles?
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Mexico. They usually pay for everything we want. They are our sugar daddy.

I think this is the first step towards Trump’s overall view of getting rid of income tax and replacing it with tariffs. Along with shrinking government, wasteful spending and expanding the economy through growth.
 
He might have said “I will be your retribution”, but this is obviously all his retribution. Purges. Rewriting recent history. He’s our president, but he’s really just another Strongman. Putin is Trump’s role model.

www.mediaite.com

‘The Purge’: Trump Fires FBI Agents Who Worked on Cases Against Him — Including 20 Heads of Field Offices

Ken Dilanian with NBC News reported a "purge" was underway that could see the heads of up to 20 of the FBI's 55 field offices relieved.
www.mediaite.com www.mediaite.com


View: https://x.com/KenDilanianNBC/status/1885426699539534152
 
The Thriller said:
I’m genuinely curious what people eat for breakfast.

I probably consume 2-4 eggs a week. Almost always fried or hard boiled for breakfast. A piece or two of toast.

Most of the time if I eat breakfast it’s a banana and a protein shake. Or a bowl of cereal. I usually eat something light.

Is this normal?

And for those eating 10+ eggs per week, why? Are you trying to bulk up? What’s your cholesterol like? Don’t eggs screw that stuff up?
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My regular breakfast is like 5 eggs and goat cheese crumbs scrambled or instead of cheese I sometimes throw in 3-4 bacon strips. I have very fast metabolism so need a lot of protein and fat otherwise I get hungry at work before lunch. I am 54 and my cholesterol is perfect. The thing is with cholesterol - the more you try to avoid it in foods the more your body will try to make it. Read this book, awesome science here.
 

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Saw today that trump is going to try to eliminate taxes on overtime.
This would probably benefit me more than most as I have overtime built into my actual schedule and am an hourly worker who also signs up for overtime rather frequently. Oddly enough, I dont want this to happen. I have never complained about the taxes I pay. I like the government to have lots of money. I like that there is a Department of education, an FAA, an EPA, an FDA, a Forest service, Medicaid, a strong well funded military, border patrol agents, etc, etc, etc. I dont really care that much about the national debt but apparently that seems important to some people and this tax plan would seemingly make the debt of the nation increase.
Also, putting more money in peoples pockets is great. But one problem with that happening is that when most people get more money they spend more money. When more money is being spent then demand for goods and services increases. When demand increases supply typically cant keep up and decreases. When demand increases and supply decreases..........
Taxes aren't the largest amount of money that gets removed from my paycheck. Insurance is. In fact I wish I could pay more in taxes and have the insurance stop being taken from my paycheck.
 
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  • Musk aides restrict access to federal employee data systems
  • Musk's team works around the clock, installs sofa beds at OPM
  • Concerns include cybersecurity and lack of oversight
WASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Aides to Elon Musk charged with running the U.S. government human resources agency have locked career civil servants out of computer systems that contain the personal data of millions of federal employees, according to two agency officials.

Since taking office 11 days ago, President Donald Trump has embarked on a massive government makeover, firing and sidelining hundreds of civil servants in his first steps toward downsizing the bureaucracy and installing more loyalists.

Musk, the billionaire Tesla (TSLA.O), opens new tab CEO and X owner tasked by Trump to slash the size of the 2.2 million-strong civilian government workforce, has moved swiftly to install allies at the agency known as the Office of Personnel Management.
The two officials, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, said some senior career employees at OPM have had their access revoked to some of the department's data systems.

The systems include a vast database called Enterprise Human Resources Integration, which contains dates of birth, Social Security numbers, appraisals, home addresses, pay grades and length of service of government workers, the officials said.
"We have no visibility into what they are doing with the computer and data systems," one of the officials said. "That is creating great concern. There is no oversight. It creates real cybersecurity and hacking implications."

Officials affected by the move can still log on and access functions such as email but can no longer see the massive datasets that cover every facet of the federal workforce.
Musk, OPM, representatives of the new team, and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
OPM has sent out memos that eschew the normal dry wording of government missives as it encourages civil servants to consider buyout offers to quit and take a vacation to a "dream destination."

Don Moynihan, a professor at the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, said the actions inside OPM raised concerns about congressional oversight at the agency and how Trump and Musk view the federal bureaucracy.
"This makes it much harder for anyone outside Musk's inner circle at OPM to know what's going on," Moynihan said.
 
