Who is getting hurt and what we are losing with what Trump and Musk are doing!

[The Sage of Main Street]

Hey, I am a fighter. If slapped, I slap back.

Having said that, I truly don't like being in a slap war. It does not solve anything, words are cheap (free actually) and the direction is always down toward the gutter.

I do have to say that in your case, I had a positive impression of you when we first communicated. Nonetheless, I still remember the post that showed you to be who you are (a bullshit artist/conman) and I lost all respect for you. You continue to prove it.

Dems Needed a Good Licking

Is little TDSie's feelings hurt? Here, suck on a Kamollipop. It was designed by an expert at softening hard feelings.

 

[MayorQuimby]

So its about money and not humanity. It is about being seen as a Russia and not as what the U.S. has represented for 248 years.

It sounds like you are trying to manipulate people. You don't want to send billions to foreign countries? What about humaaaaaanity.

I am not saying there should be zero foreign aid. Just that it should be a very small portion of the total budget. And the leaders have to justify it. And the public has to be consulted about whether they want their tax money sent overseas and if yes, how much and to whom.

 

[Luckyone]

It sounds like you are trying to manipulate people. You don't want to send billions to foreign countries? What about humaaaaaanity.

I am not saying there should be zero foreign aid. Just that it should be a very small portion of the total budget. And the leaders have to justify it. And the public has to be consulted about whether they want their tax money sent overseas and if yes, how much and to whom.

I think you need to do research before you open your mouth to say such misinformed and wrong things

Myth #1: America spends too much on foreign aid​

Opinion polls consistently report that Americans believe foreign aid is in the range of 25 percent of the federal budget. When asked how much it should be, they say about 10 percent. In fact, at $39.2 billion for fiscal year 2019, foreign assistance is less than 1 percent of the federal budget.

Myth #2: Others don’t do their fair share​

The U.S. provides more assistance than any other country. As the world’s wealthiest nation, that’s appropriate. There is a broad international commitment that wealthy countries should provide annually 0.7 percent of GNP to assist poor countries. Five countries (Norway, Sweden, Luxembourg, Denmark, and the U.K.) exceed that benchmark. The average for all wealthy nations is around 0.4 percent. The U.S. ranks near the bottom at below 0.2 percent.

Who approves foreign policy?

Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution gave the President the power to make treaties with the “advice and consent” of the Senate. Practically, the clause stipulated that two-thirds of the Senators would have to approve any treaty negotiated by the Executive Branch.

 

[debbiedowner]

Yesterday

Outrage after Elon Musk's SpaceX awarded $38M government contract

The federal government awarded Elon Musk's company a $38.85 million contract on Monday as the billionaire works to slash other contracts.

www.dailymail.co.uk

These go back a year, two, etc

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/elon-musks-us-department-defense-contracts-2025-02-11/

I mean, really, there's never been anything quite like Elon Musk. This is a guy whose companies just last year, in 2024, received $3.8 billion worth of federal government contracts and, in the last five years, $13 billion worth of contracts.

 

[MayorQuimby]

I think you need to do research before you open your mouth to say such misinformed and wrong things

Myth #1: America spends too much on foreign aid​

Opinion polls consistently report that Americans believe foreign aid is in the range of 25 percent of the federal budget. When asked how much it should be, they say about 10 percent. In fact, at $39.2 billion for fiscal year 2019, foreign assistance is less than 1 percent of the federal budget.

Myth #2: Others don’t do their fair share​

The U.S. provides more assistance than any other country. As the world’s wealthiest nation, that’s appropriate. There is a broad international commitment that wealthy countries should provide annually 0.7 percent of GNP to assist poor countries. Five countries (Norway, Sweden, Luxembourg, Denmark, and the U.K.) exceed that benchmark. The average for all wealthy nations is around 0.4 percent. The U.S. ranks near the bottom at below 0.2 percent.

Who approves foreign policy?

Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution gave the President the power to make treaties with the “advice and consent” of the Senate. Practically, the clause stipulated that two-thirds of the Senators would have to approve any treaty negotiated by the Executive Branch.

I know that we need the Senate to pass stuff, but that doesn't mean that they can't consult the public about it. In fact, it would be an excellent idea because it shows the lawmakers care about the will of the people.

Also, about those 39 billions....it would have been better to spend it on Americans instead of foreigners, no?

 

[Luckyone]

I know that we need the Senate to pass stuff, but that doesn't mean that they can't consult the public about it. In fact, it would be an excellent idea because it shows the lawmakers care about the will of the people.

Also, about those 39 billions....it would have been better to spend it on Americans instead of foreigners, no?

I am not going to be giving any opinions for now as opinions are worthless on this board.

As far as the answer to both of your questions

1) Congress is supposed to be the will of the people. What they have decided to do in the past is what counts and not what anyone thinks is "an excellent idea".

 

[MayorQuimby]

I am not going to be giving any opinions for now as opinions are worthless on this board.

As far as the answer to both of your questions

1) Congress is supposed to be the will of the people. What they have decided to do in the past is what counts and not what anyone thinks is "an excellent idea".

Congress should represent the will of the people, but often don't.

I don't see why we can't punish them or at least give them a good scolding when they pass things we don't like.

 

[Luckyone]

Congress should represent the will of the people, but often don't.

I don't see why we can't punish them or at least give them a good scolding when they pass things we don't like.

Then get rid of the Constitution and the 3 branches of government that are there to make sure that things are done Constitutionally. That is the way to get rid of Congress and put in place what Trump, Musk, the Far right and all the supporters want to do (get rid of what you do not like).

 

[MayorQuimby]

Then get rid of the Constitution and the 3 branches of government that are there to make sure that things are done Constitutionally. That is the way to get rid of Congress and put in place what Trump, Musk, the Far right and all the supporters want to do (get rid of what you do not like).

