Great summary. A government worker jams 4 hours of work into an 8 hour day. Getting rid of as many government employees as possible will be like cleaning barnacles off of a boat hull.
Seems some posters never watched The Office or dealt with the private sector. Same. People are people and will find every way to goof off they can. Setting aside the hyper tech giants like Bezos who probably tracks the heartbeat and respiration rate of warehouse and delivery employees, most businesses, including mine, can be fooled for a long time by slackers. Human nature I think it’s called. Some bust ass and are recognized and promoted. Many slack their way constantly getting dopamine hits on X all day. Or porn.
This is why I'm hopeful that massive government cuts with generous severance packages could shrink the government without causing recession. We'd be paying people to do nothing, but there is little the government does which actually creates things people would voluntarily spend their money on, instead it actively impedes such endeavors in the private sector.
Bravo QTR, all correct but of course the Communist Democrats have done much more and deeper damage than even you list here. The Republicans have a herculean task ahead and must not give the Communists once gram of sympathy, take them out.
I'm back from my hiatus in Japan. It was lovely. Makes one wonder why the 'greatest country in the world' can't have clean public restrooms, amazing rail systems (albeit confusing at first) and courteous people.
What is your opinion of the McConnell gang in the Senate? Do you think they will confirm the 'renegades' Trump is proposing to satisfy the MAGA loyalists or do you think this is all showmanship? The art of the deal, so to speak? Trump will say he 'tried' appeasing the loyalists? Do you think the Republicans will consider turning around the disastrous money printing so they can oversee a period of austerity? Do you think their desire for peace in Ukraine will end the massacre in Gaza and the goal to destroy the entire middle east to please their Israeli patrons? Shall we hold accountable those who created, enforced and got rich with the brutality of the pandemic policies? Who are the true masters of the politicians? We shall soon see, but what do you think?
You are so blatantly dishonest. You do not mention the $8 trillion that Trump pumped into the economy, which, 16 months later, gave us the 9% inflation during the Biden administration. Now Hoover has come back, reincarnated as Trump, about to explode inflation with tariffs, mass deportations and who knows what else. Did anyone read about what happened in the 1930's when such policies were enacted? The people who voted for Trump, thinking he was going to rescue them, are going to be sadly disappointed when they start feeling the effects of his policies.
Now the deficit is better than 50% interest payments, and climbing. So where is Musk & company going to cut expenditures, if not from Defense and similar agencies favored by Trump?
I see dark times ahead. The only place Musk and Trump can cut expenses are those expenditures that benefit the middle and lower classes. Working people. They sure are not going to go after the top 10%, who own 62% of all the wealth between them. They will go after the money owned or earned by the bottom 90%. That's us, in one form or another. The bottom 50% own 5.7% of all wealth. These are the people who are going to foot the bill for shrinking government.
Like it or not, we have spent the past 110 years expanding the size and role of government to where it is now. This was done by both Republicans and Democrats. The idea that Trump is somehow going to fix this is hogwash.
Show me a President who has not raised the National Debt and i'll show you a ghost. Many people may reference the Clinton years when we had a "surplus" but since the end of WW2 our Govt has found ways to spend money we do not have and no one is ever held accountable....Why? Because it cannot be seen...How many times have we heard about Social Security and/or Medicare going bust and no longer being available? The ability of our Govt to "move" money is like a Bernie Madoff amateur hour. It is a glaring example of "we can do what we want" to spend not what we need but what out donors want...Think Solyndra under Obama...$400 million..GONE in 12 months...then never mentioned again...and there are too many similar acts of manipulation to mention here...I am sure if you dug real deep into all the money that has been "given" to Ukraine you could save our National debt two times over... Yet at the same time we are held accountable to our banks for FEEs for just moving money electronically?? Trump will spend...and they are pinning their hopes on our ability to produce energy..and he may be right...but there will be a day of reckoning when we can no longer pay the interest on our debt...and we must pay the piper and kicking the can down the road will no longer be an option...I would rather lend money to my dog because my dog knows his way home...
