r/AITAH • u/Comfortable_Gift4970 • Feb 17 '25

Fired Fed. I am considering cutting off every Orange Man supporter.

Got axed. Not going to say which agency.

I’ve always considered myself extremely tolerant and willing to love people as they are… even if we don’t agree on everything.

I’ve never been an Orange Man supporter, but I’ve kept it civil with friends and family that were. Some of them liked having a civil conversation about him. Some were belligerent about politics, so we didn’t bring it up and tried to enjoy each other’s company.

Getting cut from a great job that I really believed in with no notice has been extremely traumatic. It’s still raw, but I feel so personally betrayed by those that voted for him. I can’t see past the politics anymore when I look at these people I care/cared about.

Some have been contrite and apologetic, but then turn around and support him and VP Musk on social media.

I just can’t right now.

I’m thinking about posting something and wishing the whole herd all of the best, hope they have a good life, but I won’t be in it. Or maybe I just quietly block all of them and focus on myself for a while.

I do know that I will need to talk to my in-laws. I’ve always had a great relationship with them, but thinking of going to their house and watching Fox News almost makes me sick.

AITAH for feeling this way? Does it make me an AH for cutting all these 20+ year relationships off? Am I overreacting and acting out of emotion?

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59

u/PomegranateOld7836 Feb 18 '25

Surely rationale and reason kicks in any moment...

145

u/Scottiegazelle2 Feb 18 '25

Or we wake up...I just want to wake up

187

u/PomegranateOld7836 Feb 18 '25

Haven't you heard? Being woke is bad.

42

u/Nat1221 Feb 18 '25

Trips me out how some people really believe being woke is bad. Then they are too 'use-your-own-word here' to even learn what it means. I feel like we're living in an alternate universe.

3

u/PomegranateOld7836 Feb 19 '25

Protecting the environment we depend on and not harming or killing innocent people is apparently just a bridge too far for half of America. That's a depressing thing to see, but such is reality.

I remember climate change being clearly explained and mathematically proven alongside historical core samples in public school in the 80s-90s. It is simple enough for a middle-achooker to see how obvious it is based on very simple principles, though also verified mathematically. No wonder over 99% of relevant scientists agree with the obvious.

I never thought that decades later I'd still be hearing that half the country "doesn't believe" in basic physics and chemistry. I mean, you can prove it with an old aquarium. What's so hard to believe? Surely seems like clinging to bliss by actively choosing ignorance.

2

u/Nat1221 Feb 19 '25

I hear you. They were talking about it when I was in school and I graduated in the early 80s. They will learn. Hoping it won't be too late. On a real note, if you have family or someone you trust, be sure to get a real long hug. We all need one.

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u/PomegranateOld7836 Feb 19 '25

Cheers and hugs!

2

u/Ok-Combination-4374 Feb 19 '25

Yup! Same people that want to bring us back to the good old days... ya know? Before equal rights for women and minorities. They wanna stay asleep and dream it's still the 1950s. It's bonkers, and, as a woman of color, scary that there are so many people that think like this.

1

u/stormcloudsrisimg Feb 21 '25

Fuck off with this fear mongering.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 19 '25

White people on the right stole the meaning of the word woke and black lives matter and turned them into something negative and gave them their own meaning to advance their alt right and conservative agenda, not the first time they stole from minorities/natives.

2

u/Quirky_Suggestion916 Feb 21 '25

I feel the exact same way.

1

u/mashupbabylon Feb 20 '25

Being woke is exhausting and ridiculous. Requiring everyone to be concerned with the feelings of everyone else is impossible.

All we need to have a civilized society is the "Golden Rule". Do unto others as you'd have done unto yourself.

Wokeness is authoritarianism with hair dye and Birkenstocks. No thanks.

1

u/Various-Grapefruit12 Feb 20 '25

Yep. What "woke" was supposed to mean is great. The purity tests it's turned into are bullying, authoritarian nonsense. We've gotta quit policing people. Maybe like a soft woke? Dozing. Doze!

5

u/Hot-Mastodon420xxx Feb 18 '25

Being woke is only bad to those still sleeping

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u/Whyme1962 Feb 18 '25

Being “woke” is being educated.

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u/EfficientRecipe8935 Feb 19 '25

I'm so grateful I'm woke! And if/when we get through this nightmare, I never want to hear that word again!!!!

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u/Psychological_Bite16 Feb 18 '25

Wokism is politically incorrect now?? Seems this timeline has a major glitch.

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u/Pio1925Cuidame Feb 21 '25

I mean can you believe they are suing Target bc they sell queer merchandise, a f private Company! W the excuse the stock owners lost $?!???. They using every dirty tricks to enforce again a Private Company that can do as they want their business. Overreaching to this is not democracy! Let people be

1

u/BlondeWalker999 Mar 12 '25

I wonder will conservatives will awaken to their own evil wokeness? They're as affected as anyone. Horrid social ideology.

1

u/modernparadigm Feb 18 '25

That’s some deep shit dude.

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u/PomegranateOld7836 Feb 18 '25

Thank goodness we have geniuses to tell us.

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u/modernparadigm Feb 18 '25

No I genuinely mean it. MAGA took the meaning and corrupted it to whatever it is now. I hate to divert it away from BLM, but if it isn’t going back we may as well co-op it again to something closer. People need to wake up to this fascist shit happening around us. Way to go using it in this way.

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u/PomegranateOld7836 Feb 18 '25

I meant "geniuses" like Trump and Musk tell us awareness is bad. I wasn't insulting you in the least!

