Excellent article - thank you! You’ve provided a clear analysis of how and why civil service evolved, the key role of Teddy Roosevelt in countering elite corruption a century ago, why our civil service agencies are necessary for any level of trust and safety in public life, and why they are subject to faults and waste. A very balanced analysis!
Heaven help us that over a century of progress for public health, services, safety, national parks, financial protections and more has been eviscerated in a matter of weeks!
We need all heads and hands on board - across political lines - to collaborate, bury the hatchet, and fight against the utter destruction of our public services sphere. Drop petty nonsense and attacks on the “other”. Organize locally and connect communities! Now or never!
Your comment indicates that you're clearly not paying attention and/or have adopted the propaganda of the oligarchs.
We need professional auditors in there...NOT a ketamine-addled billionaire with massive government contracts and even more massive conflicts of interest.
Lol. That's quite the list on that graphic... I don't think Jerry Fawell, Milton Friedman, and Paul Weyrich would consider themselves all on the same side... lol.
Sounds like some bad joke, "Milton Friedman, Paul Weyrich, and Jerry Fawell walk into a bar..."
It's amusing to me, especially since I used to know Weyrich, Coors, Leo, Fuelner, etc. At the time, I'd have been hard pressed to see them as evil masterminds. Their contempt for the civil bureaucracy, however, was always well known.
One point the author makes us that they all don’t agree with the smaller issues, but are going in the same direction. It’s a long article, but worth a read.
Well, I suffered to the end to discover your only solution was to be inferred by the reader to just let the civil service alone and be happy with whatever good they do and just deal with the corruption. Did I miss something? Something where you not only explained that we have the right idea of what the bureaucracy is and what it’s doing, but also offered suggestions on how to improve the ratio without the “totalitarian, Trump, in office wreaking havoc to take over the country and become Supreme leader BS? I’m so freaking tired of living hand to mouth while Stacey Abrams gets millions to promote DEI but then burns through the money with nothing to show. Aren’t you tired of the graft? Maybe instead of beating us as🤢MAGA🤮 making us seem to be dirt poor whiter/black/brown trash, but instead invite some of us to meet IN PERSON with some of y’all to talk about the problems and what alternative solutions there might be? It wasn’t too very long ago that we, both sides, agreed on the problems and weren’t so very far apart in the solutions.
You do know that Elon has no authority to act upon the information his team provides, right. He brings the information to Trump and his Cabinet discusses it. Trump MAY Act outside of the suggestions of his Cabinet, but that’s another conversation. The DOGE team just gathers data.
How much money was collected
How were the monies allocated
Who were the monies allocated to
Was there any follow up in whether the monies were used in the manor by which the allocations were based.
Your comment indicates that you're clearly not paying attention and/or have adopted the propaganda of the oligarchs.
We need professional auditors in there...NOT a ketamine-addled billionaire with massive government contracts and even more massive conflicts of interest.
And there you have it. Even on a platform that allows unlimited words, those on the left follow the pattern.
Accept the status quo✔️
Give everyone a derogatory name ✔️
Make blanket statements with no verifiable examples✔️
Point to a conspiracy theory✔️ Which, BTW, is not a leftist only attribute
Perhaps I expect too much. I thought social media would expand the conversation. Unfortunately, all that has happened is the different camps have solidified their positions, dug in behind a wall of lies and misdirections, and gone to war against each other. Very unproductive for the masses, but absolutely necessary for the elite and corrupted to continue pillage and destroy society, culture, and perhaps civilization at large.
So, Elon is not, himself, doing any auditing. He has a team of very skilled data analysts. The data is gathered. The data is sorted per coded instructions i.e
Check # and amount or funds transfer
To whom
For what
Approved by
Accountable to whom
Etc etc etc
Then the data speaks for itself
I want to correct something I stated in my previous post. Stacey Abrams’s did NOT receive money for DEI projects. She received the money under the umbrella of climate change. She applied for and received an EIN for an NGO, she opened a bank account with $100, Then she was granted millions of dollars to promote energy efficient appliances. I’m sick of it. All of it. You say you want professional auditors? Would those auditors be Republicans or Democrats? We’re so freaking divided in this country that no one trusts anyone anymore. I have the same misgivings about all of this that you do. I listen to opinions from both sides. My first question is, “Where were the ideas about professional auditors for the last 30+ years. This corruption isn’t new. We’ve known forever that everyone in DC is on the take. How many times have members of Congress been called out for insider trading? How long have we known that bills are so loaded with pork that the only way to pass them is to introduce a 2500 page bill at 2 am and call a vote at 6 am, leaving zero time to actually disseminate what’s in the damn thing. If all that comes of DOGE is that we get rid of a few Stacey Abrams’s, e stop sending consumes to Africa, and maybe a few DEI programs get nixed I’ll feel at least a small dose of satisfaction. It’ll only be for a minute, but it’s something.