Or
fishonjazz said:
Saw today that trump is going to try to eliminate taxes on overtime.
This would probably benefit me more than most as I have overtime built into my actual schedule and am an hourly worker who also signs up for overtime rather frequently. Oddly enough, I dont want this to happen. I have never complained about the taxes I pay. I like the government to have lots of money. I like that there is a Department of education, an FAA, an EPA, an FDA, a Forest service, Medicaid, a strong well funded military, border patrol agents, etc, etc, etc. I dont really care that much about the national debt but apparently that seems important to some people and this tax plan would seemingly make the debt of the nation increase.
Also, putting more money in peoples pockets is great. But one problem with that happening is that when most people get more money they spend more money. When more money is being spent then demand for goods and services increases. When demand increases supply typically cant keep up and decreases. When demand increases and supply decreases..........
Taxes aren't the largest amount of money that gets removed from my paycheck. Insurance is. In fact I wish I could pay more in taxes and have the insurance stop being taken from my paycheck.
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Or take the extra money you get and put it in a health savings account that can help out with your medical costs.
 
Red said:

  • Musk aides restrict access to federal employee data systems
  • Musk's team works around the clock, installs sofa beds at OPM
  • Concerns include cybersecurity and lack of oversight
WASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Aides to Elon Musk charged with running the U.S. government human resources agency have locked career civil servants out of computer systems that contain the personal data of millions of federal employees, according to two agency officials.

Since taking office 11 days ago, President Donald Trump has embarked on a massive government makeover, firing and sidelining hundreds of civil servants in his first steps toward downsizing the bureaucracy and installing more loyalists.

Musk, the billionaire Tesla (TSLA.O), opens new tab CEO and X owner tasked by Trump to slash the size of the 2.2 million-strong civilian government workforce, has moved swiftly to install allies at the agency known as the Office of Personnel Management.
The two officials, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, said some senior career employees at OPM have had their access revoked to some of the department's data systems.

The systems include a vast database called Enterprise Human Resources Integration, which contains dates of birth, Social Security numbers, appraisals, home addresses, pay grades and length of service of government workers, the officials said.
"We have no visibility into what they are doing with the computer and data systems," one of the officials said. "That is creating great concern. There is no oversight. It creates real cybersecurity and hacking implications."

Officials affected by the move can still log on and access functions such as email but can no longer see the massive datasets that cover every facet of the federal workforce.
Musk, OPM, representatives of the new team, and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
OPM has sent out memos that eschew the normal dry wording of government missives as it encourages civil servants to consider buyout offers to quit and take a vacation to a "dream destination."

Don Moynihan, a professor at the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, said the actions inside OPM raised concerns about congressional oversight at the agency and how Trump and Musk view the federal bureaucracy.
"This makes it much harder for anyone outside Musk's inner circle at OPM to know what's going on," Moynihan said.
Click to expand...
Yes, but it isn't Musk cutting access. It is standard procedure. Those OPM government workers finding themselves having had their access revoked to some of the department's data systems are about to lose their jobs.

federalnewsnetwork.com

Trump administration directs 70% cut to internal OPM staffing, programs

By Monday, all OPM offices are expected to give political leaders staffing charts with plans for an initial 30% reduction for both feds and contractors.
federalnewsnetwork.com federalnewsnetwork.com
 
Bucknutz said:
Or take the extra money you get and put it in a health savings account that can help out with your medical costs.
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Or private coaching. Pro Tip: You can get your kid's doctor to write a letter indicating some medical need for exercise. It will work for you too if you want to spend it on a personal trainer or health club dues, but I use it to pay for my kid's coaches. It allows use of pre-tax money, and my employer offers matching FSA/HSA contributions.
 
Sardines said:
My yearly egg spend is still under $100.

Do you all eat eggs every day?

I've got nothing against eggs, but I don't make them at home on a weekly basis.

At $4 per dozen that's a little less than $0.30 per egg.

Is an egg not worth $0.30?
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I usually eat 6 eggs per day. They are still great value, but it's just a bummer to spend nearly 2x the amount you use to on an item and it compounds when every item is going up.
 
If people think Donald is shrinking government, decreasing government spending, and growing the economy with his tariffs, then I have some beachfront property to sell ya.

People realize that he’s been president before, right? He has a past record. It’s still amazing to me how people project magical thinking onto Trump. He can be anything that his cultists fetishize him to be.
 