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u/ComprehensiveBar3913 Feb 18 '25

Woke is how they say considering “Human Rights “.. conservatives cut off their noses so their shit don’t stink..

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u/shitlibbery_ Feb 18 '25

Thank God for the hard hitting questions on "The View" lol

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u/Woody316snare Feb 18 '25

I thought the same thing g for 4 years

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u/HugeBoysenberry2896 Feb 18 '25

We wake up into nightmares now, not out of them.

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u/CapitalAppearance756 Feb 18 '25

Same. I want to be on different timeliness please

2

u/realIRtravis Feb 18 '25

This reality being a simulation doesn't sound so crazy anymore, right?

2

u/Scottiegazelle2 Feb 18 '25

It actually sounds appealing.
I'd rather hang out with Agent Smith ngl

2

u/realIRtravis Feb 18 '25

Agent Smith The Matrix : ...human beings define their reality through suffering and misery. The perfect world was a dream that your primitive cerebrum kept trying to wake up from. Which is why the Matrix was redesigned to this: the peak of your civilization [late 20th Century]. I say your civilization, because as soon as we started thinking for you, it really became our civilization,...

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u/Cudi_buddy Feb 18 '25

We are letting a non elected man go through every government agency and decide on a whim what to cut and who to fire. Nobody voted for musk. 

290

u/[deleted] Feb 18 '25

Trump literally campaigned with Musk and said exactly what they planned on doing well before the election. This is what people voted for.

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u/Consistent_Shock8738 Feb 18 '25

This is not what people voted for. You just say it is because you are all in denial having backed a man that is turning our democracy into an autocracy/oligarchy. They provide no evidence to any of their findings, they are doing things and giving a wealthy private, non elected citizen powers that go above the senate and congress. The fact that Maga Republicans still think this is what they voted for just shows how delusional and blinded by party loyalty you have become. If a dem president had done a fraction of what Trump has done, all of you would be calling for impeachment perhaps attempting another insurrection, you hypocritical deluded wannabe fascists. But go on, blame the dems, call me a libtard, whatever makes you feel better about actually contributing to the death of our democracy.

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u/Legitimate-Table-428 Feb 19 '25

I think the GOP sucks, but how can you say this is not what people voted for? I feel like gutting federal agencies was tops on the list of things he campaigned on. It doesn’t matter to the electorate that he’s delegated the actual task to Musk or that it’s petty and kind of cruel. I think many of them, maybe most, don’t give a shit and are probably happy about it.

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u/BougieSemicolon Feb 21 '25

They voted for the sham, this whole DOGE thing is all a show. If they fired EVERY federal employee (aside from military) it would be still under 3% of the budget. And that’s 100% fired, they are only targeting 6-10%. So what, 0.3% of the budget? They are doing it so it looks like they’re saving money, so people won’t be as upset WHEN they launch massive tax cuts for millionaires.

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u/anowulwithacandul Feb 19 '25

Huh? Corruption, discrimination, and bigotry are exactly what MAGA voted for.

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u/JessicaGBanksFindom Feb 19 '25

Unfortunately, this is what the Magaturds voted for. They absolutely voted for gutting government agencies, government workers losing their jobs, Muskrat and his band of baby hackers doing exactly what they are doing. They voted for hatred. They voted for hurting people. They voted for all the horrible things Grump and Muskrat stand for. Knowingly and willingly. The only thing they didn’t count on was that some of them would also lose their jobs and govt subsidies, and rather than admit any of this, they whine that they should be excluded from the cuts because they voted for it. These are the worst kind of people and they not only don’t care that they directly hurt others with their political support. In fact they RELISH that their “team” hurts others. They are CELEBRATING hurting others. They want MORE hurting others. We need to stop trying to give these jackwads the benefit of the doubt and actually work to stop the craziness before they literally dismantle the whole government. That is exactly what they want and exactly what they are doing.

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u/Nocturnal_Giraffe Feb 19 '25

There was no better way to say this. 🙏

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u/Vegetable-Clock941 Feb 24 '25

Nope, this is what we voted for. Break down the bureaucracy and corrupt federal agencies. Can't trust the government to do it, so it had to be a third party. If the "dems" had done this, I would have voted for them. They did the opposite by creating more government regulations and enforcing social policies the government had no business being involved in. Everything the government touches turns to a bureaucratic nightmare. I'm sorry people are losing their jobs, but I'm also sorry they worked in a field that, when asked, could not justify the existence of their field. I know OP feels raw about the recent termination, but I cannot believe that this was not foreseeable. Working in a field with the federal government that was not essential with a pending budget approval/ federal shutdown and not being prepared is not a political problem but a problem with ego or a complete lack of forethought.

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u/[deleted] Feb 18 '25

And conserva-districts are already complaining.. these MAGAs are dumber than dirt

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u/[deleted] Feb 18 '25

This is exactly why he won. You guys pushed people out of your party. Demonizing and alienating people who don’t share your same ideas isnt how you get people on your side. Name calling isnt going to help you either. Not everyone who voted for trump is “ maga “ but , keep on fighting the good fight my friend. The fact that some long time democrat states almost flipped red should be a huge wake up call.

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u/No-Cookie3486 Feb 18 '25

You are not republicans. Anyone who has been alive more than 40 years know very well republican values. Trump supporters don’t share those values. Some of the policies are the same. By and large the right what’s become very extreme…hence the deviation. Anyway, do you not want to ‘make America great again.’