Thank you for the most thorough article on our present horrific situation and what nightmares await that I have come across yet. This article should be widely circulated. You should submit it to the Washington Post or New York Times. Or Time Magazine (their cover could be “The Most Hated Men In the World “ with the faces of Trump, Musk & Vance.
I have debated about taking my money out of Bank of America. I think I may. Particularly with Trump’s recent shocking statement about there may not be any gold in the Federal Reserve. Who oversees this? Does DOGE have access to it too?
I think Credit Unions are much more secure. They are required to have the money on hand. What do you think?
Excellent article - thank you! You’ve provided a clear analysis of how and why civil service evolved, the key role of Teddy Roosevelt in countering elite corruption a century ago, why our civil service agencies are necessary for any level of trust and safety in public life, and why they are subject to faults and waste. A very balanced analysis!
Heaven help us that over a century of progress for public health, services, safety, national parks, financial protections and more has been eviscerated in a matter of weeks!
We need all heads and hands on board - across political lines - to collaborate, bury the hatchet, and fight against the utter destruction of our public services sphere. Drop petty nonsense and attacks on the “other”. Organize locally and connect communities! Now or never!
Well said!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Excellent article but oh so scary. As you stated, it's happening as we speak in real time. Will share.
Veterans are planning massive protests in Washington March 14-16 and around the country.
https://turnpurple2blue.org/2025/03/05/veterans-march/
Spread the word!!
Your comment indicates that you're clearly not paying attention and/or have adopted the propaganda of the oligarchs.
We need professional auditors in there...NOT a ketamine-addled billionaire with massive government contracts and even more massive conflicts of interest.
The real deep state has been in process for decades. People who vote Republican don’t understand the risks to their way of life. https://open.substack.com/pub/lukium/p/the-real-deep-state?r=elmqn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
Lol. That's quite the list on that graphic... I don't think Jerry Fawell, Milton Friedman, and Paul Weyrich would consider themselves all on the same side... lol.
Sounds like some bad joke, "Milton Friedman, Paul Weyrich, and Jerry Fawell walk into a bar..."
It's amusing to me, especially since I used to know Weyrich, Coors, Leo, Fuelner, etc. At the time, I'd have been hard pressed to see them as evil masterminds. Their contempt for the civil bureaucracy, however, was always well known.
One point the author makes us that they all don’t agree with the smaller issues, but are going in the same direction. It’s a long article, but worth a read.
Well, I suffered to the end to discover your only solution was to be inferred by the reader to just let the civil service alone and be happy with whatever good they do and just deal with the corruption. Did I miss something? Something where you not only explained that we have the right idea of what the bureaucracy is and what it’s doing, but also offered suggestions on how to improve the ratio without the “totalitarian, Trump, in office wreaking havoc to take over the country and become Supreme leader BS? I’m so freaking tired of living hand to mouth while Stacey Abrams gets millions to promote DEI but then burns through the money with nothing to show. Aren’t you tired of the graft? Maybe instead of beating us as🤢MAGA🤮 making us seem to be dirt poor whiter/black/brown trash, but instead invite some of us to meet IN PERSON with some of y’all to talk about the problems and what alternative solutions there might be? It wasn’t too very long ago that we, both sides, agreed on the problems and weren’t so very far apart in the solutions.
DOGE: Department of Grifting Elon.
Or...Department of Grift & Extortion
You do know that Elon has no authority to act upon the information his team provides, right. He brings the information to Trump and his Cabinet discusses it. Trump MAY Act outside of the suggestions of his Cabinet, but that’s another conversation. The DOGE team just gathers data.
How much money was collected
How were the monies allocated
Who were the monies allocated to
Was there any follow up in whether the monies were used in the manor by which the allocations were based.
