Early in his third presidential campaign, Donald Trump vowed to establish a “Truth and Reconciliation Commission” to “declassify and publish all documents on Deep State spying, censorship, and abuses of power.” The phrase “Truth and Reconciliation” recalls bodies established to investigate abuses by toppled Communist regimes such as East Germany’s, or the former apartheid government of South Africa. The framing suggests that Trump views the entire past decade, from “Russiagate” to the “lawfare” cases entangling himself and his advisers, as the fruits of an illegitimate regime that threw the rule of law out the window.

This interpretation of recent history, surely viewed as partisan by Trump’s opponents, will be tested by the facts, once they become better known and documented. But the president-elect’s suggestion that the workings of the U.S. government must be more transparent is long overdue. //

It is high time for a serious overhaul of classification procedures, with the appointment of a presidential “task force” of the kind suggested in the Classification Reform for Transparency Act (which still awaits passage). President Obama’s Executive Order 13526 of 2009 limited classification times for ordinary records to 10 years and established a cap of 25 years for more sensitive files. But the nine telltale “exemptions” were left in place, allowing security agencies to continue stonewalling — while adding massively to the vault of our nation’s secrets.

If we streamline exemptions to a few simple categories such as “sources at risk,” private data of living citizens, and military-technological and trade secrets and shorten classification to a single presidential term of four years (e.g., to prevent an opposition party from mining recent presidential files for use in election campaigns), we could exponentially reduce the expense of classification going forward and restore public trust in Washington, D.C. — not least by putting a healthy fear into our public servants that they cannot abuse their powers and get away with it.

Meanwhile, why not declassify all U.S. government files more than 25 years old? If a strict exemption threshold is met, government agencies could still redact personal data or trade or military secrets — but the files themselves should be opened. Rather than require citizens and historians to pry information out of Washington via FOIA applications, the burden of classification should be placed where it belongs — on the government.

Files should be open to the public unless otherwise specified, not secret by default. We the people have a right to know what our government does in our name, and to know our own history.

The analyst claimed during a discussion with the Committee and the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government that the Foreign Influence Task Force (FITF) division of the FBI was using the tool to "search open-source databases about content indicative of criminal conduct."

“According to the analyst’s testimony, the FBI uses this tool to monitor social media posts by users, regardless of whether the users are American citizens or foreign actors, to search for ‘content indicative of criminal conduct,'” Jordan wrote. //

House Judiciary Committee Republicans posted a copy of the letter on X asking, "Was the FBI using a software tool to spy on you during election season?"

"Seems like it," they concluded. //

Americans will recognize this example of the FBI spreading its tentacles of election interference into social media and squeezing the hell out of free speech as the norm, not an exception.

They tipped the scales of the 2020 presidential election by intimidating Facebook and Twitter (now X) to censor stories regarding the New York Post's bombshell Hunter Biden laptop story.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg dropped jaws by admitting Facebook throttled information about the laptop scandal in the days leading up to that election thanks in part to the FBI coming to them with a message having all the subtleties of a mob boss meeting.

I look forward to Elon and Vivek making changes to the Federal Bureaucracy with an eye on efficiency and, at the same time, making life better for all Americans. Importantly, we will drive out the massive waste and fraud which exists throughout our annual $6.5 Trillion Dollars of Government Spending. They will work together to liberate our Economy, and make the U.S. Government accountable to “WE THE PEOPLE.” Their work will conclude no later than July 4, 2026 - A smaller Government, with more efficiency and less bureaucracy, will be the perfect gift to America on the 250th Anniversary of The Declaration of Independence. I am confident they will succeed!

The US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit summarily vaporized 46 years of Federal environmental regulations. Writing in a case called Marin Audubon Society, et al v. FAA, et al, the majority of a three-judge panel ruled that the Council on Environmental Quality, a cabal inside the Executive Office of the President charged with ensuring that National Environmental Protection Act requirements are interpreted uniformly across the federal government, had illegally used the Federal Register to publish that guidance thereby giving citizens, agencies, and even the courts the impression that their internal guidance had the authority of law. //

The CEQ regulations, which purport to govern how all federal agencies must comply with the National Environmental Policy Act, are ultra vires.

Ultra vires means the CEQ was acting "beyond the legal scope of it authority."

