Trump Dictatorship and All Things Politics

[fishonjazz]

But of course

MSN

In a series of unprecedented actions, President Donald Trump and his deputies have scaled back or eliminated the government’s tools to ferret out and prosecute corruption, including efforts by foreign actors to interfere in American politics, experts and former officials say.

The administration’s actions, which come after years of mostly bipartisan support for an anti-corruption agenda, have shocked former prosecutors and anti-corruption advocacy groups. They say the administration’s approach threatens to open the floodgates to a surge in corruption in the United States and beyond.

“In his first weeks in office, Donald Trump has taken unprecedented action to invite corruption in the federal government and to undermine the guardrails meant to protect against it,” said a former federal corruption prosecutor, Noah Bookbinder, president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a nonprofit organization that says it works to expose corruption by government officials. “This is beyond troubling — it is an emergency,” he added.



In an Oval Office appearance, he signed a full pardon for Rod Blagojevich, the Democratic former governor of Illinois who was convicted of soliciting bribes to sell the Senate seat Barack Obama left when he became president. Blagojevich, who once appeared on Trump’s show “The Celebrity Apprentice,” has become a Trump supporter and is being considered for an appointment as U.S. ambassador to Serbia, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The same day, the Justice Department instructed Danielle Sassoon, then the acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, to drop corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams. Adams is a Democrat, and the charges were brought during the Biden administration, but he has been moving toward Trump on issues like immigration in what had been seen as an attempt to secure a presidential pardon.

The administration previously made other moves that place a lower priority on corruption cases and scaled back the grounds to launch prosecutions. The Justice Department said it will limit the enforcement of a law designed to expose secret lobbying by foreign governments, the Foreign Agents Registration Act. It also disbanded a Justice Department unit that prosecuted large-scale corruption by foreign governments or their allies who use the U.S. financial system to launder their stolen gains. The efforts, including the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative, have resulted in the seizure of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Coinciding with the shift on anti-corruption cases, the Trump administration has sought to undermine or ignore government offices Congress created in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal in the 1970s to check abuse and corruption inside federal agencies. Trump has fired 18 inspectors general, who probe possible fraud and abuse across the government. He dismissed the head of the Office of Government Ethics, which reviews possible financial conflicts of interest for high-level officials, as well as the head of the Office of Special Counsel, which is supposed to protect federal government whistleblowers from retaliation. Those moves are being challenged in court.

 

[Al-O-Meter]

Also, from what I can tell by the posters in this forum, left wing men would probably mirror this.


View: https://x.com/disclosetv/status/1890445331780800519?s=46&t=BMMZjW7vq0_zwnmLDjNTgQ

In other news: water is wet.

Liberal women have the highest use of antidepressants, and are the least likely to be happy with their dating life. This same unhappiness is found almost every way the question is asked, and it has been that way for years.

 

[PJF]

Holy crap, JD Vance IS alive! The enemy within! https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/worl...1&cvid=957b624b54684292caf730e007ee75c5&ei=65

Vice President JD Vance publicly berated European leaders on a host of issues from free speech to security and mass migration, as simmering tensions between the United States and its close allies boiled over at an international conference in Munich on Friday.

The vice president used the podium at the high-level security gathering that had been focusing on the invasion of Ukraine and the threat Russia poses to Europe and the rest of the world to raise social issues animating many on the American right.

"The threat that I worry the most about vis-à-vis Europe is not Russia. It's not China. It's not any external actor," he said at the Munich Security Conference. "What I worry about is the threat from within — the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values, values shared with the United States of America."

He added: “I’ve heard a lot about what you need to defend yourselves from and of course, that’s important. But what has seemed a little bit less clear to me ... is what exactly you’re defending yourselves for?”

The vice president's comments were met with an icy reception and only scattered applause — and groans when he joked about how if American democracy could "survive 10 years of Greta Thunberg scolding, you guys can survive a few months of Elon Musk.”

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius denounced Vance's remarks during a session at the conference later in the day, saying in German that it was "not acceptable" that the U.S. vice president compared "the condition of Europe with the condition that prevails in some auto-authoritarian regimes."

"This is not acceptable," Pistorius said. "This is not the Europe, not the democracy where I live and where I conduct my election campaign right now. And this is not the democracy that I witness every day in our parliament. In our democracy, every opinion has a voice."

