10 hours ago, BritManToo said:

With the number of foreign terrorist supporters the Biden crew already let in, I can't see it's possible that sacking them will make it any worse!

 

Your hyperbole does not address the current risk crisis. Trump has quite literally allowed unvetted people, some with a past history of impropriety gain access to critical security infrastructure. You don't think it will make it worse, but really have you thought it through? Trump has in effect created a massive security breach  by allowing third party access to critical confidential information.  Russia and China have been given an easy access to the US defense and security infrastructure. 

 

IT workers are some of the most  mentally unstable and immature workers around. Humiliating and insulting them will only encourage some of them to  retaliate in the only way they know how: Sabotage and/or selling secrets to foreign agents. I stand by my belief that the Trump - Musk activity is either a well nuanced foreign plot to gain control of the USA or it will result in the largest security breach in US history that may lead to the downfall of the USA.

 

8 hours ago, MadAtMatrix said:

3.5 billion saved right here

 

Nice chart, but like the $50 million condom story, it is unsubstantiated in its accuracy and is unreliable.

 

4 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

 

I have a great idea. Trump should call back all the American soldiers from around the word. And then he can fire them all, no need anymore.

Bring the American weapons back to America or leave them where they are, whatever is cheaper.

That would save huge amounts of money. And with that money they could try to make America great (again?).

Do it! Few will miss you.

 

Aside from large deployments in Germany and Japan and to a lesser extent, South Korea, the US foreign presence has been greatly reduced and is almost negligible in some regions. The foreign military presence is needed to secure US trade routes and access to critical commodities. Germany serves as a regional base and allows the USA access to critical signals intelligence The USA is not in the Mediterranean and Gulf region because it has a fondness for Arabs. Rather, it likes their oil and wants to have control over oil routes. The USA is in  Japan and South Korea to hold China in check so that China  does not control Asia Pacific.

 

If Trump and Doge were really serious about cutting waste, they would start with closing the redundant military  bases in the USA.  Billions are spent keeping those bases open for no particular reason other than to keep some Republican power brokers happy. Stop subsidizing airports and air travel in areas where there is minimal activity and the USA can easily save a few hundred million $$. The same for agricultural subsidies that support massive corporate farms. Another big waste is on the VA. Apply the same eligibility criteria to all veterans. It is ridiculous that the  veterans  who enlisted prior to September 1980 have unlimited access, while the post 1980 veterans  are subject to the 24 month active service criteria.

 

 

16 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Please start your own thread and tell us about your problems today. Maybe someone will reply. 

You're problem is that you are so much smarter than everybody else and it makes you unhappy.

9 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

 

Let's for a moment assume the above numbers are correct.

Is all the money saved without any consequences?

 

I.e. those 89 Department of Education contracts, did they only exist to waste money? Or was that money spent to make education better? I don't know the answer, but somehow, I imagine it would make sense to look at the details and not just cancel all contracts.

 

Similar for the Department of Agriculture, Health and Human Services, and probably more.

Saving is good. But just cancelling everything is probably not a good idea.

 

 

You have a problem with the above savings. 
 

do you have any problems with this? 
 

likely no problem when you of one of your kids was “forgive

 

 

Chart: How Much of Student Loans Has Biden Canceled? | Statista

 

The Biden-Harris administration today announced the cancelation of another $7.4 billion of federal student debt affecting more than 200,000 borrowers. This brings the total amount of canceled student debt by the administration to $153 billion for around 4 million borrowers. This time around, debt relief will reach debtors enrolled in the SAVE plan, in other income-driven repayment plans and those receiving Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

In July of last year, the Supreme Court had struck down Biden's plan to cancel $430 billion in student loans for around 40 million Americans all at once using the pandemic-era HEROES Act. The administration has meanwhile been chipping away at student debt with smaller cancelations using executive actions and, for example, relief for federal workers, veterans and the disabled. Debt from schools deemed fraudulent was also forgiven. 

The amount canceled by Biden so far is about equal to 9.5 percent of all federal U.S. student debt (which stands at $1.6 trillion), while his previous plan would have been equal to 27 percent. Another bigger effort is again in the works: On Monday, the White House announced another plan which looks at forgiving loans for 30 million people. This time, the administration is targeting those whose balance grew after entering repayment due to payments not covering all of their interest.

11 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

 

From here: https://www.perplexity.ai/search/how-much-taxpayer-s-money-did-fQGMfsBQTySI83uLL3k55A#0

I highlighted the bold.