The court goes on to detail the shenanigans by which an advisory body with no regulatory authority was able to write environmental regulations for the entire United States for nearly a half-century just because it decided it could.

Making the case even more awesome is that it was set off by enviro-wackos suing the FAA for allowing sightseeing flights near some national parks. The enviros claimed the FAA used the wrong standard established by the CEQ to permit the flight. They ended up being right in a backhanded kind of way. //

frylock234
13 hours ago
I love the smell of bureaucracy burning in the morning. Which windows do I leave open to enjoy that scent? Do you think Mrs. Walz would know?

During the response to Hurricane Helene, there were numerous stories of late or nonexistent federal response to heavily Republican areas in western North Carolina. //

Despite this driving the "fact checkers" bonkers, the allegation clearly merits revisiting.

As I posted Saturday, the odds of a low-level part-time FEMA employee creating a policy to deprive Trump supporters of federal assistance and violate federal law in the process seem remote. The fact that Trump supporters were refused federal aid in Florida and that Trump had heard about the same happening in North Carolina suggests a more comprehensive FEMA policy aimed at displacing Trump supporters either for purposes of the 2024 election or to destroy conservative communities permanently.

Firing Marn'i Washington looks and smells like a cover-up. //

Political-Paige
14 hours ago
My family has a home in WNC, and we've been actively involved in purchasing & trucking in supplies, organizing distribution centers, & getting critical needs to trapped & suffering residents.
We've been doing it for over a month.
On the ground. Daily.
I can tell you that, outside of deep, deep Blue Asheville, FEMA has been nowhere. They've done nothing. Unless you're a Dem voter, you were just left -- I mean this literally -- to die.
ALL of the rescues were by private groups. ALL of the donations outside Asheville were by private groups. ALL of the donations that actually got to anyone were the ones that avoided FEMA confiscation. ALL of the on-going efforts --- the supplies, the housing, the road clearing, the cadaver dogs --- are still by private groups.
If you think this one leftist lunatic punishing Trump supporters in FL is a scandal, I invite you to talk to the residents of WNC.
She's the tip of a very ugly iceberg.

Deplorable Extraordinarius Political-Paige
12 hours ago
There’s an old saying that personnel is policy. I’m skeptical that we’ll find the memo that directed this or that a whistleblower will come forward who will indict people higher up. But I’m absolutely of the belief that the Deep State very much hires for political orientation. A little joke followed by a wink and nod during the interview process is all it takes. And then you get the same thing we saw during the 2020 election. Hundreds of operatives who all believe they are bravely resisting fascism by working against Trump and his supporters. And who, precisely, do we have to thank for this? The MSM and the educational establishment. Time to push back against their BS and go after the root cause. //

frylock234 Political-Paige
13 hours ago
That squares with what I've been hearing from someone I know a bit who's gone in to WNC with an aid group and who has been on the ground there helping. //

anon-fjor
12 hours ago
We live here in Bat Cave, NC. FEMA was no help. Actually, they were a hinderance, proving once again the 9 scariest words you'll ever hear: "we're from the Government and we're here to help." Everything Political-Paige said is true. Here's some news that you might not have heard .....all the people that came here to help were all volunteers from all over and every one of them that we worked with was armed. Order was kept. There were a few instances of looting or attempted looting but they were thwarted. Thank you all for helping us. You're loved and we thank GOD we live in America. MAGA forever. //

Pittiemom anon-fjor
4 hours ago
The Cajun Navy, the Mule Packers, the WV coal miners and so many more citizens have brought help and hope to so many forgotten folks, and they’ve saved lives. I have NO doubt that all the horror stories we have heard about FEMA’s actions in NC are true. //

wvcitizen
11 hours ago
The Samaritans Purse and other volunteers took over from FEMA. Proud WV coal miners made a road in a week that the bureaucrats said it would take a year. Volunteers flew in supplies and a mule train took supplies to stranded people. Meanwhile, the volunteers got rotor washed by National Guard helicopters. The people in East Palestine are still suffering from the disaster. FEMA appears to be another agency for a complete makeover and cost reduction.

anon-ybry wvcitizen
8 hours ago
Just cost reduction. To zero. //

ConservativeInMinnesota
9 hours ago
It takes a rampant culture of corruption for leaders to openly tell their staff to commit felonies. Something like that doesn't happen in isolation. There needs to be an investigation by the OIG to see how widespread this corruption is. How many people were deprived of their rights? //

anon-cdoc
8 hours ago
First - one of the things that absolutely fascinates me about Donald Trump is his ability to come up with something that seems far-fetched/conspiratorial, etc., then the next thing you know - IT'S TRUE!!!