G
fishonjazz said:
Saw today that trump is going to try to eliminate taxes on overtime.
This would probably benefit me more than most as I have overtime built into my actual schedule and am an hourly worker who also signs up for overtime rather frequently. Oddly enough, I dont want this to happen. I have never complained about the taxes I pay. I like the government to have lots of money. I like that there is a Department of education, an FAA, an EPA, an FDA, a Forest service, Medicaid, a strong well funded military, border patrol agents, etc, etc, etc. I dont really care that much about the national debt but apparently that seems important to some people and this tax plan would seemingly make the debt of the nation increase.
Also, putting more money in peoples pockets is great. But one problem with that happening is that when most people get more money they spend more money. When more money is being spent then demand for goods and services increases. When demand increases supply typically cant keep up and decreases. When demand increases and supply decreases..........
Taxes aren't the largest amount of money that gets removed from my paycheck. Insurance is. In fact I wish I could pay more in taxes and have the insurance stop being taken from my paycheck.
Click to expand...
Good Post.

I want my government to actually be funded so it can function. There’s a real difference between the library system here in Utah county (which isn’t well funded) and the comprehensive library system in Salt Lake County. SL County has Democrats that have raised taxes to fund an awesome library system while places like Saratoga and Eagle Mtn drag their feet (I don’t think eagle even has a library cuz who needs books). If I live in Sandy I can place a hold on a book in Herriman or West Jordan and have it delivered to my Sandy library in a day. Their facilities are larger, better staffed, and have a far better catalog. Each library supports the entire system, connecting the entire valley. Meanwhile, Utah county’s library system is disconnected. Each community funds its own library. Cuz local control and taxes, and many communities don’t want to pay for stuff. As a result, Orem and Provo have decent libraries but the rest are a joke. And like I mentioned, some communities, like Saratoga and Eagle Mtn don’t even have libraries cuz books and taxes and stuff.

Things like this make a difference. I want our government to provide the security, health care, and regulation our country needs so people can be successful, healthy, and happy. Obviously, government can swing too hard one way. But I live in Utah and in America, so we’re not even close to going too far to the left. People here still think you should just die if you can’t pay for health care. It’s nuts.

I just wished more Americans would have a greater sense of maturity and responsibility. You can’t keep cutting taxes. At some point you need to actually fund stuff. At some point you need to actually pay the bills. Trump is the fun and irresponsible uncle who lets his nephews drive too fast, gives them way too much sugar, and stay up way too late. Yes, it’s fun in the short term but sooner or later you’ll need the responsible parent to crack the whip. At some point, we will need a leader and Congress that will raise taxes. And at some point we will need an electorate that understands that it needs to pay its bills instead of throwing everything onto the credit card.

We can’t keep cutting taxes. We have a revenue problem that is being exacerbated by weekend at Donnie’s leadership.

To be fair, Biden didn’t make increasing taxes a priority. Then again, he didn’t have a filibuster proof majority in the senate and half of his presidency was spent restarting the economy after Covid. So right now, during good economic times, should be the time to pay off our debt so we’re prepared for the economic downturn, pandemic, or war that we’ll need to go into debt for.
 
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fishonjazz said:
Saw today that trump is going to try to eliminate taxes on overtime.
This would probably benefit me more than most as I have overtime built into my actual schedule and am an hourly worker who also signs up for overtime rather frequently. Oddly enough, I dont want this to happen. I have never complained about the taxes I pay. I like the government to have lots of money. I like that there is a Department of education, an FAA, an EPA, an FDA, a Forest service, Medicaid, a strong well funded military, border patrol agents, etc, etc, etc. I dont really care that much about the national debt but apparently that seems important to some people and this tax plan would seemingly make the debt of the nation increase.
Also, putting more money in peoples pockets is great. But one problem with that happening is that when most people get more money they spend more money. When more money is being spent then demand for goods and services increases. When demand increases supply typically cant keep up and decreases. When demand increases and supply decreases..........
Taxes aren't the largest amount of money that gets removed from my paycheck. Insurance is. In fact I wish I could pay more in taxes and have the insurance stop being taken from my paycheck.
Click to expand...
We can't have that because it's socialism and socialism is evil because it redistributes wealth the wrong way. It actually takes it from the top and gives it to the bottom and everyone knows we only want wealth to move the other way. We've spent the last 50 years building our political and economic structure to do just that, and that's the way God intended. Like Jesus said, **** the poor, if they can't figure out how to be rich they don't deserve to eat. I was kind of paraphrasing there.
 
The Thriller said:
If people think Donald is shrinking government, decreasing government spending, and growing the economy with his tariffs, then I have some beachfront property to sell ya.