We’re the allocations within reason
Etc etc etc
Your comment indicates that you're clearly not paying attention and/or have adopted the propaganda of the oligarchs.
We need professional auditors in there...NOT a ketamine-addled billionaire with massive government contracts and even more massive conflicts of interest.
And there you have it. Even on a platform that allows unlimited words, those on the left follow the pattern.
Accept the status quo✔️
Give everyone a derogatory name ✔️
Make blanket statements with no verifiable examples✔️
Point to a conspiracy theory✔️ Which, BTW, is not a leftist only attribute
Perhaps I expect too much. I thought social media would expand the conversation. Unfortunately, all that has happened is the different camps have solidified their positions, dug in behind a wall of lies and misdirections, and gone to war against each other. Very unproductive for the masses, but absolutely necessary for the elite and corrupted to continue pillage and destroy society, culture, and perhaps civilization at large.
So, Elon is not, himself, doing any auditing. He has a team of very skilled data analysts. The data is gathered. The data is sorted per coded instructions i.e
Check # and amount or funds transfer
To whom
For what
Approved by
Accountable to whom
Etc etc etc
Then the data speaks for itself
I want to correct something I stated in my previous post. Stacey Abrams’s did NOT receive money for DEI projects. She received the money under the umbrella of climate change. She applied for and received an EIN for an NGO, she opened a bank account with $100, Then she was granted millions of dollars to promote energy efficient appliances. I’m sick of it. All of it. You say you want professional auditors? Would those auditors be Republicans or Democrats? We’re so freaking divided in this country that no one trusts anyone anymore. I have the same misgivings about all of this that you do. I listen to opinions from both sides. My first question is, “Where were the ideas about professional auditors for the last 30+ years. This corruption isn’t new. We’ve known forever that everyone in DC is on the take. How many times have members of Congress been called out for insider trading? How long have we known that bills are so loaded with pork that the only way to pass them is to introduce a 2500 page bill at 2 am and call a vote at 6 am, leaving zero time to actually disseminate what’s in the damn thing. If all that comes of DOGE is that we get rid of a few Stacey Abrams’s, e stop sending consumes to Africa, and maybe a few DEI programs get nixed I’ll feel at least a small dose of satisfaction. It’ll only be for a minute, but it’s something.
If you REALLY are trying to understand what's going on, I'd refer you to Paul Krugman's stack. He's a Nobel-prize winning economist. This recent piece on Social Security is quite good: https://open.substack.com/pub/paulkrugman/p/the-clean-little-secret-of-social?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=1n4e1
Thank you.
Repubs and Dems...a duopoly. The two-headed enemy of the American people.
The oligarchs vs the corporatists, basically.
That said, I think there are a very small handful of Dems who are actually trying to effect change in their party.
The Repubs have, meanwhile, bent both knees and are fellating tRump, Elmo, and P2025.
Who would these Democrats be? I’d like to listen to what they have to say.
From the D-side...
Senate: Chris Murphy, Bernie Sanders
Congress: Jamie Raskin, Jared Moscowitz, Jasmine Crockett, and yes AOC
If you want some rational R-side, non-MAGA perspective...
Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, Rick Wilson, Lincoln project, and the folks at the Bulwark
Sure. Corruption is old as humanity. So what?
The ketamine Nazi and his child-data-analysts are the entirely wrong crew to conduct audits.
The results speak for themselves.
Or perhaps it’s all a smoke screen to allow Rump & the project 2025 crew to wreck havoc.
Audit the GD Pentagon…a known source for fraud, waste, pork-doggles, etc.
Thank you for the most thorough article on our present horrific situation and what nightmares await that I have come across yet. This article should be widely circulated. You should submit it to the Washington Post or New York Times. Or Time Magazine (their cover could be “The Most Hated Men In the World “ with the faces of Trump, Musk & Vance.
I have debated about taking my money out of Bank of America. I think I may. Particularly with Trump’s recent shocking statement about there may not be any gold in the Federal Reserve. Who oversees this? Does DOGE have access to it too?
I think Credit Unions are much more secure. They are required to have the money on hand. What do you think?
Again, thank you!!
https://open.substack.com/pub/ourcivicduty/p/letter-to-our-leaders-the-trump-admin?r=1vlgm9&utm_medium=ios