"I was in the room in Munich for VP Vance’s speech," Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., wrote in a post on X. "No talk about Russia, Ukraine, China. Just criticisms of our allies and focus on “the threat from within.” His speech is going to embolden our adversaries who will see this as a green light to act while America is distracted/divided."
Throughout the event, European leaders appeared to ramp up their criticism of the Trump administration's handling of peace efforts.

"The new American administration has a very different world view to ours, one that has no regard for established rules, partnership and grown trust,” German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said at the conference Friday, prior to Vance's comments.

"We have to accept that and we can deal with it. But I am convinced that it is not in the interests of the international community for this worldview to become the dominant paradigm,” said Steinmeier, whose post is largely ceremonial, according to Reuters.

TL;DR

JD Vance said facts about the European Union and they were grumpy about it.

 

[PJF]

View: https://x.com/libsoftiktok/status/1890412489826763136?t=pKzvPTp6lexwZ_6X-oDvrA&s=19

 

[Al-O-Meter]

View: https://x.com/libsoftiktok/status/1890412489826763136?t=pKzvPTp6lexwZ_6X-oDvrA&s=19

I don't even know how to react to that. It is shocking and not shocking all at the same time. It isn't a mystery as to why Biden made his slimy friends and family all immune from prosecution.

 

[gandalfe]

If you'll be moving to Europe/Finland, hit me up if you want to learn Finnish language (not that we are the best choice, I'd recommend Norway as of now the best place to be)

Yes, but you have Lordi, POTF, and Nightwish going for you.

 

[fishonjazz]

So Elon thinks you are a parasite if you are in Medicaid or collecting social security.
My parents both worked their entire lives until their late 60's. They use social security (and probably Medicaid though I'm not certain)
**** musk.


Elon Musk is many things, but self-aware is not one. Compassionate is another adjective that eludes one of the nation’s biggest recipients of federal contracts.

On Wednesday, Musk posted a meme on his social media platform, X, showing a blue-eyed young blond woman sporting a bright smile with the caption, “Watching Trump slash federal programs because it doesn’t affect you because you’re not a member of the ‘Parasite Class.'”

This ***** beyond disgusting. The richest man in the world rejoicing at cutting off necessary support to the “parasite class”. He’s saying that the poor, the disabled, the mentally ill, the elderly are subhuman compared to him bc they lack his wealth and privilege and therefore they don’t deserve vital services. This should make you angry. This is class warfare, and there’s a very big chance you (like most people) and him aren’t on the same team.

 

[BabyPeterzz]

In other news: water is wet.

Liberal women have the highest use of antidepressants, and are the least likely to be happy with their dating life. This same unhappiness is found almost every way the question is asked, and it has been that way for years.

baby peters energy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Mongoose]

View: https://x.com/bennyjohnson/status/1890404734579716323?t=rfO7Zq9Xp0vDThpjiEvTeQ&s=19

Crazy to see the disgust and disdain on some off those leaders faces when JD Vance says they should listen to their citizens. Insane.

 

[AlaskanAssassin]

If we have enough money to buy Greenland and Gaza then I think we should use that money to buy free school lunch for children and free healthcare instead.

This is kind of like someone in massive debt and on the edge of bankruptcy deciding if they would rather renovate their home, buy a new Tesla, or go on a European vacation. With a projected $1.9 trillion deficit, and current federal debt of $36 trillion, maybe focusing on what NOT to spend money on is a better use of time.

 

[Mongoose]

So Elon thinks you are a parasite if you are in Medicaid or collecting social security.
My parents both worked their entire lives until their late 60's. They use social security (and probably Medicaid though I'm not certain)
**** musk.


Elon Musk is many things, but self-aware is not one. Compassionate is another adjective that eludes one of the nation’s biggest recipients of federal contracts.

On Wednesday, Musk posted a meme on his social media platform, X, showing a blue-eyed young blond woman sporting a bright smile with the caption, “Watching Trump slash federal programs because it doesn’t affect you because you’re not a member of the ‘Parasite Class.'”

This ***** beyond disgusting. The richest man in the world rejoicing at cutting off necessary support to the “parasite class”. He’s saying that the poor, the disabled, the mentally ill, the elderly are subhuman compared to him bc they lack his wealth and privilege and therefore they don’t deserve vital services. This should make you angry. This is class warfare, and there’s a very big chance you (like most people) and him aren’t on the same team.