It is a fantasy to think that Trump will cut government spending. Trump is a big spender (understatement). During his first term he spent more than George W Bush, Barack Obama, and Joseph Biden in both absolute and relative terms. The Republshits when they had control of the executive branch and both chambers of congress did nothing to control government spending. In fact under Bush II the welfare state was expanded. The Republishits and Demoncraps are just different sides of the same coin. Trump is a giant phoney. He is a buffoon, an economic ignoramus, and an Israel firster. F—k Trump! F—k Harris! And f—k Biden! I hope they all burn in hell!
And Elon and Viveck being the 'cost cutting' team? Ha! Imagine all the self-dealing of government contracts that will take place. Is anyone recalling the players within the paypal mafia? Thiel (aka Vance) and Musk team up again!
If they have changed then they should disclose the exact amount of government money they have received to date and promise to not take another dime. Until then, I will look at this as the fox INSIDE the henhouse.
I agree...but I did mention Post WW2...either way to only have 4 Presidents over 275 years? My father was a depression baby who's Dad was wiped out and took his own life...My father lived on zero credit except for a mortgage that he paid off in advance...Pay me now or pay me later but either way you will pay your debts...
You forgot about Andrew Jackson. Not only did he sock it to Nick Biddle and the Second Bank of the United States, he also completely paid off the national debt. I bet Andrew Jackson would know how to deal with the Fed and the smarmy Jerome Powell.
How about the Department of Education? Our kids can't count change without the use of a calculator and they clearly don't teach them basic biology re: confusion about what sex they are! Follow the science? Every Cell Has A Sex written by our very own NIH:
I say cut anywhere and everywhere. I also say make the easy cuts first which would make the cuts needed that would be very painful, such as in social security a bit more palatable. I would start with the militarism budget and the Department of Offensive Wars. Also on my list would be the complete dismantlement of the Amerika’s empire of bases and foreign aid.
Love it! I've been calling it the Dept of Offense for years once I extracted myself from believing the lies of 'american interests' and noted the military bases (and the UN/WHO, etc) are merely protecting multinationals while they extract/steal resources from others less powerful than we. That's called a bully in the geopolitical playground.
Once Biden Raised the prices of diesel and gasoline by cutting of pipe lines etc
Any thing that moved in the USA trucks trains air had to raise prices then supplies raise prices then the public pays thff ed b inflated price once trumps opens all that prices. Should stat to go lower
All federal reserve knows how to do is raise rates
All the federal reserve knows how to to do is create money out of the thin air that is not worth the paper it is not printed on. The fed was never serious about raising interest rates to the point needed to bring inflation under control. The proof of this statement is the fed has cut interest rate by 75 basis points. Jerome Powell is not a reincarnation of Paul Volker. The more important issue here is the fed should not be in the business of manipulating interest rates. Interest rates, like the price of milk and shoes, should be set by the market.
Yeah, that darn dial on the Resolute Desk that controls oil prices. Yes the SPR was raided, and it broke OPECs back and RUS. Now it can be refilled at 20% less cost, but prolly won’t.
I am hoping beyond hope that our small business can hold on long enough to survive this. It has been a very hard few years for us. We were already in the mix by the time Biden got reelected but we're barely starting. We need a little bit of leeway soon.
You could jettison every single U.S. government employee and it'd barely ripple the debt trajectory. Not to mention that many of those people actually do stuff which the citizens want, but may deliver those services poorly because they're starved for capital. The big drivers nobody will touch, or in the case of interest on debt, can't.
Great Article! I just saw that Milei was at Mar a Lago recently this could be recognized as a good sign and probably that Trump and the administration understands what their up against. Destructive last 4 years it was.
Great summary. A government worker jams 4 hours of work into an 8 hour day. Getting rid of as many government employees as possible will be like cleaning barnacles off of a boat hull.
Seems some posters never watched The Office or dealt with the private sector. Same. People are people and will find every way to goof off they can. Setting aside the hyper tech giants like Bezos who probably tracks the heartbeat and respiration rate of warehouse and delivery employees, most businesses, including mine, can be fooled for a long time by slackers. Human nature I think it’s called. Some bust ass and are recognized and promoted. Many slack their way constantly getting dopamine hits on X all day. Or porn.
