patrick.net

BTW, Musk companies got north of $138B in government subsidies over the yers. It can be argued that it was necessary to get them off the ground, but now It's time to pay that back. We are hurting and need every penny. GM did pay back the bailout money, so Elon must too. In the spirit of government efficiency.

Fuck, the US gub'ment paid Boeing how many billions for the SLS that still can't fully complete a manned mission (ground to orbit and return) after 10 years of funding. Where's the refund here?

@patrick - botnet alert ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Interesting. Hard to tell who's a real person these days.

Could just be a disgruntled leftist.

Patrick says

Interesting. Hard to tell who's a real person these days.

Could just be a disgruntled leftist.

they do have a point, so far lots of noise, will have to see actual results. illegals still selling oranges on the corner here, inflation still climbing, wars still going, Trump back threatening more sanctions, no one been prosecuted or charged with anything, trannies have more rights than you and I. Government deficits still high, everything Trump wants to do will only add to deficit.

they need to raise interest rates like 3x to stop inflation, but they won’t because RE will take a dump. they aren’t deporting or making it illegal to hire illegals. Trump is threatening Russia again trying to force a deal. situation has not improved.

https://nitter.poast.org/DOGE/status/1897864793526001823#m

FuckTheMainstreamMedia says

Careful here, as Bernie may reply "You keep exposing fraud and I may outlive you."

https://nitter.poast.org/bog_beef/status/1898120691024625731#m

Patrick says

https://nitter.poast.org/bog_beef/status/1898120691024625731#m

How does Washington DC have a GDP? That chart looks more like a per capita income.

Patrick says

https://nitter.poast.org/bog_beef/status/1898120691024625731#m

It doesn't make sense to me either.

HeadSet says

How does Washington DC have a GDP? That chart looks more like a per capita income.

Consulting firms, and Law firms and Sign printers all work for money.

There's a rumor that every criminal defense lawyer in (former) DC is booked solid.

Would a government shutdown also suspend DOGE?

AmericanKulak says

Would a government shutdown also suspend DOGE?

no, they aren’t paid by government

https://www.coffeeandcovid.com/p/sanity-day-monday-march-10-2025-c

“DOGE says $312M in loans were given to children during COVID pandemic.”

Yesterday, DOGE announced discovering that in 2020 and 2021, the SBA awarded over 5,600 forgivable loans (totaling $312 million dollars) to extraordinary borrowers whose only listed owner was 11 years old or younger at the time of the loan. Kiddie loans. Those immature borrowers also all used social security numbers with the wrong names, just saying.

On top of that, the efficiency agency also reported that the SBA issued 3,095 other loans ($333 million) to industrious borrowers over 115 years old. One wonders how many “small business owners” over 80 years old got forgivable SBA covid loans, and whether they even know it happened. Never mind the under 11s, how many were under 18?

Is there a single functioning neuron in the SBA? Were these freebie ‘loans’ to kiddies and grandpas approved by the same diligent, apolitical federal workers who can’t be troubled to report five weekly accomplishments? Is this why DOGE can’t be allowed to peek inside Treasury or Social Security?

Again, the story isn’t just about savings. This story is much bigger. It’s about what the Hades is going on? The same bureaucrats who rubber-stamped giveaway loans for toddlers and centenarians are the same ones now assuring us that our elections, our economy, and our institutions are in capable hands that cannot be questioned.

Patrick says

s there a single functioning neuron in the SBA? Were these freebie ‘loans’ to kiddies and grandpas approved by the same diligent, apolitical federal workers who can’t be troubled to report five weekly accomplishments?

The NY Mafia in the 1980s had a racket where they were given SBA loans they never paid back. The mob had a man on the inside.

FortwayeAsFuckJoeBiden says

AmericanKulak says

Would a government shutdown also suspend DOGE?

no, they aren’t paid by government

Elon's not getting paid, but DOGE is just a renaming of Obama's Digital Services Agency or some such, so it is a government agency.

Probably the most savage NPR article I have ever read on the cuts. Bolded.

https://www.npr.org/2025/03/11/nx-s1-5324746/trump-education-department-layoffs-closure-reorganization

The Trump administration is working toward its promise of eliminating the U.S. Department of Education: On Tuesday evening, the department released a statement saying it would cut nearly 50% of the department's workforce. Impacted staff will be placed on administrative leave beginning March 21, according to the announcement.

The statement confirms "all divisions" within the agency will be hit by cuts, but also says it will continue to deliver programs protected by law "including formula funding, student loans, Pell Grants, funding for special needs students, and competitive grantmaking."

U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon leaves the House Chamber after President Donald Trump’s join address to Congress on Tuesday.
Education
Trump prepares order dismantling the Education Department
"Today's reduction in force reflects the Department of Education's commitment to efficiency, accountability, and ensuring that resources are directed where they matter most: to students, parents, and teachers," U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in the statement. "I appreciate the work of the dedicated public servants and their contributions to the Department. This is a significant step toward restoring the greatness of the United States education system."

According to the announcement, more than 1,300 positions will be cut as a result of this reduction in force. Roughly another 600 employees accepted voluntary resignations or retired over the last two months.

President Trump says he wants to close the Department of education. At Linda McMahon's recent hearing she said she would work to realize Trump’s vision of unwinding the department and “return education to the states where it belongs.” But some Republicans appeared torn about the fate of the department.
Education Republicans' love/hate relationship with the Education Department
AFGE Local 252, a union that represents Education Department employees, released a statement in which its president, Sheria Smith, said, "We will fight these draconian cuts and urge all Americans to stand up and contact their Members of Congress…to protect the Department of Education's vital work, working people, and our Nation by rejecting these political games."

Minutes later, AFGE Local 252 told NPR that Smith was laid off, along with all five of the chapter's other union officers.

Earlier on Tuesday, department employees received an email advising them to vacate all department offices by 6:00 pm. Staff were instructed by the department's Office of Security, Facilities and Logistics to plan to work from home on Wednesday. Employees of the department shared the email with NPR. We are not naming them because they feared retribution.

Department employees have spent the past several weeks anticipating sweeping staff cuts by the Trump administration.

This Thursday, agency heads are expected to turn in their "reorganization" plans to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

A guidance memo from OMB and OPM sent in late February instructed agency heads to achieve "large-scale reductions in force (RIFs)" through attrition and "by eliminating positions that are not required."

Flags fly outside the U.S. Education Department in Washington, D.C.
Education
Trump administration targets Education Department research arm in latest cuts
Already, at least 75 Education Department staff have been placed on paid administrative leave, according to a tally by AFGE Local 252. This count does not include managers and supervisors. Many of those workers on paid leave attended a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion workshop the department has offered for many years, including during the first Trump administration.

The union also says at least 75 probationary department staff, who were hired more recently and are legally easier to lay off, have also had their jobs terminated.

https://nitter.poast.org/amuse/status/1900167642066891088#m