Point out where I said anything about corruption. I stated what Musk put out and said it was nonsense.
Trump 47
- Thread starter PF5
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The DOGE team is finally posting examples of where they have cut spending. This one claims $8 billion in savings (bottom figure) - but if you look at the fine print upper right, it's a contract that's instead valued at $8 million.
www.threads.net
Barbara Sobel (@barbaraj.sobel) on Threads
The DOGE team is finally posting examples of where they have cut spending. This one claims $8 billion in savings (bottom figure) - but if you look at the fine print upper right, it's a contract that's instead valued at $8 million.
www.threads.net
mugatu
Ranger
Ok. I misunderstood your initial response to me then with the talk of incompetence at the Social Security department and immortals living with us. I read your tone (incorrectly apparently) as siding with him. For that I apologize but am glad we both agree this is all stupid.
Day 30: Trump signs an executive order declaring himself and AG loyalist Pam Bondi as the sole interpreters of the law for the executive branch.A literal felon has decided that he gets to interpret the law.
Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Reins in Independent Agencies to Restore a Government that Answers to the American People
RESTORING DEMOCRACY AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN GOVERNMENT: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order ensuring that all federal agencies are
www.whitehouse.gov
Big8+4-2-2+2-2+4+4
New member
All you have to look at is their P/E ratio and global sales… Thar be dragons…
Trump announces inflation vis back in interview with Elon Musk
Trump today: Inflation is back...I had nothing to do with it
www.threads.net
Trump today: Inflation is back...I had nothing to do with it
MeidasTouch (@meidastouch) on Threads
Trump during campaign: Starting the day I take the Oath of Office I will rapidly drive prices down Trump today: Inflation is back...I had nothing to do with it
www.threads.net
President Trump signed an executive order that gives his political appointees far-reaching control over federal agencies that for decades operated independently of White House influence. https://on.wsj.com/3X9hCwV
PF5
Sheriff
JFK Library in Boston abruptly closes due to Trump executive order
The JFK Library in Boston abruptly closed on Tuesday due to an executive order by President Trump, a library spokesman said.
www.cbsnews.com
Guess I should have stated I was being sarcastic.
Not saying we agree entirely but we don't 100% disagree either.
We agree Elons tweets are stupid bait to get people excited and maybe not the best way to go about it.
It point's out a problem in social security. Even after eliminating all the people over 115 years old you still have 40 million more people listed as being alive with a social security number than people living in the U.S. Does that mean there is corruption. No idea. Does that mean any of those people are receiving benefits. Once again no idea. What it does mean is someone needs to fix the data integrity because it's not correct and leaves a window open for problems. They found an issue that has been in Inspector Generals report dating back to 2015 that has never been fixed.
Does DOGE know how to fix it. I have no idea. Are there people at SSI that can fix it? If so why haven't they. If it takes running a wrecking ball through to get issues fixed honestly I'm fine with that.
Also look into DOGE it's not 4 hackers. It's over a hundred people. Accountants, lawyers and data miners. No idea why they put on this show like it's 4 hackers going through all the government systems.
mugatu
Ranger
Not sure what to expect here, or what they are trying to rile people up about.
Take away about 2.4 Million of those accounts, because they are in DOD. Each military (and possibly civilian) member (active and reserve) has a gov travel card (credit card). Valid expenses are paid off by the DOD, but each member is responsible for it, it has to get turned on for each trip, and any use that isn't allowed get flagged and isn't reimbursed. On top of that, every command would have command credit cards to use for official expenses.
I'd imagine any dept/agency that travels a lot would use similar approaches.
Do you see that as a problem?
Please, take mine away, Elon.
The first time I travelled I put it on my personal credit card, paid off my credit card myself, then submitted the expenses and was reimbursed.
Then, they made me get a government card. I now pay with the government card. pay off the government credit card myself, then submit expenses and get reimbursed.
The only difference I see is that the government gets the credit card points etc which is fair. But, I have to keep up with yet another card and account that does me no good. I can't really see how this is losing the government money, unless they pay a stupid annual fee for a basic card.
I thought having a company credit card was a standard practice. You can question if it's the best way of doing things (Dave Ramsey has an interesting but Dave Ramseyish perspective on this) but if its for business related expenses it's normal and not waste.
mugatu
Ranger
Yes, having a bunch of people in a database as living who aren't isn't good, but if they aren't receiving benefits then they really aren't hurting anything much either. Does this mean DOGE is going to do a database scrub and validate every active SSN? That would be super helpful and confirm no fraud.