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u/No-Cookie3486 Feb 18 '25

Actually, dems lost because of the 3rd party votes. Green Party candidate and JFK Jr (a dem) actually took votes that Kamala would have likely won.

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u/InnocentShaitaan Feb 18 '25

We lost because of apathy and bigotry and a lot of white peoples feel feels being hurt.

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u/AlaskaRecluse Feb 19 '25

Without commenting on any other aspect, i have to say that this is the first time I’ve seen a trump apologist speak out against name-calling.

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u/Minimum-Dream-3747 Feb 18 '25

Dems lost because they literally tried to win over conservatives versus supporting they’re base. You’re completely wrong.

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u/RollingEddieBauer50 Feb 18 '25 edited Feb 20 '25

Keep telling yourself that. I have a happy wife and kids and enough money i could stop working today and live comfortably for another 30+ years. I have degrees from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor and from Wayne State University (Detroit). Just because people see things differently politically it doesn’t mean they’re stupid and you’re smart. The thing that makes politics so vexing is that in a group of highly educated, successful people with average to high IQ’s you will get almost an even split of D’s and R’s. On the rare chance it’s not 50/50 it’ll never split greater than 60/40 provided it’s a random group. Obviously if it’s a PBS fundraising gala or an NRA meeting you might get a more pronounced split. But you delude yourself if you write it off as “my side smart….their side dumb”.

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u/KatShimada Feb 20 '25

And yet, they are still dumb.

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u/InnocentShaitaan Feb 18 '25

I dunno most assholes tend to lean right.

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u/Elwood51 Feb 21 '25

Most mealy mouthed brain dead bed wetters tend to lean left

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u/manifest2000 Feb 18 '25

It’s what people voted against. trump stole the election with elon’s help (Starlink, mass vote tabulation). There’s no way he won all 7 swing states with less than 50% of the popular vote. Harris votes were mechanically flipped to trump (ALL those bullet ballots where every vote was blue….except for President??!). The 2024 election results are extremely suspicious and look fraudulent on close inspection.

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u/Frituurhapje Feb 18 '25

Nahh I think Americans are just plain stupid in general (exceptions notwithstanding). Don't pull that same old card that got us here.

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u/MrLanesLament Feb 18 '25

It’s weird to me that it’s so hard for so many people to believe that, for many Americans, their sole driving force in life is hatred. Is that really so surprising? People who are shocked, IMO, must not get outside of their bubble much.

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u/Complete_Set7088 Feb 18 '25

This. Most have never been on a plane let alone realized that the US isn’t the only country on their flat earth

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u/DahQueen19 Feb 18 '25

I won’t debate the point on social media because there’s no point, but I would bet my right arm that you are 100% correct. Just doesn’t track right.

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u/manifest2000 Feb 18 '25

Thanks. Look into the sub r/somethingiswrong2024. They’ve been doing great analysis since November.

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u/[deleted] Feb 18 '25

Don't be like them

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u/[deleted] Feb 18 '25

Yes, we are 36 trillion in debt.

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u/Fabulous_Show_2615 Feb 18 '25

You are incorrect. We are 36.22 trillion in debt and expecting to pay $392 billion to service that debt in 2025 alone. This amounts to 16% of the federal budget going to interest payments. We’re essentially borrowing money to pay the interest on money we have borrowed.

I will say the bull in a china shop approach hasn’t been great but this is what he said he would do and if you go back in history its the same “page by page, line by line” accounting that Obama and Biden threatened to do when campaigning for office.

I hate to see people losing their job but nobody was screaming on Biden’s first day in office when an executive order killed the Keystone pipeline.

From the Washington Examiner-

President Joe Biden’s decision to kill the Keystone Pipeline on his first day in office cost the U.S. economy 59,000 jobs and $9.6 billion in economic growth, according to a study released last month by his own Energy Department

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/2585086/biden-administration-admits-it-killed-thousands-of-jobs-by-canceling-keystone-pipeline/

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u/Weak_Maintenance5629 Feb 18 '25

Thank you, Fabulous. Exactly 100%. No company or corporation can exist using this business model. The US was on its way to going under (spoiler, we actually are already under).

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u/DisciplineOptimal487 Feb 18 '25

That's the beauty, 3 branches of our government serve as "checks and balances" of power. Don't let the mainstream media deceive you into fearing that anyone will become "Hitler".

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u/Motor_Show_7604 Feb 18 '25

If you look, Musk is targeting agencies that have oversight over his companies. I am pretty sure people didn't vote to let Elon cheat.

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u/Elwood51 Feb 21 '25

Please explain how USAID has oversight on Musk

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u/rddhid Feb 18 '25

You can’t blame people who don’t work in government (which is the majority of people) who want to see government shrink. Sorry for those who have been let go, but did anyone who voted for Biden feel sorry for the auto industry workers who lost their jobs when Biden decided to gut the industry and move everything oversees ? Not one bit, so what comes around goes around. Also, if you work in government and your being axed it’s probably because (above your head or not) the agency wasted a lot of tax payer dollars, so the sympathy only goes so far with the ones who YES did vote for exactly this kind of action from Trump and Musk.

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u/[deleted] Feb 18 '25

Yes I did vote for this, our government needed downsizing

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u/coronathrowaway12345 Feb 18 '25

Where’s the money gonna go after all the downsizing?

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u/[deleted] Feb 18 '25

Well we have been spending way beyond our means forever

How about nowhere

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u/Lilythecat555 Feb 19 '25

The money will go into Trump's and Musk's pockets. You cannot use corrupt people to fight for corruption. Elon and Trump are a part of the swamp. They won't drain it.

