Politics

[deewayne2003]

That’s not unusual inventory for this time of year and I can promise you prices are not decreasing.

Not decreasing ..... Yet, prices never go down as fast as they go up.

 

[Mark A Ouellette]

The US Government is the largest employer on the earth. Within those millions of employees are those who are worthless as breasts on a boar hog, those who are exceptional at what they do and would be the same in most other endeavors, and the largest part of them who are good to very good at their assigned tasks.

As others have stated many times, it is hard to fire even the most worthless of government employees. That is because of laws and labor unions protecting all government employees. Those protections are at times necessary to stop managers from terminating employees they do not like. Remember in government there is no bottom line of profit. In the commercial world, I am sure many here have had employees they didn’t like but did not fire. Why? Profit of course! Companies need productive employees to do their jobs so the company be profitable. If company employees are slackers, they quickly are told to hit the road. That is if they do not have powerful unions protecting them.

Let’s discuss the causes of why the US Government is so big. US Laws, regulations, regulations, and regulations. Often those government employees that outsiders think should be fired did not start out as worthless. No, they may have been hard chargers only to hit walls of bureaucratic regulations time after time after time. Or their managers may have stifled them far too many times. Don’t rock the boat, but they did. Trying to do good too many times, trying to do what’s best for America rather than following the status que of don’t buck the system can get employees thrown overboard into the most undesirable jobs within their organization. There, those formally potentially great employees can’t do much to change things. After getting beaten to parade rest far too many times many government employees throttle back to doing only what their mediocre manager assign them. We outsiders view them as worthless. The employees are not worthless but the system, the regulations, processes, and procedures within US Government are broken.

Reducing employees alone will not fix the US Government. Only a bottoms up review of the US laws and agency regulations and then, gutting the overburdening rules and ridicules processes will possibly make government more efficient. But, as always for every nine things those rules impede, there is at least one thing the rule was made for and for that, the supposedly stupid rule is necessary. There is however no leeway in managers deviating from rules. That will get those managers transferred to jobs where they cannot violate any more rules.

Toward the above there are US laws that are the basis of many overburdening regulations. Often as we have seen from the EPA and BATFE (ATF), administrative agencies make over zealous regulations to follow the laws. The trouble is those regulations were made without any public input.

Without a complete review of our laws and government regulations as the basis of changing the US Government administrate agencies trying to make government more efficient will be like putting a band aid on a gaping chest womb.

 

[lwaters]

The easiest way for the postal service to save money would be suspend Saturday mail delivery but the union won’t go for that.
Closing some of the smaller offices would help to. Within 5 miles of my house I have 3 post offices. That’s a little overkill.

They drive 15 miles on Sunday to deliver me a bag of catfood. I retired from the postal service and most employees would be fine with the elimination of Saturday delivery but your right unions are against it as it would get rid of 1/5 of the carrier work force. They could offer early outs get rid of Saturday delivery and overtime. My main problem with the unions is they're in the health insurance business and our premiums are going up. Some of these small towns in rural America are welfare pits. They ought to close the post office and bulldoze the town as some are real dumps full of neaters.

 

[Red Leg]

Good editorial in the New York Post - a decidedly non-leftist publication. It is the cover lead for the paper this morning. I would suggest that some of the blindly supportive Trump followers should take a few minutes to actually read it. The president is demonstratively wrong in his tirades about Ukraine and Zelensky. That he is wrong matters a great deal to our nation's future.

https://nypost.com/2025/02/20/opini...ine-russia-war-truths-we-ignore-at-our-peril/

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

So there’s no chance that he will use his new bromance with trump to positively influence his interests in EV, social media, brain implants, AI, or space travel? I have to disagree pretty hard with that one.

It’s not about money anymore, it’s about dominance. Why do you think him, Bezos, Zuck, and all are still at the helms and not sailing off into the sunsets? It’s an ego thing, and I hate to say it, they don’t come much bigger than Musks.

No, I'd say Trumps ego is much bigger. You make a fair point otherwise. So would you rather scrap Musk and the DOGE team or do would you prefer someone other than Musk to lead it? If you have a suggestion for a Musk replacement please provide why you'd think that person would be less likely to be corrupt?

 

[Russ16]

Not decreasing ..... Yet, prices never go down as fast as they go up.

I’ll take that bet. The government isn’t the only employer around here. Even in 2009 when the market everywhere went to hell prices here never went down.

They may flatten for a while.

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

I am a big van of Ben Shapiro. It is interesting to watch him twist himself in knots to try to set the record straight without simply pointing our how bat shit crazy and untruthful the president was in his Truth text. It is a novel world where a great nation's critical foreign policy decisions hang by the thin thread of whether its aged president likes or doesn't like someone personally. Gives one an appreciation of the challenges faced by those loyal to George III. Perhaps the Time cover was more accurate than we knew.

One geographic update for Ben. Russian troops also occupy portions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson whose populations are strongly pro Ukrainian independence. I, and almost everyone else, have suggested that a withdrawal from those two provinces, but recognition of Russia's occupation of Crimea and Donbas would be a reasonable geographic basis for a solution.

Trump, however, seems determined to give Putin whatever he wants.

I do not disagree. He and others do always try to ride the fence with Trump and tone down their criticism. Always leaving room to wriggle out of a tight corner. I’m sure out fear of reprisal from Trump or his biggest fans on the internet.

Sounds like DT may in fact be listening to Don Jr. and the internet more than advisors. Was concerned about this. Did no one say please offer Jack Keene whatever he wants to come on board??

