Trump 47

[mugatu]

You are conflating political influence with being an oligarchy.

If you want to remove monetary influence of the government to get whatever the billionaire class wants from the picture then you still have to accept how the government is actually running.

Definition of OLIGARCHY

government by the few; a government in which a small group exercises control especially for corrupt and selfish purposes; also : a group exercising such control; an organization under oligarchic control… See the full definition

www.merriam-webster.com

1: government by the few
The corporation is ruled by oligarchy.
2: a government in which a small group exercises control especially for corrupt and selfish purposes

"Oligarchy is one of numerous English words for a type of rule or government. Some of these words, such as plutocracy, have an exceedingly similar meaning (both may be used to refer to rule by an economic elite, but oligarchy often has the additional connotation of corruption)."

I would say that with the lack of congressional check on the Executive Branch now being reinforced through SCOTUS rulling that the POTUS is free from prosecution, our country is essentially being run by the White House and the President's cabinet. Congress has ceded nearly all of their power to the President and his aides. Rubber stamping his whims. They are no longer functioning members of our government.

The reason they can do this is because of the influence of that ultra wealthy class on the general public.

 

[Big8+4-2-2+2-2+4+4]

You are conflating political influence with being an oligarchy.

When mega rich people have the majority of the political influence that is exactly what an oligarchy is…

 

[GratefulPoke]

So who is vetting the people being hurriedly hired by DOGE to break into everything?

From the reports, no one is.

 

[GratefulPoke]

When mega rich people have the majority of the political influence that is exactly what an oligarchy is…

Plus regulatory capture.

 

[PF5]

It won't be an issue for anything by Monday.

 

[steross]

Because I read balanced news. And don’t believe biased news without looking at more facts.

Regurgitating “oligarchy” because you have heard it repeatedly in your media is silly.

It doesn't help to read balanced news if you complete ignore the balance and only keep the part from the DOGE spokesperson because that is what you want to hear even though it makes no sense.

 

[PF5]

Study: US is an oligarchy, not a democracy

What in the World: A new report finds that an elite few dominate US policy, the human error behind South Korea's ferry tragedy, and Algeria's uneasy status quo election.

www.bbc.com

BBC article from 2014...still applies to today...

The US is dominated by a rich and powerful elite.

So concludes a recent study, external by Princeton University Prof Martin Gilens and Northwestern University Prof Benjamin I Page.
...
Multivariate analysis indicates that economic elites and organised groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on US government policy, while average citizens and mass-based interest groups have little or no independent influence.

In English: the wealthy few move policy, while the average American has little power.
...
When a majority of citizens disagrees with economic elites and/or with organised interests, they generally lose. Moreover, because of the strong status quo bias built into the US political system, even when fairly large majorities of Americans favour policy change, they generally do not get it.

They conclude:

Americans do enjoy many features central to democratic governance, such as regular elections, freedom of speech and association and a widespread (if still contested) franchise. But we believe that if policymaking is dominated by powerful business organisations and a small number of affluent Americans, then America's claims to being a democratic society are seriously threatened.

Eric Zuess, writing, external in Counterpunch, isn't surprised by the survey's results.

"American democracy is a sham, no matter how much it's pumped by the oligarchs who run the country (and who control the nation's "news" media)," he writes. "The US, in other words, is basically similar to Russia or most other dubious 'electoral' 'democratic' countries. We weren't formerly, but we clearly are now."
This is the "Duh Report", says, external Death and Taxes magazine's Robyn Pennacchia. Maybe, she writes, Americans should just accept their fate.

"Perhaps we ought to suck it up, admit we have a classist society and do like England where we have a House of Lords and a House of Commoners," she writes, "instead of pretending as though we all have some kind of equal opportunity here."

 

[JTOSU]

It doesn't help to read balanced news if you complete ignore the balance and only keep the part from the DOGE spokesperson because that is what you want to hear even though it makes no sense.

I am far from a Trump fan , but I am not going to go in hysterics with hypocritical faux outrage 13 days into a Presidency. As for DOGE, I want it to succeed. I don’t have blinders and realize we have A LOT of wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars. I get national debt is a bigger issue for me than for you, but $36T is meaningful and burdens our future. Although I am extremely dubious that Trump will take debt reduction seriously (witness his apparent approval with additional spending)…we have to start somewhere. Investigating current spending and processes is the right place to start.

 

[Polds4OSU]

Musk says US Treasury should be directly tied to blockchain

‘This Needs To Stop Now’—Elon Musk Confirms Radical Doge U.S. Treasury Plan

Elon Musk has confirmed he wants to put the U.S. Treasury on a blockchain, the technology that underpins bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies...

www.forbes.com

This would end the US dollar and make the US economy heavily tired to cryptocurrency

 

[milehighpoke]

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/elon-musks-ties-trump-pose-110005858.html

https://twitter.com/x/status/1882862487261114500

Dumb question here. Are any of his contracts going to be canceled..?
Wonder how many companies are going to sue over breach of contract and cost the gov even more due to legal fees.

