My thoughts on Elon Musk

[Captain Caveman]

Splitting hairs there though aren't we?

No hairs are being split. To cut is to reduce, to eliminate is to completely remove or get rid of. One purpose of DOGE was to cut (reduce) wasteful spending.

 

[bendog]

No hairs are being split. To cut is to reduce, to eliminate is to completely remove or get rid of. One purpose of DOGE was to cut (reduce) wasteful spending.

And instead the gop house voted for 4 trill in new deficits. AND no legislation on doge cuts.

 

[Foxfyre]

No hairs are being split. To cut is to reduce, to eliminate is to completely remove or get rid of. One purpose of DOGE was to cut (reduce) wasteful spending.

I'm pretty sure DOGE saw their mission as to identify all wasteful spending so that it could be eliminated. The operative word is wasteful. To do that you eliminate ineffectiveness and inefficiency which of necessity would include eliminating unnecessary/improper spending.

The rub comes in as Congress isn't going to be able to universally agree as to what is wasteful or unnecessary. Which is why we have a "big beautiful bill" that required a LOT of compromise in the House and will require a LOT of compromise in the Senate version for the House to have a majority to pass whatever reconciliation they wind up with.

Some of our friends here at USMB and elsewhere are damning the House for failing to cut spending more. Elon Musk has expressed his disappointment that despite all the efforts of DOGE to identify wasteful spending that should be eliminated, the 'big beautiful bill' appears it will increase the deficit. But those damning Congress would no doubt find themselves in the same dilemma if they occupied one of those congressional seats and had to decide what and where to cut spending.

Elon has admitted that once he got into the inner workings of government finance, the twists and turns and problems involved were far more complex than anything he had expected. While the recommendations from the DOGE team were quite significant, he was unable to initially eliminate as much spending as he had hoped.

Which is the problem the House had in achieving a narrow majority to pass the legislation.

Which is why there will be an uphill and figuratively bloody battle to get a reconciliation bill for President Trump to sign into law.

Elon does say he is certain the DOGE team will be able to find many more significant ways to save the taxpayers money and to use it much more wisely.

 

[Captain Caveman]

I'm pretty sure DOGE saw their mission as to entirely eliminate wasteful spending. The operative word is wasteful. To do that you eliminate ineffectiveness and inefficiency which of necessity would include eliminating unnecessary/improper spending.

The rub comes in as Congress isn't going to be able to universally agree as to what is wasteful or unnecessary. Which is why we have a "big beautiful bill" that required a LOT of compromise in the House and will require a LOT of compromise in the Senate version for the House to have a majority to pass whatever reconciliation they wind up with.

Some of our friends here at USMB and elsewhere are damning the House for failing to cut spending more. Elon Musk has expressed his disappointment that despite all the efforts of DOGE to eliminate wasteful spending, the 'big beautiful bill' appears it will increase the deficit. But those damning Congress would not doubt find themselves in the same dilemma if they occupied one of those congressional seats and had to decide what and where to cut spending.

Elon has admitted that once he got into the inner workings of government finance, the twists and turns and problems involved were far more complex than anything he had expected. While the recommendations from the DOGE team were quite significant, he was unable to eliminate as much as he had hoped.

Which is the problem the House had in achieving a narrow majority to pass the legislation.

Which is why there will be an uphill and figuratively bloody battle to get a reconciliation bill for President Trump to sign into law.

Elon does say he is certain the DOGE team will be able to find many more significant ways to save the taxpayers money and to use it much more wisely.

I'm English, so I follow the words that were used. Ask a barber to cut your hair, don't ask him to eliminate it.

 

[Foxfyre]

I'm English, so I follow the words that were used. Ask a barber to cut your hair, don't ask him to eliminate it.

I would tell the barber to cut my hair and ELIMINATE the gray.

I tell my congressman to cut spending and ELIMINATE wasteful, inefficient, ineffective, unnecessary spending.

 

[BULLDOG]

No hairs are being split. To cut is to reduce, to eliminate is to completely remove or get rid of. One purpose of DOGE was to cut (reduce) wasteful spending.

Where is the proof of wasteful spending? What expenditures were not legally ordered by congress? Just because he didn't like some of the expenditures doesn't make them wasteful.

 

[Concerned American]

I would tell the barber to cut my hair and ELIMINATE the gray.

If your hair is anything like mine, the barber would have about as much luck eliminating the gray as the congress would have at eliminating waste.
LOL

 

[Captain Caveman]

I would tell the barber to cut my hair and ELIMINATE the gray.

