The first 100 days
- Thread starter watu05
- Start date
How about some healthy skepticism about these claims?
Being rich does not equate to being honest. I would think we all knew this by now? And without real watchdogs such as inspectors general how shall we ever know? It is a big con I suspect.
No we are not putting our kids in debt over paying bogus financial aid for immigrants in Norway.. As I said before 150M sounds like a lot, but we are on a macro scale here. Restating: entire foreign aid budget is 1.3 hundredths of a %, of our budget, including emergency foreign aid to Israel and Ukraine. Nickle and diming us to death because you can't get over 150M when it is so minute in our budget is you being obtuse. Like I said, two point three thousandths of a percent is not going to matter in the grand scheme of things. What you are so worried about is so inconsequential it's not even funny. Yes we need to cut out that .0026, why wouldn't we. But it is inconsequential to our budget overrun.
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To my comment about social media, now I have a keyboard and can elaborate. I never worried before that I was at risk for retribution from the government by simply expressing disagreement and exposing logical fallacies. Never thought twice about it until a week ago as I have seen the actions of the current President and the cult of personality he has cultivated.
I now see that I could be targeted someday if things play out as I worry they might. But it is not stopping me. I had to ask myself if I could live with myself if I stayed quiet. I cannot. If that means someone comes after me down the line, loss of a job, loss of wealth, I will have to live with that as will my family. If more of our politicians would take this stance we would be a much better country.
And I use my real name on Facebook. Not that I am shielded too much here. ATUFan will be narcing on me soon and maybe even Lawpoke the way things are going.
I now see that I could be targeted someday if things play out as I worry they might. But it is not stopping me. I had to ask myself if I could live with myself if I stayed quiet. I cannot. If that means someone comes after me down the line, loss of a job, loss of wealth, I will have to live with that as will my family. If more of our politicians would take this stance we would be a much better country.
And I use my real name on Facebook. Not that I am shielded too much here. ATUFan will be narcing on me soon and maybe even Lawpoke the way things are going.
The better question is why does a country with a $2T deficit pay anything much less $150M to a country with a budget surplus in the first place? In the grand scheme of things is the amount material…of course not. Is the decision to make these payments a reflection of an underlying lack of accountability on behalf of those spending our money….absolutely. That in a nutshell is the problem we have faced for decades. A problem hidden by those in charge (Dems and Pubs).
I’m a libertarian at heart. It would be a cold day in hell before I would turn anyone in to the federal government for expressing dissent. Hell…I encourage dissent even if I disagree with the opinion. The right to freely dissent is one of our greatest freedoms. The Biden Admin attempted to silence criticism. If the Trump Admin attempts similar actions I would hope my friends on the right would forcefully object.
The only time I recall people being targeted for political beliefs was the IRS targeting conservative groups. I’m sure there have been more
Well the FEMA director has already admitted to the payment to the NYC hotels which were made. Not sure there’s any need for skepticism there. How about some healthy outrage? We are funding two major disasters. FEMA is claiming to be running out of funds. Yet they are paying “friendly” hotel owners millions and millions of dollars AND lying about it.
We’re $37T in debt. We now pay more to service that debt than the entire defense budget. The fact you guys aren’t outraged by this reckless unaccountability in government spending blows my mind. This is partially how we got here
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But this kind of thing is not new. It is the natural if distasteful way things drift in government. It should be reviewed and fixed but not by a weirdo DOGE thingy by Elon Musk with no oversight.
You are not seeing the forest for the trees IMO. I would rather have government waste than have someone run rough shod over our system and try to overrun our checks and balances. Musk is also bizarro. How can anyone trust him?
I don’t dismiss your basic premise here. The problem lies with who can review and fix the vast unaccountability found in government bureaucracy? People involved in all aspects of government benefit from these expenditures. Which explains why they do very little to try to oversee them. Government cannot provide oversight to itself. The past decades have demonstrated as much. It’s no accident we see politicians and bureaucrats with modest yearly incomes grow extremely wealthy during their time in the beltway. They have every incentive not to change the system. They don’t care we’re $37T in debt because they are growing wealthy. It’s human nature.