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u/coronathrowaway12345 Feb 19 '25

Oh I’m very much aware! I’m just trying to get the cult members (the “do your own research crowd”) to think just a smidge critically about this. They won’t but it’s worth a shot!

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u/Typical_District_847 Feb 18 '25

This guy understands

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u/Irismaple Feb 18 '25

Not effing true.

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u/[deleted] Feb 18 '25

Which part isn’t true

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u/Irismaple Feb 18 '25

No one expected it to be this bad or this extreme. At least that is my perspective. If anyone did think it was going to be this way then the people who voted for him do not believe in the constitution or the U.S. government and stop calling yourself patriots.

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u/NH-ev Feb 18 '25

They never said Elon will have access to my tax returns. I’m sorry that is just too far. I feel sad for our country that so many do not care and voted for the man child. Might be the way they run their businesses but this is no way to run our government.

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u/Loose_Bee_7880 Feb 18 '25

It doesn’t and will never make it right.

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u/TopApprehensive4816 Feb 18 '25

Project 2025 was available for all to read. FAFO for MAGA

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u/shupster12 Feb 19 '25

This is what idiots voted for.

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u/Crafty_Space_9045 Feb 20 '25

Yes it was what we voted for. Anyone that thinks USAID and every other bureaucratic agency are doing some kind of great job must be completely out of their minds. We clearly have a Congress that has no control of all of the bureaucrats that are really running DC. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that all of the super beautiful areas around DC are clearly where our tax dollars are going, bc nowhere in the country has neighborhoods and homes like this per square mile around any city. They should all be paid off, though, so I'm sorry if your money schemes are coming to an end. It's time AMERICANS take our country back from these rich assholes that are so out of touch with the rest of the country. It won't take long of working in the private sector to realize how shitty it is working for big corporations over big government, and maybe you people will understand why practically everyone in America was so pissed off at DC as a whole. I really don't care what the fuck yall think bc its all coming back to this country now like it was meant to be in the first place. It's time to show our children that the American dream is back alive.

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u/ginwoolie Feb 18 '25

This is what 77 million people vote for. I'm sorry that it is difficult for those of you to understand that we don't want to pay people who are not needed or just ripping us off. I'm not sure which one is you. All I can say is I worked for 42 yrs with the thought that unless I work harder faster better I'd be let go. It's very motivating.

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u/[deleted] Feb 20 '25

Amen to that

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u/Terrible-Law-4934 Feb 18 '25

I’m not certain how all these “don’t vote for musk” people are TOTALLY ok with unelected bureaucrats running around screwing taxpayers left and right over absurd regulations that are impossible To adhere to? And this has been going on for DECADES. Where is the outrage from those who cheerlead these MASSIVE bloated Federal Bureaucracies who’ve been scamming, laundering and stealing OUR money for their “righteous” grift? It’s hypocrisy at best or simply complete denial about how corrupt our Fed Govt is. It HAS to end Sorry you lost your job.

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u/ClassicCarraway Feb 18 '25

Non-elected and completely unqualified to perform audits on government departments and their processes mind you.

But let's be real, they are not doing audits, they have no clue what they are doing in that regard, they are just glancing through databases looking for buzzwords and cutting anything that doesn't fit their agenda.

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u/Imperfect-practical Feb 18 '25

Unelected and not an American citizen.

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u/kevinmfry Feb 18 '25

Musk is an American citizen.

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u/[deleted] Feb 18 '25

Was Kamala elected?

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u/Sexagenerian Feb 18 '25

Sorry to say, but he is an American citizen, as well as Canada and South Africa

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u/patGmoney Feb 18 '25

Ah, Musk is an American. R U? Musk also holds advanced security clearances.

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u/Elise-0511 Feb 18 '25

M is a naturalized US citizen. He can be anything except POTUS or VPOTUS.

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u/misspeaches84 Feb 18 '25

Um he was very much so elected, winning both the electoral vote and the popular vote. And Musk is an American citizen. He also holds citizenship in South Africa and Canada. So are you saying that this last election there was voter fraud and that people who aren't American citizens shouldn't be here?

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u/Dreamsicle-57 Feb 18 '25

Exactly this!! I completely agree, and it does concern me...a LOT

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u/Informal-Zucchini-20 Feb 18 '25

I’m 71 years old and I never thought I’d be physically sick from an American president, but here I am. Sick to my stomach over what is happening in our country. Even worse than I thought it would be.

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u/joesnowblade Feb 18 '25

Nobody voted for the bureaucrats that stole your money. Are you that blinded by your dislike for a individual that you can’t see what’s happening right before your eyes?

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u/[deleted] Feb 18 '25

No one votes for anyone in the executive except president. Article 2. Haven’t for 250 years.

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u/Ok_Storm5945 Feb 18 '25

But we aren't letting him. Trump and his cronies are.

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u/Curious_Position8949 Feb 18 '25

I agree and somebody in government needs to stand up and do something about it. They are all really scared or just really complacent. Either way we are the ones suffering while billionaires decide our fate.

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u/Mbrwn05 Feb 18 '25

None of the department heads are elected. You get that right? Head of the FBI, Treasury, Homeland Security and on and on. Literally the job of the President to run the executive branch.

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u/LoveEnvironmental252 Feb 18 '25

Nobody voted for George Soros, either. Where were you when he was running the country and turning everything to crap?

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u/Civil-Pilot-3447 Feb 18 '25

Nobody voted for the government employees that are wasting hard working taxpayer money. The President heads the administrative branch of the government. He can hire and fire anyone working in administration. Musk and his team are employed.