 

Elon Musk and his companies have received substantial taxpayer support over the years, primarily through government subsidies, contracts, and tax incentives. Here’s a breakdown of the financial assistance Musk's ventures have benefited from:

## Total Government Support
- **Estimated Total**: By 2015, Musk's companies—Tesla, SpaceX, and SolarCity—had received approximately **$4.9 billion** in government subsidies. This figure includes various forms of support such as grants, tax breaks, and environmental credits[1][3][5].
- **Recent Developments**: As of 2024, it has been reported that Musk's companies have secured at least **$15.4 billion** in government contracts over the past decade, with a significant portion coming from NASA and the Department of Defense[4][5].

## Specific Subsidies and Tax Incentives
- **Tesla**: Tesla buyers received around **$3.4 billion** in federal tax credits before the incentive was phased out at the end of 2019. This tax credit allowed Tesla to price its vehicles higher than they might otherwise be priced[5][6].
- **SolarCity**: SolarCity reported receiving **$497.5 million** in direct grants from the U.S. Treasury by 2015, with total receipts estimated to be around **$1.5 billion** when considering various tax incentives for solar installations[3][5].
- **Payroll Benefits**: During the COVID-19 pandemic, Tesla accepted payroll-related benefits from a government stimulus package worth $600 billion, although specific amounts were not disclosed[3].

## Summary
Elon Musk's financial success is significantly intertwined with government support, highlighting a public-private financing model that has been critical for the growth of his companies. The total taxpayer money received by Musk and his enterprises is estimated to be in the range of **$20 billion or more**, combining earlier subsidies with recent government contracts and incentives[1][4][5].

Citations:
[1] https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hy-musk-subsidies-20150531-story.html
[2] https://americansfortaxfairness.org/musks-11-billion-tax-bill-big-news-just-10-wealth-increase-far-year/
[3] https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-list-government-subsidies-tesla-billions-spacex-solarcity-2021-12
[4] https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/20/us/politics/elon-musk-federal-agencies-contracts.html
[5] https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/20/business/elon-musk-wealth-government-help/index.html
[6] https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/14/investing/elon-musk-wealth-taxpayer-support/index.html
[7] https://www.cnbc.com/2024/08/12/musk-embraces-trump-and-scorns-subsidies-but-tesla-still-lobbies-for-us-benefits.html
[8] https://news.yahoo.com/elon-musk-built-wealth-taxpayer-110006010.html

 

Thank you for outing Elon. His insincerity is only topped by his boss. Wait. Who is the real boss? 

10 hours ago, dinsdale said:

Do you sometimes think to yourself @OneMoreFarang that you are losing your capacity for rational thought. Posts such as this would suggest you are.

Come on, I help Trump and Musk to save billions, probably trillions. They should be happy about that.

11 hours ago, dinsdale said:

It's a fair point. The problem on this forum is by some who have a negative fixation disorder on Trump is none of those rich and greedy billionaires on the Democratic side ever get mentioned. It's all Trump Bad. Musk bad.

Can't mention Mr soros

1 minute ago, frank83628 said:

Can't mention Mr Soros

 

 

You just did

Perfect way to wipe out your enemies

 

Trump, where is your Tax papers you promised to show?

 

Trump 2nd term live updates: Musk's DOGE requests access to IRS tax database: Sources

 

 

 

 

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/live-updates/trump-2nd-term-tariffs-trade-war?id=118643360&entryId=118883584&utm_source=sdrn%3Avg%3Aarticle%3AOo1zvb

4 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Perfect way to wipe out your enemies

 

Trump, where is your Tax papers you promised to show?

 

Trump 2nd term live updates: Musk's DOGE requests access to IRS tax database: Sources

 

 

 

 

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/live-updates/trump-2nd-term-tariffs-trade-war?id=118643360&entryId=118883584&utm_source=sdrn%3Avg%3Aarticle%3AOo1zvb

1bn in % on debt each year. They need massive cuts across the board and asap. The previous leaders did nothing incl Trump 1. Trump 2 needs to fix the mess.

7 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

1bn in % on debt each year. They need massive cuts across the board and asap. The previous leaders did nothing incl Trump 1. Trump 2 needs to fix the mess.

Just saying, what Trump's and Elon Team doing now, is a poor executed blueprint of what Putin have been doing in Russia during the last 2  decades, but they are on speed. 

 

Everything Putin have done, Trump try to  do

16 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

1bn in % on debt each year. They need massive cuts across the board and asap. The previous leaders did nothing incl Trump 1. Trump 2 needs to fix the mess.

