this post was submitted on 07 Dec 2024
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politics

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Hey MAGA voters, Elon and Vivek are coming for your Social Security (www.azcentral.com)
submitted 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/politics@lemmy.world
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Summary

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, leading Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency,” are pushing for $2 trillion in federal budget cuts, which could target Social Security and Medicare.

While they claim to streamline government, critics argue billionaires like Musk and Ramaswamy are unaffected by these cuts, which could harm ordinary Americans who depend on these programs.

Despite Trump’s repeated promises to protect Social Security, skepticism remains over whether these cuts will influence Congress, where voter opposition to reducing benefits is strong.

Critics call the department’s influence limited but politically concerning.

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[–] dhork@lemmy.world 77 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

It's going to happen, but not in as direct a fashion as a budget cut. They will remove it from the Federal budget entirely, by privatizing it. They will sell the privatization as a benefit to the average retiree, by billing it as "removing bloated bureaucracy". They will form a company with all of Trump's broligarchs as owners, and all payments will go through X. This company will magically win the contract to provide this service, without any competitive bid.

None of their promises will be fulfilled, and benefits will be enshittified, just like everything else these people touch. Eventually, the company will go belly-up, but not until after losing all of ~~its~~ our assets in a convenient crypto heist. All the founders will then live suspiciously lavish lifestyles off of their crypto stashes. Eggheads will discover that the owners took the crypto themselves, but President Trump will dismiss that as "fake news" and issue pre-emptive pardons to prevent "Woke FBI agents" from investigating them.

[–] whostosay@lemmy.world 29 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

I'd really like to know what these fucking morons plan to do when they tank the USD.

[–] ininewcrow@lemmy.ca 33 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

This is the thing I love about all this .... billionaires don't have a nationality and have no allegiance to any nation .... in fact, they believe that nations should have allegiance to them.

I have a friend who likes to talk politics all the time and he keeps repeating like a mantra ... the Americans did this, the Americans did that, America, America ... and I keep correcting him, it's not Americans, it's just a bunch of billionaires directing the show to get what they want.

It's really weird because it's a well known conspiracy, an open secret, a true lie ..... it's not an organized cabal or an evil mastermind ... it's just a bunch of billionaires that want to control everything and everyone so that they can keep making more money. And they really don't care of they are American, British, French, German, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Indian, Brazilian, or whatever .... all they care about is money and they get to the point in life and wealth that they have so much money that their nationality no longer matters.

[–] whoisearth@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 weeks ago

And herein lies the problem. The absolutism of removing any and all responsibility from the American public. Anything to avoid looking in the mirror I suppose.

[–] dhork@lemmy.world 8 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

They don't have to worry once all the Dogecoin they bought for $0.002 is now worth $69

[–] errer@lemmy.world 9 points 2 weeks ago

There are two ways crypto goes up in dollar value: the crypto is intrinsically worth more, or the dollar is intrinsically worth less

[–] whostosay@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Hahahah I think you spelled "when they all fall victim of a pump and dump schemes, again" wrong

[–] dhork@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

No, the Broligarchs don't have to worry, because they have enough liquidity that they will be the ones pumping and dumping. It's all the plebes who listen to their podcasts and invest In the "next big thing" that will be holding the bag.

[–] whostosay@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

Ah yeah, I forgot who we were talking about exactly. You right

[–] Steve@startrek.website 3 points 2 weeks ago

Most of their net worth is in assets, not dollars.

Guess what they do hold in dollars? Debt.

And what happens to debt when the dollar tanks?

[–] foggy@lemmy.world 38 points 2 weeks ago (8 children)

You cut social security and you get riots with folks who have nothing left to lose.

[–] thisphuckinguy@lemmy.world 17 points 2 weeks ago

Well, people will not be using silencers.

[–] Know_not_Scotty_does@lemmy.world 14 points 2 weeks ago

I would love to be wrong about this but I just don't see it happening.

People in the US just roll over and take it when this stuff happens. Either its because they have been sold a line of bullshit from their preferred propaganda source about how its actually a good thing because SoCiAlIsM bAd or because they can't engage against riot police or protest because they have to work to stay above the water. There is no safety net in the US and that is working really well to keep us toeing the line.

Its going to take something really massive for the citizens of the US to actually group up and make change, as massive as shitcanning or changing Social Security is, it impacts elderly and disabled folks moreso than the healthy and able bodied who could actually fight this if it directly impacted them at this time.

[–] reddig33@lemmy.world 12 points 2 weeks ago

They won’t cut it. They’ll privatize it/enshittify it. It’ll be a slow boil until it’s worthless after the grifters have skimmed off the top.

[–] inv3r510n@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

Let them fuck around and find out.

[–] blattrules@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

Yup, that’s my line in the sand for rioting. I’m comfortable, but if they take away something that I’ve paid into my whole life and fuck my retirement over, I won’t stand for it.

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[–] intresteph@discuss.online 35 points 2 weeks ago

Good thing we have a solution: Deny, Defend, Depose.