Do I wish it were someone other than Musk was finally auditing the vast unaccountability found in our federal government…yes. Has anyone else taken the task despite our vast debt…no. Was it likely anyone ever would have…..see above.
Here is a story from USA Today from someone with experience with USAid. I would imagine the scenario he describes plays out daily in our federal government. Whether it giving money to Norway, paying NYC hotel owners out of FEMA, or countless other instances yet to be discovered. There are good programs we need to keep intact. Let’s hope we do.
The Abolition of the Fatally Flawed USAID Is Long Overdue
Most of those who are upset about the shutdown of USAID do not understand the facts or have their hand in the cookie jar. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was established
You're complaining about the federal budget equivalent of Avacado Toast when you could be complaining about the two $1000 / month car payments.
Do something about health care or wasted defense spending then we'll talk. (and I'm not talking about weapons aide to allies unless it's determined that contractors are taking advantage of their awards)
Medicare and Medicaid, and associated healthcare reforms are by far the places where government officials could make the most impactful difference in changing our spending habits. They just refuse to because of medical and insurance lobbyists. Instead they cut popular, fiscally responsible, and socially beneficial programs so they can actually look like they're doing something.
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There is one personal anecdote here which I cannot argue against. The rest is pure advocacy though much of it wouldn't shock me if true.I don’t dismiss your basic premise here. The problem lies with who can review and fix the vast unaccountability found in government bureaucracy? People involved in all aspects of government benefit from these expenditures. Which explains why they do very little to try to oversee them. Government cannot provide oversight to itself. The past decades have demonstrated as much. It’s no accident we see politicians and bureaucrats with modest yearly incomes grow extremely wealthy during their time in the beltway. They have every incentive not to change the system. They don’t care we’re $37T in debt because they are growing wealthy. It’s human nature.
Do I wish it were someone other than Musk was finally auditing the vast unaccountability found in our federal government…yes. Has anyone else taken the task despite our vast debt…no. Was it likely anyone ever would have…..see above.
Here is a story from USA Today from someone with experience with USAid. I would imagine the scenario he describes plays out daily in our federal government. Whether it giving money to Norway, paying NYC hotel owners out of FEMA, or countless other instances yet to be discovered. There are good programs we need to keep intact. Let’s hope we do.
The Abolition of the Fatally Flawed USAID Is Long Overdue
Most of those who are upset about the shutdown of USAID do not understand the facts or have their hand in the cookie jar. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was establishedwww.realclearmarkets.com
Even if the broad assertions are 100% true, ignoring our separation of powers to cure it is not acceptable. It is a step towards destroying the fabric of our system. It is not simply distasteful.
I have some experience with government agencies. My experience is basically this:
I submit a budget of $500M for this fiscal year.
If I don’t spend the $500M any increase or even status quo in next years budget request will likely be rejected. Thus, I will have less money next year than I received this year. What if I need that extra money? What if I want to give raises or bonuses? Etc….
Thus, I find things to spend that money on even if the expenditures don’t always make sense. I know there’s very little oversight in my expenditures so spending my allotted budget isn’t difficult.
And so on and so on. There is a disincentive to save money.
I don’t disagree about health care. I hate our current system. Our politicians are flat out paid off. Behavior which would be illegal in almost every business structure. Yet here we are. With our leaders getting billions of dollars for their support, I have no idea how to fix the problem.
If you have any viable solutions I would love to hear them.
Musk says he will look at the health system. I will be curious to see if he’s willing to expose the true nature of our health care system.
Sure. But the answer is not Elon Musk or tearing down our system.
If you want an outside review, get a proper auditor or consultant and act on the audit recommendations. It will cost more and be slower. But it is reasonable. Auditor could even report to the President.
Auditing and related business consulting is a profession. We can have more confidence in such a process versus what we are seeing now. Disturbing and suspicious at best.
I love my country and our system. We ignore our norms and traditions at great risk. Great risk.
Even if we do tear down a failed system, we will be back in the same place a decade from now simply due to the nature of government and human beings. I have my concerns as well. A comprehensive audit is needed. A change in the way we budget and spend the people’s money is also needed. I would like to see a public accounting firm hired as well. Some good things will come from this. The question is will those good things outweigh the bad things?