 

From here: https://www.perplexity.ai/search/how-much-money-does-the-usa-sp-oLxYVt66TkSSJISG1dxphw#0

 

"In 2023, the United States spent approximately $820.3 billion on its military, which accounted for about 13.3% of the entire federal budget for that fiscal year1. However, other sources state the US military spending was around $916 billion in 2023358. The US military spending constituted over 40% of the total military spending worldwide that year8."

 

It would be easy for the USA to save billions of dollars every year - if they wanted to do that.

Imagine they would use some of that military budget for education, medical care, infrastructure, etc. 

 

As his wealth continues to grow Musk seems to be a more obnoxious individual by the day, the last thing in the world he needed was more power and yet due to the horrifically poor Judgment of Trump, that's exactly what he got. But then again he more or less bought the presidency didn't he? So maybe he's the real president. 

Imagine a country has lots of nuclear weapons and lots of people who take care of those weapons.

 

Run by an out of control bureaucracy under a less than attentive leader....

 

Oh wait..

 

That was before 

45 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

As his wealth continues to grow Musk seems to be a more obnoxious individual by the day

 

I guess that is the problem with super rich people who can do whatever they want. Normal behavior is boring. So let's try something extreme. And if that wasn't extreme enough, do it more extreme.

I really wander how Musk will be in a year or 5 years. I am not looking forward to that one.

11 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

I stand by my belief that the Trump - Musk activity is either a well nuanced foreign plot to gain control of the USA or it will result in the largest security breach in US history that may lead to the downfall of the USA.

I agree. The Jewish Lizard People who control Donald Trump on behalf of Putin have finally won.

15 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

I agree. The Jewish Lizard People who control Donald Trump on behalf of Putin have finally won.

 

My concerns  a certainly far more credible than the MAGA enthusiasts claims of "pizzagate" or of the false claims promoted by Kush Patel.   The USA now has multiple dangerous incompetents leading critical departments. The Russians have easy access to the nation's defence. The last line of defence against the  fifth columnists will be the US military command.

On 2/16/2025 at 10:29 AM, Yagoda said:

There is a relationship between Trump actions and the deranged gibbering spitfrothing screeching, and its easy to follow the news therefore.

 

Consider this topic:

 

Trumps Doge Retards Defund Diapers! Tons of babblescreeching ensue.

 

Reality: They just found 25 million dollars being sent to buy diapers for adults who identify as LGBTQPLIUUEE babies in Novi Pazar. The head of the "charity" is Mumgube Kwaane-Mibongo (born Jimmy Wilson), former Baltimore Democrat party chairman, who describes himself as a Blackity black black pansexual with the pronoun El, who pays himself $500,000 a year......

 

 

JC protect me.....🙄

7 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

 

My concerns  a certainly far more credible than the MAGA enthusiasts claims of "pizzagate" or of the false claims promoted by Kush Patel.   The USA now has multiple dangerous incompetents leading critical departments. The Russians have easy access to the nation's defence. The last line of defence against the  fifth columnists will be the US military command.

You trust them? They are all part of ZOG.

On 2/16/2025 at 10:46 AM, save the frogs said:

did any of you anti-doge brigade even bother to check out doge.gov to see which projects they have de-funded?

I'm following the court decisions addressing the cut off of funding.

1 hour ago, Chosenfew said:

You funny

I guess I just do not understand the mind of the left wing socialists in America. Why do they want to waste money on ridiculous projects around the world:

 

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/02/16/usda-axes-millions-contracts-including-230k-brazilian-forest-gender-consultant/

 

Spending millions of dollars on “Central American gender assessment consultant.” What is with this fascination with "Gender" amongst the left wing? Are they not happy with themselves and how they were born? Its as if something genetically is screwed up in their minds. They used to put people like this in institutions now they vote for them for President (Biden/Harris.) America is on the right path with Trump as the new President and Musk at the helm of the new DOGE.

 

 

Now actively backpedaling! What a bunch of clowns! 🤣

 

 

 

"By late Friday night, the agency's acting director, Teresa Robbins, issued a memo rescinding the firings for all but 28 of those hundreds of fired staff members."

DOGE reversal: Firings of US nuclear weapons workers halted

https://www.yahoo.com/news/doge-reversal-firings-us-nuclear-235315700.html

2 hours ago, dutch boy said:

I guess I just do not understand the mind of the left wing socialists in America. Why do they want to waste money on ridiculous projects around the world:

 

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/02/16/usda-axes-millions-contracts-including-230k-brazilian-forest-gender-consultant/

 

Spending millions of dollars on “Central American gender assessment consultant.” What is with this fascination with "Gender" amongst the left wing? Are they not happy with themselves and how they were born? Its as if something genetically is screwed up in their minds. They used to put people like this in institutions now they vote for them for President (Biden/Harris.) America is on the right path with Trump as the new President and Musk at the helm of the new DOGE.