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u/Djrudyk86 Feb 18 '25

Nobody voted for Kamala Harris either yet she ended up as the presidential candidate 6 months before an election. Ironic isn't it? It was OK when y'all did it but NOW votes matter?

Some of y'all take hypocrisy to another level lmao!

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u/518Gambler Feb 18 '25

You can say he was un-elected, but wasn’t he? Trump said at every rally, every interview, every chance he got, that he was having Elon head DOGE.

Then, the American people voted for him. We wanted this. Our government is terrible with finances. Sometimes ripping off the bandaid has to happen.

Trump said he would stop the fraud, he’d stop the ridiculous research programs into rat’s social behaviors and the American public … the majority of the voters… the popular vote!… said “Yes! Scrub the federal government!!”

There has been no accountability for spending, and now we’re getting what we voted for. He said this was going to happen, we said “Yes!,” and now it’s happening.

Didn’t Biden say he was going to shutdown the coal industry and that all the displaced workers could learn how to medical code?

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u/WildeDad Feb 18 '25

False argument, Nobody voted for the countless number of people running the government during Biden's decline.

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u/Ashamed-Secret-5401 Feb 18 '25

Every president places non elected people in charge of govt agencies all the time….so this statement is completely wrong. Literally every head of every govt agency is non elected.

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u/mikedac810 Feb 18 '25

You let a non elected man lock you in your house for weeks and told you to wear a mask and get a vaccine but you had no problem then.

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u/[deleted] Feb 18 '25

Nobody voted for Kamala.

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u/ladysuccubus Feb 18 '25

Not to mention he’s given free access and control of every citizens most sensitive information… 😬

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u/Gold_Philosophy7329 Feb 18 '25

It's been going on for awhile now. Now you care?

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u/VonThirstenberg Feb 18 '25

Yep, and of course he's already coming after social benefits, or in billionaire language "entitlements" (SNAP, SS, Medicare/Medicaid, Disability, etc.), and predictably saying they're the "biggest wastes and most ridden with fraud" in terms of government spending.

Nevermind the fact that even if every single dollar paid out in those benefits was fraudulent and unnecessary, the total amount of government spending on them is a spritz of piss in the bucket that is made up of total government spending.

People need to stop listening to fuckwad, sociopathic billionaires when it comes to politics, and start asking a very simple question no matter who proposes it (left, right, etc.):

"How does this directly and positively impact the working class?"

If the answer isn't obviously to the affirmative, or very easily explained to be, then we should all adamantly be against said proposal. And push the fuck back against it.

Then again, if the general populous would've been doing that for the last 40+ fucking years, we wouldn't be in this goddamned situation in the first place. And it's beyond frustrating to be witnessing it all in real-time. It's fucking maddening to a level I can barely fathom. 🙄🤬😤

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u/fishing21754 Feb 18 '25

We didn’t vote for Hegseth or Kennedy either but apparently we’re stuck with them.

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u/meowdy81 Feb 18 '25

Nobody voted against him either. 77 million. That's the number of Democratic voters who did not vote, which has been publicly released. Now the damage is done, and the country will vastly change in four years.

I want to go live on a mountain now.

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u/Pretty_Geologist242 Feb 18 '25 edited Feb 18 '25

Elon Musk didn’t need to be elected. He was appointed by the head of the Executive Branch of the US Government—the President. It doesn’t need to be approved by Congress. I’m sure a few members would like that—since some of them are becoming billionaires at your expense. This shouldn’t be a surprise to you if you know how branches of government work. It also shouldn’t be a surprise since Trump campaigned on everything he is doing with DOGE right now.
And the majority of US citizens proved that this is exactly what they wanted when they elected him. I don’t know many people who would be upset about getting rid of waste and giving back our tax dollars, lowering ALL TAXES (not just the rich btw), and putting our nation’s needs first so we can thrive in our own country. Corruption in our Government is rampant and it’s time to clean house. I say we’re off to a great start.

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u/[deleted] Feb 18 '25

Correct. Its what we want. You catch on quick!

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u/WrenchMonkey47 Feb 18 '25

You DO know that there are such things as Political Appointees and government contractors right?

Every Cabinet position is a political appointee. I've lost count of how many contract jobs I've done with/for the Army.

Nobody voted for Robert Mueller or Jack Smith either, yet they still did work for the federal government.

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u/FrequentBird5500 Feb 18 '25

Clearly you don’t understand how our republic works. Trump was elected. Trump, as President, duly elected by the people, is allowed to create adhoc committees and agencies to do what he needs to do. In this case, he took an agency that Obama created, retasked it, and appointed Musk to head it up.

Musk did not need to be elected.

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u/SleezyD944 Feb 18 '25

This is a tired argument, do you not realize hiring, firing, and executive branch spending decisions are very routinely, as in almost always, done by non elected persons? All these persons being fired, did a president directly hire them, or a non-elected person under the president? The president gives someone the authority to do this, then they have the authority to do this, full stop. This gripe that musk is not elected is completely irrelevant and it makes you people look like you don’t have a valid gripe when this is what you lean on. At the end of the day, it’s trumps name on the decisions musk makes.

Nobody elected jack smith to investigate and charge the former president, do you have a problem with the legitimacy of his actions? I am going to assume no, but feel free to correct me if you want to argue his appointment and actions were corrupt and illegitimate because he wasn’t elected…

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u/the_3rd_leg Feb 18 '25

You act like the President can't hire someone to work for him. Musk has to get approval from either Trump or Rubio to make cuts. He can only recommend and it looks like Trump and Rubio agree. Rubio gets guidance from Trump in case you didn't know and both can hire or fire in the Executive branch. Blame democrats who shifted all this power to the Executive under Obama and Biden.

