this post was submitted on 15 Nov 2024
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Summary

The "Department of Government Efficiency" won't be a real government agency. In fact, it won't even be part of the federal government.

Led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, the advisory commission aims to cut $2 trillion in spending, reduce regulations, and downsize the federal workforce.

Critics question its effectiveness, given its outsider status, potential conflicts of interest with Musk's businesses, and Ramaswamy's focus on mass layoffs and agency eliminations.

While some praise its potential for reforms, others warn it may undermine civil service and prioritize "slash-and-burn" cuts over thoughtful changes.

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[–] [email protected] 88 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I love the irony of putting two people in charge of an efficiency department. Satire is dead.

[–] [email protected] 62 points 1 month ago (2 children)

A redundant efficiency department with no direct way to make changes, it's like nominating a sex trafficker to be the attorney general or something

[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 month ago

Or a known Russian asset to head national intelligence.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

Or hiring two guys to be co-referees for the no holds barred orgy that's about to start.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 month ago

They should start calling it the Department of Government Efficiency Department.

[–] [email protected] 51 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Seriously, a bunch of people who don't know the GAO exists.

[–] [email protected] 38 points 1 month ago (1 children)

But the GAO doesn't have an acronym that is also a funny meme. How is Elon meant to give a shit about it if it doesn't make the 14 year old boys laugh?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Hey it's not just a meme, it's DeCeNtRaliZeD fInAnCe. I bought some DOGE as a joke several years ago, now it is worth real money. I sold some the last time it was at $0.69, because of course I did.

I have some left, the price is currently $0.36 but maybe Elon can meme it up to $4.20 and I can retire early.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

It's the GAO but with more corruption, blackjack and hookers. Oh and it's not actually part of the government.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

actually, forget the GAO

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

Shhhh. I don't want these two anywhere near an office or department with merit.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It doesn’t matter, that’s not the point. The point is precisely that it’s not part of the government. It’s the manifestation of the sort of private capture that has made Musk so rich. They are explicitly taking a governmental responsibility - managing the budget - and moving it out of the government. Away from oversight, away from regulation, with unclear (and therefore definable by them) power and authority, free from any obligation to actually DO anything.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

taking a crime and moving it somewhere else is also the entire schtick of silicon valley techbros. see, it's not a pyramid scheme or securities fraud, it's Future of Finance™. it's not copyright infringement or criminal conspiracy if it's done by chatbots, and they're not liable anyway, why have you trusted the lying boxes

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

They’re just disrupting governance by upleveling inefficient “budgeting” and “oversight” to a blockchain-driven web3 AI powered crypto GaaS (government as a service) product called F.A.R.T.S, or the Federal AI Recurring Transaction System. FARTS will take your dollars and give it directly to four billionaires, cutting out the inefficient “procurement” process we use now to funnel taxpayer money to rich demons.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

A department led by anthropomorphized ketamine and cocaine. What could go wrong?

(No idea if Ramaswamy is on coke, but he sure gives off coked-up, business school frat boy vibes)

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 month ago

Elons two main businesses only exist because of government handouts. 7500 electric vehicle tax credit over 100,000s of cars is well into the billions. With how close Tesla came to insolvency, the ability to reach more customers surely saved Tesla.

And spaceX (and more money for starlink) he has got billions more directly and is slated to receive even more even though SpaceX has missed deadlines over and over and the goal of propping up SpaceX was so we could have a cheaper option than Russia to getting people to the ISS is now not even on the table.

What's the over/under twitter gets government subsidies with some paper thin argument like "it's the public square of the Internet, so it's basically a park, and since we get 10x the yearly visitors than the grand canyon, we deserve 10x it's budget to help maintain our "free speech" park"

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 month ago (1 children)

If they say to Trump "cut FBI, cut NASA", Trump will do it, and all fund for space exploration will got to SpaceX by the way.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The DoD and NASA are the ones that pay SpaceX through government contracts. If he cuts NASA, then that is less money for SpaceX

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I guess the full 25 billions$ will go to Musk/SpaceX

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

What?? Just... straight from Congress?? I think this kind of highlights how this efficiency department has no real power. They don't have the authority to plan or cut or divert money from NASA projects and Congress decides NASA budget.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

They don’t have the authority under the current government.

A government is just a series of rules enforced by people who follow those rules. If enough people decide to ignore the rules, they can do whatever they want.

The last defense for those rules is the military, but trump wants to fire a ton of generals and appoint his own people, who won’t bat at an eye at blatant constitutional violations.

Give it a few months and the DOGE duo will probably have significant sway over budgets, regardless of how much authority they have on paper.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago

“Don't worry, Trump will be stopped because of the LAW”, has to be the stupidest argument that people are touting lately. When has that ever mattered?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

Of course, they'll be able to do tremendous amounts of irreparable damage to society.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

This only matters if people in the federal government are willing to say "You don't have any legal authority to tell me to do anything and I don't want to help you, so go away" which I wouldn't count on always being the case

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

Not with two dipshits behind the wheel, it won't.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

You don't have to be able nor smart, to destroy.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Their faces look like they're both trying to molest the same small child and they have to somehow come to an agreement over how to take turns.

Why do these types always have that child rapist look in their eyes?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

This helps explain the low pay high workload mantra.