People realize that he’s been president before, right? He has a past record. It’s still amazing to me how people project magical thinking onto Trump. He can be anything that his cultists fetishize him to be.
Click to expand...
What’s Doge doing?

I find it funny that none of you on the left can give the guy any credit at all. Literally at all!

What did Biden do with this?

View: https://x.com/realdonaldtrump/status/1885485623735124467?s=46&t=BMMZjW7vq0_zwnmLDjNTgQ


I’m going to not tax overtime… f that I want to pay more taxes

I’m bringing home hostages… f that they should stay there.

I’m going to shrink spending with doge… f that we want to keep wasteful spending!

Just miserable, tribal people.
 
LogGrad98 said:
We can't have that because it's socialism and socialism is evil because it redistributes wealth the wrong way. It actually takes it from the top and gives it to the bottom and everyone knows we only want wealth to move the other way. We've spent the last 50 years building our political and economic structure to do just that, and that's the way God intended. Like Jesus said, **** the poor, if they can't figure out how to be rich they don't deserve to eat. I was kind of paraphrasing there.
Click to expand...
Did you hear the parable Jesus gave of the rich man?

A rich man asked him what he’d have to do to go to heaven. Jesus asked him if he’d kept the commandments. He admitted that he had. Then Jesus asked him if he’d robbed the poor of their remaining wealth. He confessed that he hadn’t. So Jesus reprimanded him. “You call yourself a job creator?! Go out and rip the poors off. Tell them it’s trickle down economics and that they too will become rich if only they have patience and keep passing tax cuts for the rich. Feed them some culture war issue or lie about immigrants eating pets. Pollute their rivers, distract with cancel culture claims, and just cry fake news when caught in your own corruption. Ignore what I’ve said in the past about loving enemies, being humble, or helping the poor and focus on stuff I’ve never talked about, like gays being icky, when life begins and why trading women in like cheap car leases is fine, how vaccines cause autism, and why every kindergartner needs an AR15.”

And the rich man went out sorely disappointed.
 
For anyone who doesn't know this already, HSA (health saving accounts) are only available to people with certain types of insurance. (High deductable low premium)
I currently have and HSA because I'm quite healthy so I choose the high deductible plan where I pay everything out of pocket if I do go to the doctor. Which sucks because it makes me not go to the doctor when I probably should (I have had plantar fasciitis in my left foot for about 5 months now and haven't seen a doctor for it because it would cost me hundreds of dollars. Also need shoulder surgery but **** that **** I can't live on the short term disability of 60% pay that I would have to do while I miss months of work).

The vast majority of my co workers have a health insurance that is co pay based so they just pay 20 bucks to go the doctor and have really high premiums and are not eligible for an HSA.

And this is really gonna blow some minds. If I put the extra money I get from not getting taxed on overtime and put it into my HSA that won't help fund the military, epa, education, faa, FDA, Forest service, border patrol, Medicaid, help with the national debt etc etc etc.
 
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Who gets to decide what is wasteful spending and what isn't?
Just because musk cuts spending that isn't necessarily a good thing.
What if musk cuts spending for the FAA that leads to more plane crashes and death?
What if he cuts spending on the department of education and it leads to less educated generations?
What if he cuts spending on the FDA and it leads to Americans getting sick or dying from bad food/allergens?
What if he cuts spending to the EPA and it leads to poor quality air, water, soil that causes sickness and death?

Our government has been the envy of other nations for a long long time. We have had an incredible quality of life. I have been to other countries and I'm always happy to be back home. I love America and have always wanted to live here over everywhere else.

But trump thinks he needs to tear everything down and fire everyone and downsize everything and install his very own government and that we will be better off for it?

Agree to disagree.

I didn't think our government was broke. Our voter voting in horrible humans like trump is certainly a problem but the government as a whole has been pretty good to pretty much all of us. We have everything we need and most everything we want. We go on vacations and eat out constantly and go to concerts and gamble out money way etc etc.

Small tweaks is the way to go rather than utter chaos and destruction in the government.

trump got some of you drinking the Kool aid and thinking America sucks like he thinks and that we need to re do everything. That's sad.

I knew better than to look at a post I have on ignore. Such a waste of time. I was doing so well too and never reading the stupid posts. Then I saw someone quoted a post and made a mistake and wasted a bunch of time making points to someone drunk on brainwash Kool aid.

Back to sanity now.
 
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If people think Musk is shrinking government size and cutting wasteful spending, I’ve got some beach front property to sell to you.
 
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