I could have sworn just a few pages ago on this very thread that JT said DOGE didn't have the authority to do this, and it wouldn't happen. Aged like milk

 

[JTOSU]

I could have sworn just a few pages ago on this very thread that JT said DOGE didn't have the authority to do this, and it wouldn't happen. Aged like milk

So are you claiming DOGE canceled the contracts? Where are you getting that information?

 

[milehighpoke]

I am far from a Trump fan , but I am not going to go in hysterics with hypocritical faux outrage 13 days into a Presidency. As for DOGE, I want it to succeed. I don’t have blinders and realize we have A LOT of wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars. I get national debt is a bigger issue for me than for you, but $36T is meaningful and burdens our future. Although I am extremely dubious that Trump will take debt reduction seriously (witness his apparent approval with additional spending)…we have to start somewhere. Investigating current spending and processes is the right place to start.

It was a long time ago, and I have a short memory. But can you remind me how trump did with the national debt his first time around? And then, just for gits and shiggles, tell me how the national debt fares under republican and democratic presidents.

At least you're consistent in your schtick about the national debt. But if you really cared about it like you say you do, you would never, ever, ever vote republican again in your life.

 

[Big Huck]

I am far from a Trump fan , but I am not going to go in hysterics with hypocritical faux outrage 13 days into a Presidency. As for DOGE, I want it to succeed. I don’t have blinders and realize we have A LOT of wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars. I get national debt is a bigger issue for me than for you, but $36T is meaningful and burdens our future. Although I am extremely dubious that Trump will take debt reduction seriously (witness his apparent approval with additional spending)…we have to start somewhere. Investigating current spending and processes is the right place to start.

Imagine for a moment if you will. George Soros spent $300 million to get Kamala Harris elected. George Soros openly campaigned for Kamala and created a lottery system giving away $1 million a day to register voters. Then at Kamala's inauguration Soros got on stage and threw up multiple Nazi salutes but we all told you he just has a touch of the 'tism those things that look exactly like Nazi salutes aren't actually Nazi salutes. Then within days of Kamala taking office George Soros has ousted senior officials in order to take control of the federal payment system. And also George Soros has hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts with the federal government whose payment system he just took over.

You're telling us you'd be cool with all that?

 

[cowboyinexile]

Imagine for a moment if you will. George Soros spent $300 million to get Kamala Harris elected. George Soros openly campaigned for Kamala and created a lottery system giving away $1 million a day to register voters. Then at Kamala's inauguration Soros got on stage and threw up multiple Nazi salutes but we all told you he just has a touch of the 'tism those things that look exactly like Nazi salutes aren't actually Nazi salutes. Then within days of Kamala taking office George Soros has ousted senior officials in order to take control of the federal payment system. And also George Soros has hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts with the federal government whose payment system he just took over.

You're telling us you'd be cool with all that?

No one would, and rightfully so.

The really strange thing is he told everyone what he was going to do and alot of people seem to be ok with it.

 

[cowboyinexile]

The orange child continues to act like a child. Still waiting on my cheaper eggs I was promised on day 1

MSN

 

[mugatu]

Imagine for a moment if you will. George Soros spent $300 million to get Kamala Harris elected. George Soros openly campaigned for Kamala and created a lottery system giving away $1 million a day to register voters. Then at Kamala's inauguration Soros got on stage and threw up multiple Nazi salutes but we all told you he just has a touch of the 'tism those things that look exactly like Nazi salutes aren't actually Nazi salutes. Then within days of Kamala taking office George Soros has ousted senior officials in order to take control of the federal payment system. And also George Soros has hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts with the federal government whose payment system he just took over.

You're telling us you'd be cool with all that?

He'd have some faux outrage.

 

[mugatu]

From the reports, no one is.

So we have a bunch of random people with no oversight rummaging through everyone's PII and getting control of the treasury... this couldn't come back to bite us at all. Holy SH!T how are people not pissed about this?

Sorry more faux outrage as JT puts it, because he knows when I'm actually pissed vs when I'm just acting.

 

[GratefulPoke]

So we have a bunch of random people with no oversight rummaging through everyone's PII and getting control of the treasury... this couldn't come back to bite us at all. Holy SH!T how are people not pissed about this?

Sorry more faux outrage as JT puts it, because he knows when I'm actually pissed vs when I'm just acting.

6 of his henchmen identities have been released. They are all 18 to 24 years of age. One is fresh out of high school.

This is an absolute OPSEC disaster.

 

[mugatu]

6 of his henchmen identities have been released. They are all 18 to 24 years of age. One is fresh out of high school.

This is an absolute OPSEC disaster.

Yes. I can't believe Congress is just watching it happen - actually I can because the GOP running both houses will go along with anything Trump says.

 

[GratefulPoke]

Yes. I can't believe Congress is just watching it happen - actually I can because the GOP running both houses will go along with anything Trump says.

Several members of Congress are going to the USAID building today, hopefully more will follow. A group has been at OMB and while the treasury is fenced off, other folks are supposed to go there too.

Wired has done an excellent job covering these events. Much better than legacy media.