Why would anyone think that Elon Musk is anywhere as qualified than this person? He has no proven experience in this field. Being rich is not a qualification nor is building electric cars. Heck, why not assign him to coach the Kansas City Chiefs if being rich makes you qualified for every job?
Meanwhile…
And at the same time…
Combining lingering inflationary economic environments with suggestions on imposing two inflationary policies (tariffs and lowering interest rates) results in more inflation…. Go figure. (Oh and your treasury rates spiked as well)
And at the same time…
Combining lingering inflationary economic environments with suggestions on imposing two inflationary policies (tariffs and lowering interest rates) results in more inflation…. Go figure. (Oh and your treasury rates spiked as well)
1) CPI in January has everything to do with the Feds increasing the money supply (see my comments after the Dec cut) and zero to do with Trumps ten days in office.
2) As I’ve stated several times, the greatest threat Trump poses to the economy is pressuring the Fed to lower rates. The Fed has cut rates too quickly and the December cut was flat out an awful decision as I stated when it occurred.
It is cute to see you guys now concerned about inflation. Welcome aboard. It’s a shame you had to wait until your guy got out of the White House to join me.
I was always concerned about inflation and excessive stimulus.
Appreciate that. I often felt like I was on an island when I discussed those issues.
I will argue one thing, even though Trump hadn’t taken the oath yet, Biden was one of the lamest lame ducks in history. Trump’s convincing win meant that a lot of people including markets and policy makers were listening to him well before his first day in office… which absolutely could have effected inflation during the period.
Thoughts from the American Bar Association:
It has been three weeks since Inauguration Day. Most Americans recognize that newly elected leaders bring change. That is expected. But most Americans also expect that changes will take place in accordance with the rule of law and in an orderly manner that respects the lives of affected individuals and the work they have been asked to perform.
Instead, we see wide-scale affronts to the rule of law itself, such as attacks on constitutionally protected birthright citizenship, the dismantling of USAID and the attempts to criminalize those who support lawful programs to eliminate bias and enhance diversity.
We have seen attempts at wholesale dismantling of departments and entities created by Congress without seeking the required congressional approval to change the law. There are efforts to dismiss employees with little regard for the law and protections they merit, and social media announcements that disparage and appear to be motivated by a desire to inflame without any stated factual basis. This is chaotic. It may appeal to a few. But it is wrong. And most Americans recognize it is wrong. It is also contrary to the rule of law.
The American Bar Association supports the rule of law. That means holding governments, including our own, accountable under law. We stand for a legal process that is orderly and fair. We have consistently urged the administrations of both parties to adhere to the rule of law. We stand in that familiar place again today. And we do not stand alone. Our courts stand for the rule of law as well.
Just last week, in rejecting citizenship challenges, the U.S. District Judge John Coughenour said that the rule of law is, according to this administration, something to navigate around or simply ignore. “Nevertheless,” he said, “in this courtroom and under my watch, the rule of law is a bright beacon which I intend to follow.” He is correct. The rule of law is a bright beacon for our country.
In the last 21 days, more than a dozen lawsuits have been filed alleging that the administration’s actions violate the rule of law and are contrary to the Constitution or laws of the United States. The list grows longer every day.
These actions have forced affected parties to seek relief in the courts, which stand as a bulwark against these violations. We support our courts who are treating these cases with the urgency they require. Americans know there is a right way and a wrong way to proceed. What is being done is not the right way to pursue the change that is sought in our system of government.
These actions do not make America stronger. They make us weaker. Many Americans are rightly concerned about how leaders who are elected, confirmed or appointed are proceeding to make changes. The goals of eliminating departments and entire functions do not justify the means when the means are not in accordance with the law. Americans expect better. Even among those who want change, no one wants their neighbor or their family to be treated this way. Yet that is exactly what is happening.
These actions have real-world consequences. Recently hired employees fear they will lose their jobs because of some matter they were assigned to in the Justice Department or some training they attended in their agency. USAID employees assigned to build programs that benefit foreign countries are being doxed, harassed with name-calling and receiving conflicting information about their employment status. These stories should concern all Americans because they are our family members, neighbors and friends. No American can be proud of a government that carries out change in this way. Neither can these actions be rationalized by discussion of past grievances or appeals to efficiency. Everything can be more efficient, but adherence to the rule of law is paramount. We must be cognizant of the harm being done by these methods.