Where did you copy this stupid opinion from?
If you cared about medicaid and medicare and social security you'd want the fraud and abuse to end. These programs wont last if parasite government bureaucrats and their puppet government cronies continue to use these programs improperly.

Medicare and Medicaid: Additional Actions Needed to Enhance Program Integrity and Save Billions

Both Medicare and Medicaid are susceptible to payment errors—over $100 billion worth in 2023. Known as "improper payments," these are payments that...

www.gao.gov

View: https://x.com/DOGE/status/1861776562636411079



View: https://x.com/realdogeusa/status/1890164353053462911

 

[Mongoose]

This is kind of like someone in massive debt and on the edge of bankruptcy deciding if they would rather renovate their home, buy a new Tesla, or go on a European vacation. With a projected $1.9 trillion deficit, and current federal debt of $36 trillion, maybe focusing on what NOT to spend money on is a better use of time.

Exactly why we need DOGE- the doge clock is passing 95 billion today and counting

https://www.usdebtclock.org/

 

[Zombie]

This is kind of like someone in massive debt and on the edge of bankruptcy deciding if they would rather renovate their home, buy a new Tesla, or go on a European vacation. With a projected $1.9 trillion deficit, and current federal debt of $36 trillion, maybe focusing on what NOT to spend money on is a better use of time.

I get your point, but the US is nowhere near on the edge of bankruptcy.

 

[fishonjazz]

This is kind of like someone in massive debt and on the edge of bankruptcy deciding if they would rather renovate their home, buy a new Tesla, or go on a European vacation. With a projected $1.9 trillion deficit, and current federal debt of $36 trillion, maybe focusing on what NOT to spend money on is a better use of time.

If I had to choose though I would rather invest in my home and make it better.
And in this instance we are actually talking about humans in need which is a huge difference in the metaphor.

Maybe the metaphor should be: This is kind of like someone in massive debt and on the edge of bankruptcy deciding if they would rather pay for surgery for their child whose eyesight could be fixed, buy a new Tesla, or go on a European vacation. Or something like that.

I don't see child hunger or healthcare to be frivolous or unnecessary spending.

 

[PJF]

View: https://x.com/libsoftiktok/status/1890498095013634385?t=pun4XPoj0RdJIkcMmoJxeg&s=19

 

[fishonjazz]

MSN

Polls showing where Americans, including Republicans, think the country is spending TOO LITTLE on major government programs.

About two-thirds of Americans say the U.S. government is spending “too little” on Social Security and education, according to a January AP-NORC poll. Another 6 in 10, roughly, say too little money is going to assistance to the poor. A similar share say spending is too low for Medicare, the national health care insurance program for seniors, and most also say Medicaid is under-funded by the federal government. About half say border security is not receiving enough funding.

The perpetual challenge for lawmakers is that although U.S. adults mostly think the government isn't spending enough on key issues and programs, they are broadly in favor of cuts to the federal budget. AP-NORC polling from March 2023 found that 6 in 10 U.S. adults said the U.S. government was spending “too much” overall.

Foreign aid is one area where there is broad consensus that the U.S. is overspending. The 2023 AP-NORC polling suggests that Americans tend to believe too much money is going to other countries.

Roughly 7 in 10 U.S. adults said the government was putting too much money toward “assistance to other countries.” About 9 in 10 Republicans and just over half of Democrats agreed that the country was overspending on foreign aid at the time.
At the same time, polling has shown that U.S. adults tend to overestimate the share of the federal budget that is spent on foreign aid. Surveys from KFF have found that, on average, Americans say spending on foreign aid makes up 31% of the federal budget rather than the actual answer: closer to 1% or less.

On both sides of the political aisle, very few U.S. adults think the country is spending too much on Social Security and Medicare, according to the January AP-NORC poll.

Republicans tend to want more money for border security, Social Security and the military. About 8 in 10 Republicans say too little money is allocated to border security, and about two-thirds say that about Social Security.

Strong majorities of Democrats say the U.S. government spends “too little” on assistance to the poor, education, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. They are divided on funding for border security — about 4 in 10 say the funding is about the right amount, while 3 in 10 say it's too high and about 3 in 10 say it's too little — and tend to say federal law enforcement agencies such as the CIA and the FBI are getting the right amount of funding.

