Also saw on Saturday Night Live that trump no longer interested in takeover of Panama Canal. He is now interested in taking over Thailand as he watched an episode of White Lotus and liked what he saw there.
from the "on the job training" thread, https://bbs.clutchfans.net/threads/on-the-job-training-its-a-business.325696/add-reply https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/02/24/musk-doge-usaid-cuts-dc/ [op/ed]The blinding contempt of the DOGE bros Takeover of USAID: Elon Musk's "DOGE" (Department of Government Efficiency) initiative, led by young, inexperienced tech enthusiasts, targeted USAID shortly after Donald Trump's inauguration. Humiliating Treatment of Staff: The DOGE team, particularly Luke Farritor and Gavin Kliger, treated USAID staff with contempt, disrupting established processes and sidelining experienced professionals. Disruption of Aid Programs: The DOGE team's actions led to the delay or cancellation of critical aid programs, affecting vulnerable populations worldwide (Ukraine, Syria, HIV in Africa). Techno-Chauvinism: The author argues that Musk's approach is rooted in a Silicon Valley belief that engineers are superior problem-solvers and that government employees are incompetent. Misunderstanding of Government: The article emphasizes that government agencies operate with checks and balances to ensure integrity, unlike corporations focused solely on profit. Musk's team disregards these fundamental differences. Questionable Methods: The author questions whether Musk's goals (streamlining government) justify the disrespectful and disruptive methods employed by DOGE. Potential for Reversal: The author suggests that DOGE's actions may face legal challenges and that their "blitzkrieg" approach to government reform is unlikely to be sustainable. Hot Takes: "...A couple of my interns can do this better than all of you." - the perceived arrogance and disrespect of Musk and his team. "Meanwhile, AIDS clinics shuttered and staff found themselves stranded in unstable countries such as Congo. A pregnant woman in an undisclosed country has sued the Trump administration because she was denied a medevac helicopter. In another case, I was told, an employee in southern Africa who needed chemotherapy was also denied a chopper because no one would authorize the money." - the real-world consequences of DOGE's actions. "A $50 billion agency...is now tightly controlled by a handful of 20-something software engineers who have never worked a day in government." - the perceived absurdity of the situation. "Posting on X, Musk said it was time for USAID to die and crowed about feeding it to a wood chipper. It’s impossible to overstate the level of his contempt." - Musk's extreme disdain for the agency. "...making some of the foremost experts in their fields prostrate themselves before a couple of grad-school-level coders who probably couldn’t find Congo on a map?" - the DOGE team's lack of relevant experience "Humiliating career public servants isn’t some accidental byproduct of the quest for efficiency. It seems to be the point of the exercise." - the DOGE initiative is motivated by malice rather than genuine reform?
For the posters here who believe that the federal workforce has become bloated with waste over time. The bloat is with private contracts, not federal workers.
Yes... DOGE already existed, which is the irony of creating another entity in the name of efficiency. Congress though needs to be the one to fix the priorities and they haven't to this point.