Second - there is not a question in my mind that the federal workers/Biden administration would do this. I have never seen an administration so willing to punish 'the other side' as this administration. Not so blatantly... //

BJW WE did it 😂‼️
13 hours ago
Knowing Biden and who heads FEMA, would it even be much of a surprise? We all SAW and learned from friends or family in the area of the invisible FEMA workers. Thanks to Samaritans Purse and Trump and Musk and NONE from the D governor, people got help asap. NO thanks to FEMA, washed out bridges were not repaired even temporarily, whole communities were cut off totally from any help. Thanks to medical personnel ON HORSES some help got out while FEMA did what? Is it so out there to think this Marn'I Washington, AKA Mary Ann Adams, RN, was just acting in her own hate? No one questioned the order! As if it was just business as usual. //

anon-201n
12 hours ago
In the last 60 years, the Democrat party has gone from seemingly helping the common man to dictating what all should follow. The GOP, in contrast, has changed from the country club supporters (Rockefeller republicans) to helping the common person. The Democrats constantly tell us what to think and what policies the masses should support. The authoritarian streak in the Dems now is pretty frightening. This FEMA incident, plus many of the Obama/Biden administration, are so typical of this Dem mindset. And to that mindset, Trump is a real threat so hence the unhinged responses to his win.

Daily Wire @realDailyWire
·
EXCLUSIVE: Internal messages obtained by The Daily Wire show a FEMA official ordered relief workers in Florida not to help houses with Trump signs
4:28 PM · Nov 8, 2024. //

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell announced the firing of a FEMA manager who ordered her staff not to assist residents displaying flags or yard signs supporting President-elect Donald Trump's campaign. Using a Saturday afternoon message on the social media platform "X," formerly known as Twitter, Criswell acknowledged the veracity of the report that first appeared in the Daily Wire (see OUTRAGE: FEMA Workers Working Hurricane Milton Aftermath Ordered to Bypass Houses With Trump Signs). This follows a report that the responsible official was "removed" from their position on Friday. //

Firing is a necessary but not sufficient step.

First, this announcement does not appear on FEMA's website in any form other than a tweet. It seems to me that this should rate some sort of an official statement.

Second, Washington's message does not give the impression that she came up with it independently. In my opinion, it looks very much like a safety briefing she took down at a meeting.

Third, firing her and referring the case to the Office of Special Counsel looks more like an exercise in butt-covering and scapegoating than concern about her actions.

Fourth, while her actions may be viewed as just the petty tyranny we've come to expect from a highly politicized federal bureaucracy, depriving citizens of federal assistance because they supported a major party candidate is a violation of multiple federal laws. FEMA seems to be attempting to appear to take action until the heat dies down. Fortunately, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis isn't going along to get along. //

At a minimum, all staff working under her supervisory chain need to be questioned about the instructions they received. It is entirely possible that Washington was the only team leader dim enough to write down and disseminate something meant to be unsaid. In fact, it is unbelievable that this was not FEMA policy in that area. A thorough investigation that results in firing everyone involved with this policy is not enough. Asses need to go to jail. //

Dutchsinse @RealDutchsinse
·
In their own words this is illegal Mr. Desantis .. see here!!!! https://dhs.gov/civil-rights-emergencies-and-disasters

Political discrimination during disasters is also covered under the law confirmed. Screenshot from DHS site directly attached.
5:12 AM · Nov 9, 2024

What government does for anyone, it must do for everyone or it must do for no one. That's a pretty good, basic principle of good government; sadly, it's not always handled that way, and a bureaucrat with a political agenda can hurt a lot of people.