And those four hours may provide no benefit at all, or even negative benefit. Try that in the private sector and see what happens.
This is why I'm hopeful that massive government cuts with generous severance packages could shrink the government without causing recession. We'd be paying people to do nothing, but there is little the government does which actually creates things people would voluntarily spend their money on, instead it actively impedes such endeavors in the private sector.
More like zero hours of work, but yeah, clear 'em off
Bravo QTR, all correct but of course the Communist Democrats have done much more and deeper damage than even you list here. The Republicans have a herculean task ahead and must not give the Communists once gram of sympathy, take them out.
Dear Chris and Mrs Bucket,
I'm back from my hiatus in Japan. It was lovely. Makes one wonder why the 'greatest country in the world' can't have clean public restrooms, amazing rail systems (albeit confusing at first) and courteous people.
What is your opinion of the McConnell gang in the Senate? Do you think they will confirm the 'renegades' Trump is proposing to satisfy the MAGA loyalists or do you think this is all showmanship? The art of the deal, so to speak? Trump will say he 'tried' appeasing the loyalists? Do you think the Republicans will consider turning around the disastrous money printing so they can oversee a period of austerity? Do you think their desire for peace in Ukraine will end the massacre in Gaza and the goal to destroy the entire middle east to please their Israeli patrons? Shall we hold accountable those who created, enforced and got rich with the brutality of the pandemic policies? Who are the true masters of the politicians? We shall soon see, but what do you think?
You are so blatantly dishonest. You do not mention the $8 trillion that Trump pumped into the economy, which, 16 months later, gave us the 9% inflation during the Biden administration. Now Hoover has come back, reincarnated as Trump, about to explode inflation with tariffs, mass deportations and who knows what else. Did anyone read about what happened in the 1930's when such policies were enacted? The people who voted for Trump, thinking he was going to rescue them, are going to be sadly disappointed when they start feeling the effects of his policies.
Now the deficit is better than 50% interest payments, and climbing. So where is Musk & company going to cut expenditures, if not from Defense and similar agencies favored by Trump?
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=1bjFE
I see dark times ahead. The only place Musk and Trump can cut expenses are those expenditures that benefit the middle and lower classes. Working people. They sure are not going to go after the top 10%, who own 62% of all the wealth between them. They will go after the money owned or earned by the bottom 90%. That's us, in one form or another. The bottom 50% own 5.7% of all wealth. These are the people who are going to foot the bill for shrinking government.
Like it or not, we have spent the past 110 years expanding the size and role of government to where it is now. This was done by both Republicans and Democrats. The idea that Trump is somehow going to fix this is hogwash.
Think addiction withdrawal.
Show me a President who has not raised the National Debt and i'll show you a ghost. Many people may reference the Clinton years when we had a "surplus" but since the end of WW2 our Govt has found ways to spend money we do not have and no one is ever held accountable....Why? Because it cannot be seen...How many times have we heard about Social Security and/or Medicare going bust and no longer being available? The ability of our Govt to "move" money is like a Bernie Madoff amateur hour. It is a glaring example of "we can do what we want" to spend not what we need but what out donors want...Think Solyndra under Obama...$400 million..GONE in 12 months...then never mentioned again...and there are too many similar acts of manipulation to mention here...I am sure if you dug real deep into all the money that has been "given" to Ukraine you could save our National debt two times over... Yet at the same time we are held accountable to our banks for FEEs for just moving money electronically?? Trump will spend...and they are pinning their hopes on our ability to produce energy..and he may be right...but there will be a day of reckoning when we can no longer pay the interest on our debt...and we must pay the piper and kicking the can down the road will no longer be an option...I would rather lend money to my dog because my dog knows his way home...