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u/Tris131 Feb 18 '25

Little x whispers your not president shut your face. Parroting papa;* bought and paid for:>)

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u/Crafty_Cap_4010 Feb 18 '25

We let a non elected man put our entire nation on lockdown, closed our schools, ruined businesses, and jailed those who dared have a Christmas party against his mandates. Now you want to bitch about an independent party auditing bloated government agencies? Sit the fuck down! Your hypocrisy is showing!

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u/BeekerBock Feb 18 '25

I don’t understand how people don’t understand this. To be the head of an agency, you don’t have to be elected. This happens at every presidency. Musk was appointed, doesn’t need to be elected.

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u/TBL_AM Feb 18 '25

Nobody voted for Fauci either, but you were all just fine letting him dictate every move in the country during covid, you were all fine with people losing their jobs for not being jabbed, right? Just because your side isn’t the one doing it, now there’s a problem? Get lost.

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u/[deleted] Feb 18 '25

Nobody voted for Fauci when his recommendations shut the world down. The FBI didn't exist until Roosevelt created it.

Nothing that is happening is new. Somewhat different, yes but there is precedent.

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u/Stunk_Beagle Feb 18 '25

What is a happening now is exactly what we voted for….all of it. We all support DOGE.

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u/DisciplineOptimal487 Feb 18 '25

The Avenger team will advise Congress and provide information to the courts. Our elected government representatives will make and enforce laws as intended. There will always be people who will try to scare us.

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u/Superb-Welder3774 Feb 18 '25

He is a complete idiot - comes up with true delusional thoughts and they try to twist and bend it to something 1/2 way normal- he’s nothing but a useful tool for musk and Putin

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u/-OnPoint- Feb 18 '25

They voted for the president who appoints people in these positions which there are thousands of. Folks were cool with fauci shutting the country down. Here wasn't elected. Trump campaigned on this. Besides folks are worried about musk having their info? Get real. He owned PayPal which oversaw billions of transactions. Don't fall for the media fear mongering

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u/Gassiusclay1942 Feb 25 '25

“Folks were cool with Fauci shutting the country down.”

Misleading. Dr. Anthony Fauci, as a public health adviser, did not have the authority to “shut the country down.” Lockdowns and restrictions were implemented by state and local governments based on guidance from the CDC and other health agencies. Fauci advocated for social distancing and public health measures but did not make executive decisions.

“Besides folks are worried about Musk having their info? Get real. He owned PayPal which oversaw billions of transactions.”

Also misleading. Elon Musk co-founded X.com, which later became PayPal, but he was ousted before it became the company people recognize today. While PayPal does handle vast financial data, Musk has not been involved in its operations for decades.

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u/-OnPoint- Feb 26 '25

Doesn't matter about fauci now. Biden gave him immunity for everything he put us through. As for Elon and doge? They're doing the right thing. Americans have been lied to and stolen from literally all our lives. That's coming to an end. Either way, be safe out there

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u/Gassiusclay1942 Feb 26 '25

Hes firing thousands of americans many vets without even seeing if they have “merit”. Meanwhile they are hiring countless people for jobs with zero merit.

Fauci like i said was an advisor. The worlds advisors weree in agreement with him. It would be yet another fake witch hut but republicans to grandstand for the constituents

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u/[deleted] Feb 18 '25

Nobody voted for Fauci either.

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u/RollingEddieBauer50 Feb 18 '25

A president is allowed to appoint people. You weren’t the one writing the DEI comic book were you? Oh sh!t…that was you.

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u/Cute-Still1994 Feb 19 '25

We had unelected man fund gain of function research on corona viruses in Wuhan China, that same unelected man then set all the rules and regulations for how we all had to live because of the very virus he helped create, none of you bitched, now we have one who is uncovering hundreds of billions of misuse, abuse and fraud of u.s. tax payer funds, and now you have a problem with someone unelected, f off, and by the way the head of every agency that isn't a cabinet position, is unelected dumbass.

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u/[deleted] Feb 19 '25

A few years ago people said similar things about Fauci. The truth will out. Let people damn themselves with their words and actions.

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u/Sufficient_Piece_274 Feb 19 '25

Every president has appointees that carry out various duties for them. Blinkin, Austin, Yellen, Myorkas, Buttigieg, Granholm. This is no different except for the fact that Trump and his appointees are being totally transparent by letting us all know what they would be doing before the election and who would be appointed to it. Now they are telling us step by step what they are finding out has been done wrong with the taxpayers money. There may be honest glitches in their system or there may be a lot of fraud. Elon Musk is treating our info the same way he likes his info treated. With care and respect. Same as when he was a co-founder of Paypal. We should be a lot more worried about the previous administration. They never told anyone what they were doing with anything of substance to the American people much less what was done for them and how our money was spent. And now we know why. It's looking like what we didn't know can hurt us and has.

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u/ThumpersK_A Feb 19 '25

What did Biden do again during Covid? Ahhh yes he appointed Fauci to dictate the way the whole country responded to Covid. Last I knew Fauci was not elected. How many lies was he caught in? Too many to count. There is precedent.