Case in point: On Friday we reported on the case of a FEMA supervisor who, in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton's damaging pass across Florida, ordered aid workers to bypass homes bearing Trump signs or flags. This was called a "best practice.". //

We can now report that the supervisor in question has been "removed from the role." //

This is an unforgivable breach of trust. In any disaster recovery operation like this, bypassing any citizens because of their political affiliation should be dealt with more harshly than just "removing them" from the role - dismissal would be indicated, right? //

[James Comer] "FEMA admits this happened but doesn’t say if the bureaucrat responsible has been fired," the House Oversight Committee wrote on X. "Democrats relentlessly defend the rules that insulate unelected bureaucrats from accountability and make it nearly impossible to fire bad employees. This is why we need President Trump’s reforms to make bureaucrats accountable." //

SWA ct
13 minutes ago
A DEI hire, she needs more than a reassignment. A nice term In Federal Prison is a good place to start. And all the ones that obeyed her illegal orders need to be fired.

“For all you stupid f*cks out there that still believe military service will be voluntary. Remember Germany 1936.” //

Selective Service @SSS_gov
·
Yesterday an inappropriate X post related to a mandatory draft was reposted on the Selective Service Agency’s X account. We are investigating this incident to determine how this happened and are proactively taking steps to prevent this from happening in the future. The reposted… Show more
10:25 AM · Nov 7, 2024. //

DaveGinOly in reply to inspectorudy. | November 7, 2024 at 4:17 pm
A POTUS’ authority to conduct the business of the United States (executive authority) is delegated down the chain of command. A POTUS can rescind that authority from any non-compliant agency, agency office, agency official, or employee. Those so divested of authority to act in the stead of the POTUS would no longer be able to access government networks or classified documents, authorize spending/purchasing, nor to conduct any government business. They will still be employed, they will still be paid. But they will only be able to twiddle their thumbs. Congress will have no say in this. An attempt to meddle with the POTUS’ authority to grant/rescind delegations of executive authority would be a violation of the separation of powers. //

CommoChief in reply to inspectorudy. | November 7, 2024 at 4:44 pm
Yep. Reassigned to Ice Station Zebra in the Arctic Circle to help count snowflakes as part of an ‘interagency TF’. They can always resign instead….

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this new report involves the FBI sources who admit that they're worried about Elon Musk coming in and cleaning house as well.

Trump made a campaign promise vowing to create a government efficiency commission to audit the entire federal government. Musk would reportedly lead the effort.

One source tells the Times that cutting waste at the FBI will naturally lead to a massive reduction in staff, because the waste is everywhere in this partisan cesspool.

“When he tries to do efficiency at headquarters, the place is going to have five people … if he’s talking about a lot of dead weight,” they said, according to Picket.

“Try to find a person that’s actually working,” they continued, suggesting the FBI is clearly "bloated." //

pat
17 minutes ago
Those that agree to testify about FBI corruption, malfeasance and misfeasance and bring receipts, can stay.

Graham Allen @GrahamAllen_1
·
This was the greatest interview EVER!

JOE ROGAN: “Did you just float out the idea of getting rid of income taxes and replacing it with tariffs? — Were you serious about that?”

DONALD TRUMP: “Sure, why not?”

8:26 AM · Oct 26, 2024 //

Trump went into American political history to explain why tariffs are a better source of government revenue than a system such as an income tax on citizens. The American Founders agreed.

They debated and soundly rejected a federal income tax system, opting instead in 1789 to institute an ad valorem tariff on “all articles of foreign manufacture” as the sole mechanism for funding the federal government. The Tariff Revenue Act of 1789 was the very first law on the books of the very first Congress. That’s why a constitutional amendment was required in 1913 just to make an income tax system legal in this country. //

The income tax system has fueled a monstrous expansion of federal power and created a military-industrial complex that is insatiable in its quest for control of global resources to keep itself in power. This complex seeks to destroy the last vestiges of our Founding system in favor of a globalist “New World Order” and will destroy or even kill anyone who stands in its way — including Trump.

Tariffs Mind America’s Business
Our founders, by contrast, sought not an empire, but a peaceful commercial republic. Our national purpose was to avoid at all costs foreign entanglements that made us vulnerable to the whims of foreign powers.

The tariff revenue system, they reasoned, achieved that. It also met their two major domestic objectives: 1) it was sufficient to obtain the annual revenue for a very limited but fully functional federal government, and 2) it is by far the least oppressive option for Americans.

Indiana's Constitution includes a list of officials who could temporarily become governor in the event the position is vacant due to death or other inability to serve. This list is called the line of succession.