I seem to remember seeing that the Social Security department wasn't updating their systems due to the cost of it. Seems on par for government in general. IT falls to the back burner and software is generally well out of date. If DOGE can fix that without costing tens of billions a year then have at it, it's definitely needed.
There is LITERALLY ZERO probelm with this. This IS HOW the Govt works for ALL purchases under $10,000 for Goods or Services. They are done via something called a P-Card or Purchase Card and the US Govt has been using these for at LEAST the last 27 Years that I have been in the Private Sector selling stuff to the US Govt.
IN fact it was all started in 1982 via Executive Order By Reagan
They are Very limited to be given out and you have to FIND the person with the P-Card that has authorized the purchase to go chase down the Payment (This can be a huge Pain)
They are treated like gold because it is the only way the Govt Entity can buy anything
And I've been told by NUMEROUS entities I've sold to that tell me the P - Cards to purchase goods and services for a office, branch, new construction etc etc etc are extremely hard to get one issued to a person and that is why they are rare and they are HEAVILY audited EVERY year.
They are required to fill out paperwork before the purchase is authorized and get the purchase Approved,.
Then that paper and that exact transaction and what is going to be purchased is submitted from that form to a Controller
That Controller then goes through all the other Govt Purchases by that dept in that location and surrounding locations and ensures there are no other duplicate requests for the same material being purchased as well ( and if there is, then you have to go into a WHOLE thing to PROVE the orders with the same materials are for different Jobs or Needs)
Once the Controller is satisfied the purchase is legit they will green light the Purchase and the Form
Then the person can place the Order and they will pay with a P-Card and they must collect and save every single reciept and submit it to match it up with the Preapproved paperwork that was approved before the purchase.
IF the receipt and the Pre approval differ by more than $10. The payment will be canceled and stopped (Have had this happen about 40 times because of Unexpected Freight Cost weren't included in the original Quote). Then had to start the whole process over.
All in all this entire process takes upwards of 4-6 months to do. PRIOR to P-Cards the Govt worked with issuing WRITTEN PO #'s..and this process would take ~ 1 year
Here is step by step guide of how the Govt uses them to purchase Goods and Services for Offices Etc
and in 2008 the GSA implemented Smart 2 Pay software that Monitors all of the P-Card purchases of the Govt and uses an AI like Algorithm to track and Monitor over 100 MILLION P-Card Transactions per Year and it has the ability and authority to lock a card and reject Payments it doesn't like.
for example
Transactions that might raise red flags include purchases made on the weekend or at locations far from an employee's home base, or sales from unusual vendors such as jewelers, liquor stores, sports-ticket outlets or classic car parts dealers. Of course, a human still has to check out specific transactions — for instance, that liquor store purchase might have been a military chaplain buying sacramental wine.
And let me tell you. I spent 17 months Chasing a Payment from a P-Card Holder on a Sale where we had already shipped the Goods, but this Damn computer system flagged it as Suspicious and canceled the Payment and it became the bane of my existence for almost 2 years trying to get it authorized, unblocked and get the funds paid out.
New tactics reduce purchase card fraud | GSA Office of Inspector General
When Bill Webster, an assistant commissioner at the General Services Administration, checked into
Last edited:
mugatu
Ranger
THIS is the type of efficiency that DOGE needs to help with. Want to save money, find a way to reduce the paperwork on simple things without inducing risk of fraud.There is LITERALLY ZERO probelm with this. This IS HOW the Govt works for ALL purchases under $10,000 for Goods or Services. They are done via something called a P-Card or Purchase Card and the US Govt has been using these for at LEAST the last 27 Years that I have been in the Private Sector selling stuff to the US Govt.
IN fact it was all started in 1982 via Executive Order By Reagan
View attachment 9810
They are Very limited to be given out and you have to FIND the person with the P-Card that has authorized the purchase to go chase down the Payment (This can be a huge Pain)
They are treated like gold because it is the only way the Govt Entity can buy anything
And I've been told by NUMEROUS entities I've sold to that tell me the P - Cards to purchase goods and services for a office, branch, new construction etc etc etc are extremely hard to get one issued to a person and that is why they are rare and they are HEAVILY audited EVERY year.
They are required to fill out paperwork before the purchase is authorized and get the purchase Approved,.