 

In case nobody told you until now, there are only a few hard left crazy LBGTQ*/- activists out there. Most people on the left don't like those activists. Unfortunately, those activists are very loud. And unfortunately, too many people on the left did not early enough speak up against those hard left idiots. I am sure that will change now.

It seems many of the people on the right side of center pretend everybody left of center is a LBGTQ activist. That is incorrect. Is that really so difficult to understand? 

 

 

7 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

 

In case nobody told you until now, there are only a few hard left crazy LBGTQ*/- activists out there. Most people on the left don't like those activists. Unfortunately, those activists are very loud. And unfortunately, too many people on the left did not early enough speak up against those hard left idiots. I am sure that will change now.

It seems many of the people on the right side of center pretend everybody left of center is a LBGTQ activist. That is incorrect. Is that really so difficult to understand? 

 

 

Sadly JK Rowling got unfair treatment for voicing her opinions. Just lunatics the last decadea managed to change the whole political arena.

 

There is a difference between treating individuals equally no matter gender or beliefs, to the political witch hunt in Europe, and other places. 

 

Completely madness, same as transgenders in sports and locker rooms

5 hours ago, dutch boy said:

I guess I just do not understand the mind of the left wing socialists in America. Why do they want to waste money on ridiculous projects around the world:

 

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/02/16/usda-axes-millions-contracts-including-230k-brazilian-forest-gender-consultant/

 

Spending millions of dollars on “Central American gender assessment consultant.” What is with this fascination with "Gender" amongst the left wing? Are they not happy with themselves and how they were born? Its as if something genetically is screwed up in their minds. They used to put people like this in institutions now they vote for them for President (Biden/Harris.) America is on the right path with Trump as the new President and Musk at the helm of the new DOGE.

 

 

If you really are Dutch, you should know that the policies of the left wing socialists in the US are comparable to those of the VVD in the Netherlands. Even the right wing PVV is only in line with maga regarding immigration, his other ideas are far more to the left.

On 2/16/2025 at 8:48 AM, OneMoreFarang said:

Imagine a country has lots of nuclear weapons and lots of people who take care of those weapons.

 

And then there is a billionaire who in his spare time decides to make the country more efficient. Just fire everybody, what could possibly go wrong.

 

US goverment seeks to rehire recently fired nuclear workers

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g3nrx1dq5o

 

Will the POTUS fire those reckless idiots now? Or was it just a minor mistake and nobody really cares?

 

 

*Derogatory nickname edited out*

OMG, since bashing Trump isn't popular anymore you need a new target right?

On 2/15/2025 at 8:48 PM, OneMoreFarang said:

Imagine a country has lots of nuclear weapons and lots of people who take care of those weapons.

 

And then there is a billionaire who in his spare time decides to make the country more efficient. Just fire everybody, what could possibly go wrong.

 

US goverment seeks to rehire recently fired nuclear workers

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g3nrx1dq5o

 

Will the POTUS fire those reckless idiots now? Or was it just a minor mistake and nobody really cares?

 

 

*Derogatory nickname edited out*

Dick,   You look like a nice enough guy but your comment seems more like a "Trump and Elon live in my head 24 7" Knee Jerk comment.  When's the last time you were in America?  Do you know enough, first hand, to intelligently comment?  I think not. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Gj92LRIa4AAVw7p?format=png&name=small

8 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

 

My concerns  a certainly far more credible than the MAGA enthusiasts claims of "pizzagate" or of the false claims promoted by Kush Patel.   The USA now has multiple dangerous incompetents leading critical departments. The Russians have easy access to the nation's defence. The last line of defence against the  fifth columnists will be the US military command.

 

 

Your concern has been read.

 

So your a Pete Hegseth kind of guy too.

 

Oohrah!

15 minutes ago, ignore it said:

Your concern has been read.

So your a Pete Hegseth kind of guy too.

Oohrah!

 

Hegseth has a history of infidelity and of embracing white supremacist positions. One does not  tattoo white supremacists symbols and catchphrases on oneself if one is not a sympathizer or holder of such views. The US military is approx. 46% non white and has approx. 18% women in its personnel. If he pushes his misogynistic and race views he may alienate some of these people, many of whom  perform critical tasks. The US military has a  labour shortage, particularly in the skilled trades and technical support. Women form a key component of those two activities. Visible minorities are a critical component of  frontline combat personnel.

Hegseth has many character faults and weaknesses. He is not the most appropriate person for Secretary of Defense and certainly not up to the level as William Perry, Robert Gates and Richard Cheney were.