This fall, voters will see Public Question #1 on the ballot, which asks Hoosiers to update the line of succession.

The Indiana Constitution currently lists seven officials in the line of succession:

1. Lieutenant Governor
2. Speaker of the House
3. Senate President Pro Tempore
4. State Treasurer
5. State Auditor
6. Secretary of State
7. State Superintendent of Public Instruction

The language listing the State Superintendent in the line of succession is left over from the era when Indiana had an elected State Superintendent, but now the governor appoints the head of the Department of Education in the same way other heads of agencies and departments are appointed.

Since Indiana no longer elects a State Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the position no longer exists, Public Question #1 proposes removing this office from the line of succession for the governor's office. This proposed amendment leaves the other six offices in the line of succession the same as they are today and ensures that every person serving in the emergency line of succession for governor is someone who has been publicly elected by Hoosiers.

But since when did Democrats become pro-war? Why would they defend someone like Liz Cheney, who ostensibly represented everything they claim to despise?

The answer is simple: They only pretend to be antiwar when it suits them. If they can score a few cheap political points against their most hated political opponent, they will welcome every single bloodthirsty warmonger with open arms. //

GreenLanternMD
2 hours ago
I remember reading that, after Clinton was elected following 12 years of Reagan and Bush, one leftist looked out on some troops and said, “Those are ours now,” and realizing that they really weren’t really antiwar at all. In the same sense, leftists hated the CIA and FBI until they were in charge.

The upshot is that leftists and neocons are authoritarians, more alike than different, consolidating behind Harris and (God forbid) Walz, while the free speech, antiwar, and now MAHA Democrats and MAGA Republicans and embracing a more skeptical paleolibertarian view of government. It’s a realignment that has needed to happen for a century.

Appalachian Liberty
@Liberty_Xtreme
·
Follow
A group of coal miners from West Virginia have finished building a road from Big Chimney in under a week.

A road that North Carolina Government Officials said would take several months to a year for them to do. #appalachianstrong
4:45 AM · Oct 26, 2024. //

Men doing the work. Celebrities doing the complaining. The contrast cannot be clearer. I admit that I don’t know the politics of those West Virginians, and I don’t know who they are voting for president, but I think I can make an educated guess. Is there any doubt that an EPA hack will step in soon and demand that the Big Chimney terrain be returned to a mass of boulders because the coal miners didn't pull permits and didn't get an environmental study? //

NavyVet Blue State Deplorable
7 hours ago
I don't think EPA will try to do anything; they see the Trump Train a'coming down the track, so they are too busy scrambling and trying to burrow in somewhere. The last thing they want to do is make public asses of themselves right now.

Joe Swyers
12 hours ago
The following was written by Robert Teesdale decades ago.
I've not found it again on the net, yet. Maybe others here more adept at internet sleuthing
So I post it in full here. Please pass it along.
Maybe the censors got to it -- and you will see why when you read it.

Coming Trials
There are moments when one is chilled... when one feels the truth of a spoken word, or a gesture - or when one hears with the heart, and not merely with the imperfection of the ears.
Such a moment came to pass in my own life, many years ago.
It was a lingering summer in southern Ohio, hot and dusty and lazy in the dying afternoon. I sat in a small-town barbershop, having my hair cut and trading quiet conversation with the locals.
The conversation turned to hunting, and then to guns - and as always, to the inherent rights of our people which have always been held as a bulwark against the natural tyranny of Men.
We discussed the latest gun-control laws, and how they infringed upon those same rights. We spoke of the anger we each felt. Of the simple wrongness of it, and of the consequences of this progression.
Our words were carefully chosen - for even then, before the ascension of William Clinton to the presidency and the disgusting abrogations of freedom that followed - we were aware that such talk amongst the People was not approved of.
It was dangerous, we knew. Seditious. Militias ran amok, and the force of the law waited with eager anticipation to intervene.
Young and old, we sat there. Talking. Sharing our thoughts quietly... and asking each other where it was leading.
Someone said with a shake of the head, "I don't like where this is headed." We all nodded agreement... and then I sat in sorrowed fear as I heard the next words spoken.
An old man, sitting in a leather-and-steel chair by the entrance, leaned over and spat grimly into the dust of the Midwest that blew gently along the road outside. His words were cold, and contained a sad and unmistakable finality.
"It's coming," he said.
We all fell silent.
....