You've used both correctly; you want to reduce something, and you want to get rid of something. You're grasping it now. DOGE is cutting wasteful spending, no mention of eliminating. If you don't have an agenda, proper English is very easy.

 

[Concerned American]

Where is the proof of wasteful spending?

If you are so myopic that you don't believe there is wasteful spending in the US government, you wouldn't understand it if anyone showed you the proof---AGAIN. It has been there for anyone to see for years. Unless of course, you believe gender studies in Pakistan is good use of taxpayer $$$. SMFH, I can't believe I just fed a troll.

 

[John Edgar Slow Horses]

OK, is there a point you want to make John Edgar Slow Horses?
You lauded Musk by telling us all the value he does for the US Government that includes the people of the USA.

You misunderstood yet again. $38B is fall less than the supposed $165B is less than the 1/2 $T in the beginning.

And where is the evidence of criminality and so forth.

Little Taco Donnie's path of uncertainty now no longer has Elon on it.

Good.

 

[BULLDOG]

I would tell the barber to cut my hair and ELIMINATE the gray.

I tell my congressman to cut spending and ELIMINATE wasteful, inefficient, ineffective, unnecessary spending.

Either way, your orders have to be carried out by those actually empowered to complete the task. Musk was not empowered by anybody but trump, and trump didn't have authority to do that.

 

[John Edgar Slow Horses]

If you are so myopic that you don't believe there is wasteful spending in the US government, you wouldn't understand it if anyone showed you the proof---AGAIN. It has been there for anyone to see for years. Unless of course, you believe gender studies in Pakistan is good use of taxpayer $$$. SMFH, I can't believe I just fed a troll.

^^^ word salad

Where is the 'wasteful spending,' big mouth?

 

[Concerned American]

^^^ word salad

Where is the 'wasteful spending,' big mouth?

So you believe Pakistani gender studies is proper stewardship of US taxpayer $$, eh? You wouldn't be able to identify waste either, donkey.

 

[John Edgar Slow Horses]

So you believe Pakistani gender studies is proper stewardship of US taxpayer $$, eh? You wouldn't be able to identify waste either, donkey.

Where is the wasterful spending? Show me the DOGE list.

 

[Concerned American]

Where is the wasterful spending? Show me the DOGE list.

Patience grasshopper.

 

[BULLDOG]

If you are so myopic that you don't believe there is wasteful spending in the US government, you wouldn't understand it if anyone showed you the proof---AGAIN. It has been there for anyone to see for years. Unless of course, you believe gender studies in Pakistan is good use of taxpayer $$$. SMFH, I can't believe I just fed a troll.

Of course there is waste in any big group. Musk hasn't shown that the things he targeted were actual waste. His opinion doesn't matter. He needs to prove his belief is accurate. He never even tried to do that.

 

[Concerned American]

Of course there is waste in any big group. Musk hasn't shown that the things he targeted were actual waste. His opinion doesn't matter. He needs to prove his belief is accurate. He never even tried to do that.

He wasn't hired to publicize, he was hired to identify waste. He doesn't have authority to do anything about it. The waste has been identified now it is up to the bureaucracy, which is more waste, do cut it. Were you this eager to micro-manage the governmental process under the vegetable's watch?

 

[rightwinger]

This was a huge wasted opportunity. Getting things done isn't just about WANTING to get things done, it's also about HOW you go about DOING it. And you don't do something this important and complicated like the way it was done. This was/is a goddamn circus. Par for the course for this administration.

Musk's ego, impatience and hubris didn't help. The American government is not a goddamn startup.

When faced with the task of improving Government efficiency, Musk put together a team of 20 year old computer geeks that had no experience in the purpose of government agencies or efficiency itself.

They attacked the problem by just firing people without regard to what they do or the mission of the organization.

DOGE became a tool for decimating programs conservatives don’t like in the name of “efficiency”

 

[meaner gene]

Patience grasshopper.

Musk promised $2 trillion in savings.
Musk delivered $150 billion

 

[meaner gene]

He wasn't hired to publicize, he was hired to identify waste. He doesn't have authority to do anything about it. The waste has been identified now it is up to the bureaucracy, which is more waste, do cut it. Were you this eager to micro-manage the governmental process under the vegetable's watch?

Actually he was hired to publisize. That's why he had an entire website dedicated to listing all the DOGE savings.
All $2 trillion
That was corrected down to $150 billion.