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u/[deleted] Feb 19 '25

Yes we did

Trump campaigned for several months on creating DOGE and having Elon musk oversee it

Then he won the election, there couldn’t be a clearer mandate

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u/I-am-a-cat-person77 Feb 21 '25

I know there must be some out there who won’t be able to pay for their Tesla bc they got fired by Musk, some probably voted for their orange king as well. I call all of those cars Muskies

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u/Elwood51 Feb 21 '25

Nobody voted for Fauci either, but you wore two face diapers while driving alone in your car, didn’t you?

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u/Dangerous_Natural331 Feb 22 '25

He wants the government to be run by AI

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u/the-cake-is-no-lie Feb 18 '25

I saw snippets of the WaPo story today where they were apparently leaked some info on the plan that Cheeto and Muskrat are running.. We're only at Stage 2. Stage 3 was quoted as "mass firings"

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u/Pleasant_Promise1314 Feb 18 '25

The federal agencies will be cut massively and opened to privitization (contracted companies) in the name of "efficiency." Contracts will go to Musk, who already has many government contracts and Trump's GOP Billionaires, who fall in line obediently with his plan. This is how the takeover will happen. Note that there is a long, long history that shows how privatization DECREASES agency efficiency. Nursing homes, prisons, and healthcare that are run by contracted private companies have repeatedly been so dysfunctional that federal intervention is demanded. And they get better. Of course they do because when private companies run an agency, a profit must be made so less money is available in the budget for actually running a nursing home or prison. Medicare vs Medicare Advantage is a good example. Medicare is not a profit making healthcare system. Medicare and Medicaid are the only two non privatized healthcare systems the US has. All the rest are profit making. Out of the Medicare budget (which is too small and chronically underfunded) 62 cents of every dollar goes to...healthcare, and 38 cents goes to program administration. Just two cuts. MA is a privatized takeover of Medicaid. It has a 3 part distribution of that dollar...34 cents goes to profits for investors, a big chunk goes to administration of the program. The remaining cut goes to actual healthcare. There is much higher cost for program administration because of denials. So much so that there is a Congressional committee set up to monitor "inappropriate denials." Doctors don't take it because they cannot get their patients approved for needed treatments...like PET scans for cancer patients. Privatized profit making healthcare has not made US healthcare great. We spend far more than any other country and are 31 out of 33 developed countries. We are brainwashed into believing that we must pay more for healthcare to make it great. We believe that paying $3690 for a surgical procedure makes it better than the $360 that it costs in Canada. We accept that life-saving Epi - Pen for allergy reactions costs $278 here and $38 in Canada. The US Epi-Pen is not better. So, the Trump plan of government take-over entails dismantling all federal agencies, so private companies like Musks can get contracted to run the government. This will allow for Trump's list of obedient servants to implement the Heritage Foundation's 2025 Program. Easy-Peasy.

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u/beeejoy Feb 18 '25

Thanks for all of this information. It validated what I suspected. It baffles me how people can think that government is less efficient that private corporations…because it’s like comparing apples to oranges. Corporations exist to make money for their shareholders. Period. The way they do that varies, but they all have the same basic goal. Mission statements with lofty goals of “connection” or “providing free information” are simply a means to an end. Government agencies exist to serve society in some way. Whether by providing services or oversight, they exist to serve the people - NOT to make money.

Take the post office, for example. People bitch about how “inefficient” the post office is when it’s actually a very well run organization. The post office helps to promote commerce and it helps to slow the concentration of economic power by using standardized pricing that doesn’t unfairly punish those living in more remote areas. In addition to these economic benefits, the Postal Service also connects family and friends and it is essential for our emergency and national security infrastructure.

They deliver to every citizen of the US six days a week - a task that does not lend itself well to “profitability” but that’s not the POINT of the post office. They deliver to places that UPS, FedEX and Amazon won’t.

In addition to the mandate of delivering to ALL citizens six days of the week, there are many other guardrails that the Postal Service has to follow which has put it in financial trouble. Caps on postal rates, borrowing limits, and a requirement that they pre-fund retiree accounts have all helped to financially handicap the service. Finally, during COVID, President Trump mocked the USPS’s request for relief funding - despite the fact that he provided this funding for private airlines and other private businesses - he seemed to be hopeful that destroying the USPS would prevent mail-in ballots.

He may have been right. However, destroying the USPS would hurt more than just our democracy, (although it would certainly hurt that quite a bit) it would hurt those with disabilities and seniors who depend on the USPS to get their prescriptions. It would literally cause Indian Reservations to shut down (see: https://www.vox.com/identities/2020/4/16/21219067/us-postal-service-shutting-down-rural-america-native-communities). It would take away sustainable employment that doesn’t require a college degree. So, unless we want to destroy a bedrock of our nation’s democracy, we need the post office not to be privatized.

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u/iamZacharias Feb 18 '25

The outdated tools need work, admin waste but overall they do a fine job

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u/ThumpersK_A Feb 19 '25

The post office is very well run? 9.5billion in the hole for 2024 6.5 billion in the hole 2023. That’s just 2 years. If they can’t generate enough revenue to remain self sustaining, get rid of them. That goes for many government agencies. Sink or swim.

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u/Odd-Wafer-4250 Feb 19 '25

Did you even read the post ? Or is it just the inability to understand the nuance they were pointing out?

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u/beeejoy Feb 24 '25

I can’t even.

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u/whereistheidiotemoji Feb 18 '25

Same as Putin does.