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

I generally disagree with 1/4 to 1/2 of what Paul says and he does veer off in this video but the man’s not wrong on most of it. IMHO

 

[Wheels]

So there’s no chance that he will use his new bromance with trump to positively influence his interests in EV, social media, brain implants, AI, or space travel? I have to disagree pretty hard with that one.

It’s not about money anymore, it’s about dominance. Why do you think him, Bezos, Zuck, and all are still at the helms and not sailing off into the sunsets? It’s an ego thing, and I hate to say it, they don’t come much bigger than Musks.

Musk has so many things going there will definitely be conflicts of interest with the US Government going forward in the Trump Administration. The immediate one that comes to mind is rescue of the astronauts stuck on the ISS. The issue is NASA and Boeing have proven ineffective at doing the job and he is the sole US provider. Hopefully the conflicts will not be too great until he has finished the DOGE project.

 

[Aaron N]

No, I'd say Trumps ego is much bigger. You make a fair point otherwise. So would you rather scrap Musk and the DOGE team or do would you prefer someone other than Musk to lead it? If you have a suggestion for a Musk replacement please provide why you'd think that person would be less likely to be corrupt?

Not my circus, not my monkeys.

The point I was making is that even people with everything are corruptible because they still want more. If they didn’t, they would have stopped empire building earlier.

 

[deewayne2003]

I’ll take that bet. The government isn’t the only employer around here. Even in 2009 when the market everywhere went to hell prices here never went down.

They may flatten for a while.

In 2009 federal employees were not being let go and government contracts were not being canceled; unlike the other financial issues in our country, this is one time where federal employees will now have to deal with relocation IF they can find employment.

And 30 days in is not enough time to tell.

 

[Wheels]

Reducing employees alone will not fix the US Government. Only a bottoms up review of the US laws and agency regulations and then, gutting the overburdening rules and ridicules processes will possibly make government more efficient. But, as always for every nine things those rules impede, there is at least one thing the rule was made for and for that, the supposedly stupid rule is necessary. There is however no leeway in managers deviating from rules. That will get those managers transferred to jobs where they cannot violate any more rules.

Toward the above there are US laws that are the basis of many overburdening regulations. Often as we have seen from the EPA and BATFE (ATF), administrative agencies make over zealous regulations to follow the laws. The trouble is those regulations were made without any public input.

Without a complete review of our laws and government regulations as the basis of changing the US Government administrate agencies trying to make government more efficient will be like putting a band aid on a gaping chest womb.

It is my understanding that reducing regulations is one of the top priorities of DOGE. DOGE and the agencies will go through all the laws passed by Congress. Those stay on the books. Most of the regulations not tied directly to a law will be trashed. This will be a mammoth task.

For the past 50 years, Congress has chosen not to deal with the blow back of unpopular laws. They just pass a sweeping idea and let the agencies interpret and write the regulations. Last summers SCOTUS decisions of Loper Bright, Corner Post, SEC has given a backstop as to what the Court will probably do when this is challenged.

 

[mdwest]

I am a big van of Ben Shapiro. It is interesting to watch him twist himself in knots to try to set the record straight without simply pointing our how bat shit crazy and untruthful the president was in his Truth text. It is a novel world where a great nation's critical foreign policy decisions hang by the thin thread of whether its aged president likes or doesn't like someone personally. Gives one an appreciation of the challenges faced by those loyal to George III. Perhaps the Time cover was more accurate than we knew.

One geographic update for Ben. Russian troops also occupy portions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson whose populations are strongly pro Ukrainian independence. I, and almost everyone else, have suggested that a withdrawal from those two provinces, but recognition of Russia's occupation of Crimea and Donbas would be a reasonable geographic basis for a solution.

Trump, however, seems determined to give Putin whatever he wants.

I like Shapiro a lot as well.. I see him as a right wing version of Bill Mahr..

Both are deeply steeped in the values of their "side".. but are more than willing to admit or acknowledge when their side is wrong.. or has fumbled the football..

FWIW, while I don't agree with Mahr on much, I like him quite a bit as well.. He's the sort of liberal that I think you could actually have a rational conversation with, and enjoy drinking a beer with and getting to know.. you likely wont agree with him on many things.. but I get the impression he's willing to listen to you as long as you're willing to listen to him.. and is willing to be civil in a real debate/discussion of the topics at hand..

 

[Russ16]

In 2009 federal employees were not being let go and government contracts were not being canceled; unlike the other financial issues in our country, this is one time where federal employees will now have to deal with relocation IF they can find employment.

And 30 days in is not enough time to tell.

I’ll still take the bet that real estate in the immediate area will be minimally impacted.

 

[Tanks]

...It’s an ego thing, and I hate to say it, they don’t come much bigger than Musks.

I'd say Trump is at the top when it comes to ego.

 

[gbflyer]

Smart and experienced group here. Business CEO’s, military officers, public servants, authors, physicians, academics etc. None ignorant. Those who voted for Trump surely knew his platform: radical change, because status quo flat - out isn’t working. Radical change is what you are getting. It isn’t going to be a comfortable ride. It’s hard for a simple man such as myself to find coherence in all the outrage on display here.

 

[YancyW]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1892766345760014657

Over 40 minutes long, but very much worth the time.

 

[Aaron N]

I'd say Trump is at the top when it comes to ego.

It would be a photo finish between the two

 

[bowjijohn]

on another matter

This afternoon it has been announced that those two little boys, aged 9 months and 4 years old, whom Hamas claimed were killed in an IDF strike, were strangled

Just think about that for a moment

 

[Hunt anything]

on another matter

This afternoon it has been announced that those two little boys, aged 9 months and 4 years old, whom Hamas claimed were killed in an IDF strike, were strangled

Just think about that for a moment

Yeah, and the person they said was their mother was not!