Basically, the thing all americans are so upset about and the reason some are fine with Musk doing what he is doing is foreign. Which we spend next to nothing on lol (1% or less of the budget)

From the comments: In general, people are not well-informed about how much the government spends on what. We hear via DOGE about specific horror shows but we are not getting an overall picture of spending and what we get in return. I suspect that a smoke screen is being created so, behind the smoke, "true believers" can eliminate entire programs.

For example, you can learn that this administration sends $118 billion to foreign countries for "military and economic aid." And yet, Musk and Trump shut down USAID over its $40 million budget.

 

[fishonjazz]

I have a question. So lets say this whole DOGE thing works out perfectly beyond all of our wildest dreams for all americans. Musk is completely trustworthy and doing everything on the up and up and for the sole benefit of the citizens of the USA. He finds ALL the waste and eliminates all of it flawlessly. Now there is no longer any waste at all. The perfect amount of money is being spent on the perfect programs etc.

What are we thinking that would look like for the average american like myself? I assume we are thinking that would mean money coming back into our pockets or less money leaving our pockets (no/less taxes)

So now every american in the USA has lots more money (spending power). Does a combo meal from wendys stay at 11 bucks or whatever it is now? Or does the owner of wendys realize that we all have way more spending power and raise the price to 25 bucks for a combo meal?

Does that new chevy silverado stay at the 60,000 dollar price (or whatever it is currently) or does the owner of chevy realize that there is way more money to be made in a capitalistic economy where there was a recent huge influx of money to each person and raise the price to 90,000?

Rich would continue to rich and poor would continue to poor is my guess. I think a lot of the poors think that Musk is going to help them get rich with what he is doing. I dont think that is what will happen.

 

[Step-Back Lauri]

MSN

For example, you can learn that this administration sends $118 billion to foreign countries for "military and economic aid." And yet, Musk and Trump shut down USAID over its $40 million budget.

That's 2950:1.

They could also save billions I'd they really cared about people instead of the richest people who finance their campaigns. "Aggressive tax planning" is a cancer worldwide. It's actually socialism for the rich. Some might say stealing, but I won't, bc that might hurt their eMoTiOnS

 

[fishonjazz]

That's 2950:1.

They could also save billions I'd they really cared about people instead of the richest people who finance their campaigns. "Aggressive tax planning" is a cancer worldwide. It's actually socialism for the rich. Some might say stealing, but I won't, bc that might hurt their eMoTiOnS

Yep.
I mean musk could simply take his 118 billion that he got from the US government over the last decade and split it equally amongst the whole country and we would all be multi millionaires while he would still have hundreds of billions.

Of course like I said in my previous post, that wouldn't truly do anything other than cause inflation to increase by 100,000,000% and then you would just have millionaires who were the poor people in society and the those with hundreds of millions would be the middle class and only billionaires would be rich etc etc. Plus it would be complete chaos lol.

 

[TheGoldStandard]

I have a question. So lets say this whole DOGE thing works out perfectly beyond all of our wildest dreams for all americans. Musk is completely trustworthy and doing everything on the up and up and for the sole benefit of the citizens of the USA. He finds ALL the waste and eliminates all of it flawlessly. Now there is no longer any waste at all. The perfect amount of money is being spent on the perfect programs etc.

What are we thinking that would look like for the average american like myself? I assume we are thinking that would mean money coming back into our pockets or less money leaving our pockets (no/less taxes)

So now every american in the USA has lots more money (spending power). Does a combo meal from wendys stay at 11 bucks or whatever it is now? Or does the owner of wendys realize that we all have way more spending power and raise the price to 25 bucks for a combo meal?

Does that new chevy silverado stay at the 60,000 dollar price (or whatever it is currently) or does the owner of chevy realize that there is way more money to be made in a capitalistic economy where there was a recent huge influx of money to each person and raise the price to 90,000?

Rich would continue to rich and poor would continue to poor is my guess. I think a lot of the poors think that Musk is going to help them get rich with what he is doing. I dont think that is what will happen.

The reality is the U.S. has been overspending for a long time. We were all born into the national debt racked up by prior politicians and our kids even moreso. We need to cut spending (always talked about by both sides, but this is the first time I've actually seen any real effort to make it happen).

Unfortunately taxes need to go up too. The wealth tax is a popular populist idea, but I worry the impact will all trickle down from increased cost of goods, etc.

We also need to get a better educated workforce, which means investment in education for those willing to put in the effort.