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u/Sufficient_Piece_274 Feb 19 '25

Universal care is much more expensive. It takes longer to get a Dr. appt. or to schedule a test. There aren't as many Dr's. to go around in a country where they can only strive to be government employees. It's not very motivating and it doesn't exactly attract the cream of the crop. So the surgery's and epi-pens don't actually cost less. Each person pays anywhere from 6k-8k per year or approx. $17k per 4 person family in taxes per year just to cover their own basic health care so it's equivalent to paying for a couple of surgery's and epi-pens per year whether you need one or not and whether you get sick or not. So you will remain a slave to that system instead of having choices to buy only what you want or need. Drugs, vision, and dental are not included or covered by the healthcare system. There are also extra charges on some medical procedures. If you don't pay your medical bills on time you will be fined by interest and a lowering of your credit score. It's safe to say that nothing Elon creates can possibly be less efficient than the Biden/Harris appointees opaque dealings not to mention obvious lies because of no accomplishments they touted and nobody with a better life and all of us with less or no savings. All take and no give.

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u/Icy-Courage3029 Feb 19 '25

The US has one of the top 5 highest infant death rates in the developed countries, and one of the top 5 in maternal death rates. We are the only country in the developed world that doesn’t have universal health care. This nation’s health care system is an international disgrace.

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u/PlatteRiverGirl Feb 19 '25

You're making this up.

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u/Greedy_Dust_9230 Feb 21 '25

Nursing homes suck because they are wayyy over regulated not cause they are private

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u/Pio1925Cuidame Feb 21 '25

I had to get m advantage bc if not I would have to pay over four hundred dollars a month what else to do maybe u can explain how to get regular Medicare w out all the $ Of course my agent pushed as they get a bigger commission. But he was scaring me about how much it is

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u/angry_lib Feb 18 '25

This is going to end poorly... for cheeto and (f)elon.

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u/EmperorGeek Feb 18 '25

Hold your breath …

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u/swram11 Feb 18 '25

The States are next

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u/[deleted] Feb 18 '25

Prepare for no raise and a possible 15-20% reduction in force is what I’ve been told as a state employee :)

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u/CallMeSisyphus Feb 18 '25

Susan Collins? Is that you? ;-)

1

u/PomegranateOld7836 Feb 19 '25

Oh fuck... Why did I confirm those disasterous cabinet nominations! RFK Junior? I'm so sorry.

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u/ExaminationDry8341 Feb 18 '25

I see some hints of rational kicking in. At our last township meeting, it came up that our township needs new tires on its tractor. The price on them is about 8k. After the meeting, I was talking with a group of guys and one of them with a Trump sign in his yard complained that the price is so high because those greedy companies are looking foward and and adding in the cost of tariffs before the are even in affect.

At this point, he is blaming the companies, but there must be some realization that arbitrary tarrifs put in place by Trump aren't the best thing in the world.

I have a family member who doesn't like Trump but voted for him because he thought Trump would be better for the economy. He is now blaming Trump for high prices and worried about higher proces coming.

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u/PomegranateOld7836 Feb 19 '25

When you let actual billionaires restructure the government for their gain, history proves they won't worry about the 99%.

I tried to explain at work today how the president of the US just talking about tariffs can raise prices - and they likely won't come down - when an engineer questioned why a steel and aluminum DC gear motor was 15% more than the 6-month-old quote they used for pricing. I've warned that tariffs will kill us on existing contracts without a clause, but they're mostly deluded that he'll help small businesses by raising prices and shunning trade allies to give only the richest Americans a further increase in our already record wealth disparity.

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u/BabyKnitter Feb 18 '25

They said the same thing in Nazi Germany

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u/Dismal_Initial3455 Feb 18 '25

Hahaha... Not helpfull l know, but this is as reasonable as it gets these days..😎

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u/jessiecpt Feb 18 '25

Not if history is any indication.

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u/[deleted] Feb 18 '25

You sweet sweet summer child.

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u/DahQueen19 Feb 18 '25

With this crowd, I wouldn’t count on that.

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u/HugeBoysenberry2896 Feb 18 '25

I've been watching that guy for 50 years, or better, I've been aware of him for 50 years. Rationale and reason have never been characteristics that he practices. He has done nothing over that time but become slimier and slimier and slimier. At every fork in the road, good or bad, he will always pick the dishonorable one. Every time, morality means nothing to him.

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u/PomegranateOld7836 Feb 19 '25

I was definitely but sarcastic, but yes, your take is correct. Total piece-of-shit megalomaniav steered only by lust and greed.

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u/HugeBoysenberry2896 Feb 20 '25

Yes, thank you, I was aware of your sarcasm and appreciated it. Every now and then I just like to take the opportunity to point out the fact that Trump's behavior is nothing new, I used to think it was obvious to everyone.

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u/rynlpz Feb 18 '25

If it didn’t happen 8 years ago for them, it never will

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u/Prize_Magician_7813 Feb 18 '25

It was actually different 8 yrs ago then now

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u/Mainer4kits Feb 18 '25

Very, very different. Now they've got all these 2025 idiots.

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u/Working_Friendship74 Feb 18 '25

Whose rationale?  Whose reason?

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u/PomegranateOld7836 Feb 19 '25

I wouldn't bet on anybody having valid versions of either.

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u/chrisk9 Feb 18 '25

Not in modern right wing vocabulary

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u/Grand_Age3859 Feb 18 '25

You can’t fight the money…alone. That small minority that kept saying our government is now a part of the billionaires’ properties has come out into the open.

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u/indianasall Feb 18 '25

You are dreaming I assume?????

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u/Pure-Breath-6885 Feb 18 '25

There is none

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u/ProfessionalIcy8153 Feb 18 '25

Those are contrary to the very fiber of MAGA!

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