Our people are marching in the streets, demanding justice - and demanding that our rights be respected, lest they be defended by more than merely passionate arguments.
Men are no longer afraid to speak their minds. The power of fear that was held over those who dared to give voice to their patriotism has subsided... and now it is openly asked in our homes, in our shops and in our places of work.
What will happen when that line is crossed?
For there is no longer any question that it has been drawn... and no longer a question of whether to draw it was right.
In this day, when I speak to people and hear their words... when I look into their eyes and take their hands in my own - the question is no longer if revolution is possible, or if it could be done.
The questions now are how...
...and who will lead.
I fear for our nation.
For we stand at the brink. And those who bring us there, with a blind faith in their own special privilege and a dismissive contempt for the rights of the People - ignore the fearful resolve that burns within the breasts of millions of souls that will not acquiesce.
Our nation is not immune to civil war. It is not immune to the deadly and horrific strife of citizen against citizen... of brother against brother, of fathers leading sons against cousins.
There are ninety million firearm owners in America. Such a serpent should bear respecting... rather than used as a convenient scapegoat for the hypocritical lashes of those who seek to rule this nation.
And how close are we?
I see leaders arising. And rather than exhorting men to action, I see them working desperately to pacify.
I do not see them urging the loading of rifles... but rather a waiting, and a pleading for more patience and faith in the power of the vote to preserve our freedom.
I see them working to prevent bloodshed, not to instigate it. And this ominous sight fills me with foreboding.
We are not trying to create a revolution.
We are trying to stop one.
I hope that old man was wrong.
But in my heart, a sorrowed chill lingers.

I would suggest that the primary reason why so many of us are stressed out about politics is because the federal government has become so bloated, so intrusive into our lives, that it matters quite a bit which politicians are in charge at a given time. The people we elect can determine whether we can carry a firearm, consume a substance, be sent to war, or be victimized by violent criminals.

Indeed, if a disaster like the COVID-19 pandemic hits, we have to worry about whether our elected officials will push for onerous lockdown orders or impose mandates requiring us to choose between a vaccine or being able to make a living.

This is all because the federal government has expanded much further than the framers of the Constitution would have desired. We have an overabundance of laws that cannot even be reliably counted because they are so plentiful.

What if we could wave a magic wand and cut the government down to about half its size? Yes, that would still be too much government for my tastes, but it would be far better than what we have right now. If the government were smaller and weaker, then decisions over who should be running it would matter far less than they do now because the state would not have as much power to affect our lives.

Less government would amount to less stress because we are freer to live as we see fit without Big Brother looking over our shoulders. The fact that almost two-thirds of the populace is stressed about the upcoming election highlights the real issue we should be facing: The federal government is far too powerful, and until this changes, we will continue to be stressed about who occupies the White House and Capitol building.

There’s going to be a presidential election in a couple weeks, but few think that we’ll know for sure the next president on November 5—what used to be known, quaintly, as “Election Day.”

Most likely, it’s going to be weeks, maybe even months, before we see a victor. And here’s a prediction: The Sturm und Drang will come in five phases: litigation, negotiation, discreditation, devolution, and then, monetization. I can explain.

Elon Musk has been going all-in to stump for former President Donald Trump.

He was in Pennsylvania this weekend doing a town hall in Harrisburg. He covered a lot of topics including one not touched upon enough: that there's too much focus on a college education as a path to success. //

I think the value of a college education is somewhat overweighted. Too many people spend four years, accumulate a ton of debt and often don't have useful skills that they can apply afterwards.

I have a lot of respect for people who work with their hands and we need electricians and plumbers and carpenters and that's a lot more important than having incremental political science majors.

I think we should not have this idea that in order to be successful you need a four year college degree.//

He also spoke about the problems presented by "the Machine" that we must defeat.