I never said to get rid of the congress. Why are you crying?

What's wrong of punishing politicians when they did wrong? You think the people should just take whatever they dish out?

 

[imawhosure]

Every action in life has benefits and consequences and the bottom line is that the goal is to always have more benefits than consequences, so the nation and its people can advance and not recede (two steps forward and 1 back rather than the opposite). This OP is going to discuss who is getting hurt and if the consequences of Trump's actions will end up being a plus or a minus for our country.

What Trump has been doing it trying to keep his campaign promises and as such, he is having a 53% approval rating for doing that. Keeping campaign promises is never a bad thing because it is what he was elected to do. Having said that, the way he does that and what the end result ends up being is what is going to make this nation better or worse.

Let me start with this one piece of common sense. Doing a lot of harm to others is never a plus.


In addition, his shutdown of USAID not only removes jobs from thousands of Americans but removes aid from the poor, sick, and needy in the world.

The plus to all of this is a reduction in spending. This hopefully means less debt but the way that Trump is doing it also means the following:

1) less Americans working
2) less taxes being collected
3) less people receiving the needed help to stay alive
4) more Americans needing help
5) more American companies losing the income they need to stay in business
6) more chaos and less order
7) allies becoming enemies
8) hate and payback feelings increased, bringing new problems

Yes, some of the promises made fulfill a need that the nation has but the way that Trump and Musk are going about fulfilling those promises is by using a sledgehammer approach and that is never a plus. Destroying things that have been in effect for decades and offer good and needed things but are full of "fat", is not the way to go. You trim the fat and put them on a diet but you don't blow them away and start from scratch.

That is a recipe for disaster

View attachment 1077048

My biggest accusation against Trump has always been incompetency. He has tried many things in life but with the exceptions of the things his father taught him from a young age (Real Estate and scamming people), Trump has been a disaster. He does not learn from his mistakes because he is a narcissist and always blames others for his own mistakes.

Musk has been a highly successful businessman all his life but it has always been in things he had an interest in and spent time learning about. Nonetheless, his ego has grown to such a degree that he is no longer spending the time to learn new things (such as what governing needs and requires, and what being in a business he has never been in, like social media needs and requires).

He bought Twitter in October of last year and made huge changes (the same he is trying to do now), and now 4 months later, Twitter (as X) has lost 79% in value, has lost most of its income (advertisers have left) and has lost viewership as the changes he made to the media itself, are not liked by the viewers.

Both of these people are making huge changes and are not thinking about the consequences of what they are doing and what possibly was a good thing is now looking like a disaster-in-the-making.

Amen

The people getting hurt are LEFTISTS on the DOLE! That is all anyone needs know, period, end of story-)

 

[Luckyone]

I never said to get rid of the congress. Why are you crying?

What's wrong of punishing politicians when they did wrong? You think the people should just take whatever they dish out?

It has to be done legally and with the rules in place.

 

[MayorQuimby]

It has to be done legally and with the rules in place.

Of course. Did I ever say otherwise?

 

[Luckyone]

Of course. Did I ever say otherwise?

Your wording seemed to suggest that it should be done indiscriminately, no ifs, ands, or buts and just because YOU saw it as being wrong.

 

[MayorQuimby]

Your wording seemed to suggest that it should be done indiscriminately, no ifs, ands, or buts and just because YOU saw it as being wrong.

I think you should read what I actually wrote instead of what you think I wrote.

 

[Luckyone]

I think you should read what I actually wrote instead of what you think I wrote.

This is your post:

"Congress should represent the will of the people, but often don't.

I don't see why we can't punish them or at least give them a good scolding when they pass things we don't like."
Who does the word WE represent when you are saying that Congress doesn't always do it?

 

[MayorQuimby]

This is your post:

"Congress should represent the will of the people, but often don't.

I don't see why we can't punish them or at least give them a good scolding when they pass things we don't like."
Who does the word WE represent when you are saying that Congress doesn't always do it?

So? That doesn't mean we are going to do something illegal.

 

[Luckyone]

So? That doesn't mean we are going to do something illegal.

The word WE means anyone that is working with others to do something together. It also means that those that are not WE, are out of the picture.

If "we" means doing it through the legal court system (which is something we ALL support), then say so! You could have said something like "we (the people that think they are doing something illegal) are going to take this to court and if they are found guilty, they will (not just should) be punished".

 

[MayorQuimby]

The word WE means anyone that is working with others to do something together. It also means that those that are not WE, are out of the picture.

If "we" means doing it through the legal court system (which is something we ALL support), then say so! You could have said something like "we (the people that think they are doing something illegal) are going to take this to court and if they are found guilty, they will be punished".

I honestly have no idea what you are trying to say. All I said is that we should have the power to punish politicians for wrong-doings and then you went ape-shit.

 

[Luckyone]

I honestly have no idea what you are trying to say. All I said is that we should have the power to punish politicians for wrong-doings and then you went ape-shit.

but we do have the power to do that. We have the courts and we have the impeachment process. the word "should" does not belong.

I studied communication in College and all my life I have worked to be as clear as possible in explaining things so that they don't get misinterpreted, which is a very common thing. Misinterpretation is the primary cause for negative things to occur, which never should occur.

Sorry for being specific but on this message board especially, with all the people that are so ready to debase and insult others, making sure that you express exactly what you mean is very important.

No one here ever has any doubts of what I mean. I expect the same of everyone else, especially when communicating with me.

 

[MayorQuimby]

but we do have the power to do that. We have the courts and we have the impeachment process. the word "should" does not belong.

No. I stand by what I said.

We should have the power to punish politicians for wrong-doings. If there are ways currently in place, they are obviously not good enough.