Then that paper and that exact transaction and what is going to be purchased is submitted from that form to a Controller
That Controller then goes through all the other Govt Purchases by that dept in that location and surrounding locations and ensures there are no other duplicate requests for the same material being purchased as well ( and if there is, then you have to go into a WHOLE thing to PROVE the orders with the same materials are for different Jobs or Needs)
Once the Controller is satisfied the purchase is legit they will green light the Purchase and the Form
Then the person can place the Order and they will pay with a P-Card and they must collect and save every single reciept and submit it to match it up with the Preapproved paperwork that was approved before the purchase.
IF the receipt and the Pre approval differ by more than $10. The payment will be canceled and stopped (Have had this happen about 40 times because of Unexpected Freight Cost weren't included in the original Quote). Then had to start the whole process over.
All in all this entire process takes upwards of 4-6 months to do. PRIOR to P-Cards the Govt worked with issuing WRITTEN PO #'s..and this process would take ~ 1 year
Here is step by step guide of how the Govt uses them to purchase Goods and Services for Offices Etc
and in 2008 the GSA implemented Smart 2 Pay software that Monitors all of the P-Card purchases of the Govt and uses an AI like Algorithm to track and Monitor over 100 MILLION P-Card Transactions per Year and it has the ability and authority to lock a card and reject Payments it doesn't like.
for example
Transactions that might raise red flags include purchases made on the weekend or at locations far from an employee's home base, or sales from unusual vendors such as jewelers, liquor stores, sports-ticket outlets or classic car parts dealers. Of course, a human still has to check out specific transactions — for instance, that liquor store purchase might have been a military chaplain buying sacramental wine.
And let me tell you. I spent 17 months Chasing a Payment from a P-Card Holder on a Sale where we had already shipped the Goods, but this Damn computer system flagged it as Suspicious and canceled the Payment and it became the bane of my existence for almost 2 years trying to get it authorized, unblocked and get the funds paid out.
New tactics reduce purchase card fraud | GSA Office of Inspector General
When Bill Webster, an assistant commissioner at the General Services Administration, checked intowww.gsaig.gov
When people talk about government being slow and inefficient, this is the kind of thing they are talking about. But the easier it is to do things, the higher the risk of fraud, so it's a tradeoff..
PF5
Sheriff
Trump administration trying to rehire USDA bird flu officials it fired
The cuts come as the virus is wreaking havoc on poultry farms and raising egg prices in the US.
www.bbc.com
just another day in ´Merica...
mugatu
Ranger
Another example of don't just fire randomly without confirming what people do first.Trump administration trying to rehire USDA bird flu officials it fired
The cuts come as the virus is wreaking havoc on poultry farms and raising egg prices in the US.
just another day in ´Merica...
Hope all these people come back with raises for their troubles.
'No such power': Judge blocks Trump's 'unlawful' attempt to fire Biden-appointed member of civil service board
A federal judge on Tuesday reinstated, for now at least, a member of the Merit Systems Protection Board after she sued to regain her position following her removal by President Donald Trump.
On Feb. 10, the 45th and 47th president sent Cathy Harris packing without an explanation. This would-be firing, however, came with a conclusive termination letter that did not offer an explanation.
Under federal law, members of the MSPB are appointees who serve from their appointment until the end of their term unless they are removed “for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.”
In a 21-page memorandum opinion and order, U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras, a Barack Obama appointee, determined that the statute’s three firing mechanisms simply do not cover “differences of political opinion.” Moreover, the court ruled, the federal worker board must maintain a certain level of independence from politics.
At a basic level, the judge credits the words of the originating statute, the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 (CSRA), as fully controlling when it comes to determining how membership on the MSPB pans out.
“Any member may be removed by the President only for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office,” Contreras recites the statute.
In order to determine the extent of what this phrase in the statute means, however, the judge turns to case law.
Here, the removal language in question falls under the purview of a 1935 U.S. Supreme Court case that keeps quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial agencies largely insulated from the whims of the president.
“Because the MSPB falls within the scope of [the high court case], Congress has the power to specify that members of the MSPB may serve for a term of years, with the President empowered to remove those members only for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office,” the court’s order reads. “The President did not indicate that any of these reasons drove his decision to terminate Harris. The Court thus concludes that Harris has demonstrated that she is likely to show her termination as a member of the MSPB was unlawful.”
The work of the MSPB itself is integral to how the court views the removal language in light of precedent.
The court helpfully sums the agency up:
“In enacting the CSRA, Congress exercised its power to regulate the civil service,” the order goes on. “It defined certain prohibited personnel practices, to include discrimination, loyalty oaths, coercion to engage in political activity, and retaliation against whistleblowers.”
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