[–] Sprocketfree@sh.itjust.works 29 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Is it me or has the media just latched on to a completely made up government department? I don't know why I have to say this but DOGE is not a real thing. If they want to create a new department then congress needs to write and pass a bill to do it. We also ALREADY have a department for this so the irony is just dripping here.

[–] jj4211@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago

I did hear NPR at least clarify that it would not be a "department", but instead just some advisory body.

They also pointed out that the closest analog would be the grace commission, but that was largely ignored in the end.

So they can make recommendations, but no authority to make them happen. Currently every sycophant Republican is talking up just how much they are in support of the vague concept of this body, but it's quite likely that if they ever make specific recommendations, they are probably going to face much more rigorous objections. Republicans have a tendency to complain loudly about the abstract, but then not want to touch any specifics that might have blow back.

See also how they easily kept passing killing the ACA when they knew it would be vetoed and the second they actually knew it wouldn't be vetoed they lost their appetite for it (admittedly they came close, but still it took them a long time to even try).

[–] otter@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

You still think that anything works the way we're told it does? 🥲

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[–] Minarble@aussie.zone 26 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

The department so efficient they need two bosses

[–] Bakkoda@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Jerking off to plebs suffering is statistically proven to be more fun with a partner/friend/cellmate.

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[–] ProIsh@lemmy.world 24 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Hell yeah. This is what majority wanted let's do it. Remove the guardrails baby.

[–] NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

To be fair, Trump promised to protect social security. Now he's probably not gonna follow through on that promise, but even his supporters want it intact.

[–] Raiderkev@lemmy.world 13 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

But then find a way to blame biden

[–] Sabin10@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

It's clearly Bidens fault for not putting protections in place when he had the power to do so.

[–] Raiderkev@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

They'd get immediately repealed by Republican Senate, house and Extreme court.

[–] IhaveCrabs111@lemmy.world 18 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

So this guy is “ceo” of space x, Tesla, and twitter and now he’s running a play project that covers the entire government? This man must be the most useless scattered inefficient grifter in the world.

[–] ouRKaoS@lemmy.today 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

He seems to be a very efficient grifter, actually...

Get a little from multiple sources instead of a bunch from one.

[–] IhaveCrabs111@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

I mean inefficient and a grifter. I’m well aware of how good at grifting he is

[–] whostosay@lemmy.world 15 points 2 weeks ago

Unaffected?

They will benefit greatly from fucking us over as usual, that's how they have all of the money and the power to begin with, they got it by fucking us over.

Benefiting from something is an effect.

To write this any other way is straight up irresponsible and morally wrong.

[–] circuitfarmer@lemmy.sdf.org 14 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Sigh, they're being such Brian Thompsons

[–] tiefling@lemmy.blahaj.zone 8 points 2 weeks ago

It would be a shame if Brian Thompsoned became a verb

[–] Sanctus@lemmy.world 12 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

If I had to pay into that shit my whole life and I dont get to see any of it NOR do I get my money back I will cause such a fucken ruckus.

[–] 100_kg_90_de_belin@feddit.it 4 points 2 weeks ago

I've been paying for my pension since I was 17, I asked my best friend to give me a V-for-Vendetta-style Viking funeral if I die before getting to cash in enough pension payments.

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[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 11 points 2 weeks ago

If/when this happens and these dipshits claim they didn't vote for it....I'm going to keep this clip handy, just like driftglass and bluegal:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxnsmsXYGJ4

Hat tip to the Professional Left Podcast...

[–] Etterra@lemmy.world 11 points 2 weeks ago

As a disabled person who voted for Harris, I'd just like to say fuck every goddamn retard and some who voted for the Orange Idiot and I'm glad you're all about to have your faces chewed off by the leopards. I can't wait until you all start cannibalizing each other's stuff in other to pay for healthcare and nursing homes, you shit chugging bug fuckers.

[–] eran_morad@lemmy.world 11 points 2 weeks ago

Bring it, bitches. Let’s get this show started and see how it pans out.

[–] technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

The only way Trump’s ‘efficiency’ department can trim $2 trillion from the federal budget is to cut a big hole in America’s retirement safety net.

Or they could cut like 1% from the departments of imperialism. Nobody would notice except like the toilet seat salesmen. They can't even do an audit.

[–] tja@sh.itjust.works 7 points 2 weeks ago

The only thing they are streamlining is the flow of money into their pockets

[–] Glasgow@lemmy.ml 5 points 2 weeks ago

Lmao he’s really going hard on the whole kid as a human shield shtick

[–] MrSilkworm@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago

Thing is that when something similar happened in France, all hell broke loose. Strikes went on for a long time. And even though the pension plan passed with a presidential degree rather than through parliament, the president became so unpopular, that the country is in shambles now

[–] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

…and all the voters who sat home because the democrats didn’t hold their hand all the way to the ballot box. Yeah, the neo-con platform sucked, but it wasn’t going to suck like trump being president.

[–] Olhonestjim@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

So Elon is running around with a human shield now.

[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

Well, the poorer the subjects are, the more desperate they are to work. Even for less. More money for the already rich. That is the plan, try to change my mind.

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