Kamala is just a puppet, if the teleprompter breaks, she doesn't know what to say. I just call it "The Machine'" When the Biden puppet was not working out, they got a new puppet. It's all the same machine. It's undemocratic what was done to Biden. It's bizarre to claim Trump is a danger to democracy when what happened to Biden was entirely undemocratic. Yeah, so, it doesn't make sense. //

Elon Musk @elonmusk
·
Tomorrow, I will tell the story of how SpaceX was forced by the government to kidnap seals, put earphones on them and play sonic boom sounds to see if they seemed upset

Colin Wright @SwipeWright
This story of strangulation by over-regulation from @elonmusk about the government requiring @SpaceX to asses whether their rockets could potentially hit SHARKS and WHALES is side-splittingly hilarious. 🤣
Embedded video
3:55 AM · Oct 20, 2024. //

GreenLanternMD
an hour ago edited
This isn’t at all about enforcing regulations, it’s about using them to control and obstruct whatever government employees don’t want to happen based on their personal and political beliefs. The government is the bad neighbor who’s been elected president of your HOA. //

EMCM(SS)
an hour ago
A “Department of Government Efficiency” will fix nothing. It will become another layer in the bureaucracy preventing anything from getting done. The system is the problem.
We don’t need government efficiency, we need government elimination. //

CaptainCall EMCM(SS)
an hour ago
It will create a thousand jobs for attorneys who will be lined up to sue every time a job is cut or an agency impacted. The only way it works is if the Rs win both houses and commit to cutting funding on the recommendations of the DGE, and that ain't gonna happen. //

mopani EMCM(SS)
2 minutes ago edited
First, every government entity needs to have a sunset clause.

Second, Trump has got to remove "baseline budgeting" (where next year's budget is based on whether the agency spent all of last year's budget, then adds a percentage increase) and go back to zero based budgeting, where every agency budget is zeroed and they have to itemize and justify their budget needs every year.

Additionally, those budgets then have to be adjusted government-wide to fit projected revenue for the coming fiscal year. And if the projection is too high and revenue is lower, then every department gets their budgets cut proportionally to fit revenue.

That will keep them busy fighting among themselves and free up the rest of us to get on with our lives.

It will keep them fighting among themselves and free up the rest of us to get on with our lives.

A recent report chronicles the struggles of a handful of federal employees as they learn to cope with the reality that Donald Trump just might win the election.

It is unintentionally one of the funniest things you're going to read this election cycle.

POLITICO covered the group heralding from various government agencies as they came to terms with the fact that their jobs might be on the line if Trump defeats Kamala Harris. They suggest a new administration would be "vindictive" and eliminate their jobs. As such, they prep for the inevitability.

A large portion of these federal workers are fleeing the EPA, transferring to departments that won't be as target-rich for a Trump administration eager to eliminate waste and over-spending.

But the outlet also gets down into the weeds, noting one couple who is being forced to put off buying a new car and making home renovations because they're worried about their jobs. //

It's practically an ad in the making for the Trump campaign.

“We have stopped doing any money-spending things because what if we’re without jobs in the next year?” one Interior employee tells POLITICO. “We need all the savings we can get.”

Gosh, that really resonates with the average American who has had to 'stop doing money-spending things' for four years, just so they could afford gas to drive to their two jobs and then pick up a scaled-down list of groceries that their family has to ration on the way home. //

mopani Liberty Oak Tree
a few seconds ago
DC needs to be decentralized. And give the federal lands to the states, put the BLM out of work!

When the government is this big, this overbearing, this out of control, the opportunities for graft likewise grow out of control too - and the attraction to people who are seeking that kind of graft grows out of control along with it.

That's where you get the federal government sending almost $400k to a Chinese company for one magic bus and that same company shoveling campaign contributions to the politicians who made the funding happen.

One hand washes the other. //

Chelan Jim
an hour ago
Electric buses are having issues. An article from Government Technology (govtech.com) on March 2024:

The director of the New York Association for Pupil Transportation said 20 out of 100 electric school buses are down on any given day, due to problems with the buses or with their charging devices.

The article goes on to say:

Traditional diesel buses, for instance, have a failure rate of 1 or 2 percent, meaning that out of a fleet of 100 buses, one or two would be down for repairs on a given day, said David Christopher, executive director

And the electric buses cost about $100,000 more per bus.

Many of the residents we spoke with lost their homes to landslides and flooding during Hurricane Helene.

The Daily Signal asked people a simple question: “What do you want to say to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris?”

An overwhelming majority said that they are frustrated that the U.S. government is spending billions of dollars abroad instead of helping American citizens first.

Frank Butera, a business owner in Lake Lure, said, “It’s nice that you’re helping the illegal immigrants, but it’s time to help us people that paid taxes all our life.”