It is a fantasy to think that Trump will cut government spending. Trump is a big spender (understatement). During his first term he spent more than George W Bush, Barack Obama, and Joseph Biden in both absolute and relative terms. The Republshits when they had control of the executive branch and both chambers of congress did nothing to control government spending. In fact under Bush II the welfare state was expanded. The Republishits and Demoncraps are just different sides of the same coin. Trump is a giant phoney. He is a buffoon, an economic ignoramus, and an Israel firster. F—k Trump! F—k Harris! And f—k Biden! I hope they all burn in hell!
And Elon and Viveck being the 'cost cutting' team? Ha! Imagine all the self-dealing of government contracts that will take place. Is anyone recalling the players within the paypal mafia? Thiel (aka Vance) and Musk team up again!
If they have changed then they should disclose the exact amount of government money they have received to date and promise to not take another dime. Until then, I will look at this as the fox INSIDE the henhouse.
Here are 3 presidents that didn't raise the debt: Coolidge, Harding and Grant.
I agree...but I did mention Post WW2...either way to only have 4 Presidents over 275 years? My father was a depression baby who's Dad was wiped out and took his own life...My father lived on zero credit except for a mortgage that he paid off in advance...Pay me now or pay me later but either way you will pay your debts...
You forgot about Andrew Jackson. Not only did he sock it to Nick Biddle and the Second Bank of the United States, he also completely paid off the national debt. I bet Andrew Jackson would know how to deal with the Fed and the smarmy Jerome Powell.
They need to shut down departments that are not needed at all.
Which is 95%
Excellent essay.
What does the Department of Energy do?
How about the Department of Education? Our kids can't count change without the use of a calculator and they clearly don't teach them basic biology re: confusion about what sex they are! Follow the science? Every Cell Has A Sex written by our very own NIH:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK222291/
I say cut anywhere and everywhere. I also say make the easy cuts first which would make the cuts needed that would be very painful, such as in social security a bit more palatable. I would start with the militarism budget and the Department of Offensive Wars. Also on my list would be the complete dismantlement of the Amerika’s empire of bases and foreign aid.
The surveillance state must go. Elon and Thiel (aka Vance) receive their fair portion of government contracts. I’m guessing vivek has as well.
Let’s have them disclose those and then determine how much they will give to themselves. They are wolves. The paypal mafia.
Love it! I've been calling it the Dept of Offense for years once I extracted myself from believing the lies of 'american interests' and noted the military bases (and the UN/WHO, etc) are merely protecting multinationals while they extract/steal resources from others less powerful than we. That's called a bully in the geopolitical playground.
Manages our nuclear weapons arsenal, for one…
Once Biden Raised the prices of diesel and gasoline by cutting of pipe lines etc
Any thing that moved in the USA trucks trains air had to raise prices then supplies raise prices then the public pays thff ed b inflated price once trumps opens all that prices. Should stat to go lower
All federal reserve knows how to do is raise rates
All the federal reserve knows how to to do is create money out of the thin air that is not worth the paper it is not printed on. The fed was never serious about raising interest rates to the point needed to bring inflation under control. The proof of this statement is the fed has cut interest rate by 75 basis points. Jerome Powell is not a reincarnation of Paul Volker. The more important issue here is the fed should not be in the business of manipulating interest rates. Interest rates, like the price of milk and shoes, should be set by the market.
Like Ron Paul says and many of us agree
“End the Fed”
Yeah, that darn dial on the Resolute Desk that controls oil prices. Yes the SPR was raided, and it broke OPECs back and RUS. Now it can be refilled at 20% less cost, but prolly won’t.
I am hoping beyond hope that our small business can hold on long enough to survive this. It has been a very hard few years for us. We were already in the mix by the time Biden got reelected but we're barely starting. We need a little bit of leeway soon.
You could jettison every single U.S. government employee and it'd barely ripple the debt trajectory. Not to mention that many of those people actually do stuff which the citizens want, but may deliver those services poorly because they're starved for capital. The big drivers nobody will touch, or in the case of interest on debt, can't.
Great Article! I just saw that Milei was at Mar a Lago recently this could be recognized as a good sign and probably that Trump and the administration understands what their up against. Destructive last 4 years it was.