Moreover, refusing to spend money appropriated by Congress under the euphemism of a pause is a violation of the rule of law and suggests that the executive branch can overrule the other two co-equal branches of government. This is contrary to the constitutional framework and not the way our democracy works. The money appropriated by Congress must be spent in accordance with what Congress has said. It cannot be changed or paused because a newly elected administration desires it. Our elected representatives know this. The lawyers of this country know this. It must stop.
There is much that Americans disagree on, but all of us expect our government to follow the rule of law, protect due process and treat individuals in a way that we would treat others in our homes and workplaces. The ABA does not oppose any administration. Instead, we remain steadfast in our support for the rule of law.
We call upon our elected representatives to stand with us and to insist upon adherence to the rule of law and the legal processes and procedures that ensure orderly change. The administration cannot choose which law it will follow or ignore. These are not partisan or political issues. These are rule of law and process issues. We cannot afford to remain silent. We must stand up for the values we hold dear. The ABA will do its part and act to protect the rule of law.
We urge every attorney to join us and insist that our government, a government of the people, follow the law. It is part of the oath we took when we became lawyers. Whatever your political party or your views, change must be made in the right way. Americans expect no less.
– William R. Bay, president of the American Bar Association
It has been three weeks since Inauguration Day. Most Americans recognize that newly elected leaders bring change. That is expected. But most Americans also expect that changes will take place in accordance with the rule of law and in an orderly manner that respects the lives of affected individuals and the work they have been asked to perform.
Instead, we see wide-scale affronts to the rule of law itself, such as attacks on constitutionally protected birthright citizenship, the dismantling of USAID and the attempts to criminalize those who support lawful programs to eliminate bias and enhance diversity.
We have seen attempts at wholesale dismantling of departments and entities created by Congress without seeking the required congressional approval to change the law. There are efforts to dismiss employees with little regard for the law and protections they merit, and social media announcements that disparage and appear to be motivated by a desire to inflame without any stated factual basis. This is chaotic. It may appeal to a few. But it is wrong. And most Americans recognize it is wrong. It is also contrary to the rule of law.
The American Bar Association supports the rule of law. That means holding governments, including our own, accountable under law. We stand for a legal process that is orderly and fair. We have consistently urged the administrations of both parties to adhere to the rule of law. We stand in that familiar place again today. And we do not stand alone. Our courts stand for the rule of law as well.
Just last week, in rejecting citizenship challenges, the U.S. District Judge John Coughenour said that the rule of law is, according to this administration, something to navigate around or simply ignore. “Nevertheless,” he said, “in this courtroom and under my watch, the rule of law is a bright beacon which I intend to follow.” He is correct. The rule of law is a bright beacon for our country.
In the last 21 days, more than a dozen lawsuits have been filed alleging that the administration’s actions violate the rule of law and are contrary to the Constitution or laws of the United States. The list grows longer every day.
These actions have forced affected parties to seek relief in the courts, which stand as a bulwark against these violations. We support our courts who are treating these cases with the urgency they require. Americans know there is a right way and a wrong way to proceed. What is being done is not the right way to pursue the change that is sought in our system of government.
These actions do not make America stronger. They make us weaker. Many Americans are rightly concerned about how leaders who are elected, confirmed or appointed are proceeding to make changes. The goals of eliminating departments and entire functions do not justify the means when the means are not in accordance with the law. Americans expect better. Even among those who want change, no one wants their neighbor or their family to be treated this way. Yet that is exactly what is happening.
These actions have real-world consequences. Recently hired employees fear they will lose their jobs because of some matter they were assigned to in the Justice Department or some training they attended in their agency. USAID employees assigned to build programs that benefit foreign countries are being doxed, harassed with name-calling and receiving conflicting information about their employment status. These stories should concern all Americans because they are our family members, neighbors and friends. No American can be proud of a government that carries out change in this way. Neither can these actions be rationalized by discussion of past grievances or appeals to efficiency. Everything can be more efficient, but adherence to the rule of law is paramount. We must be cognizant of the harm being done by these methods.
Moreover, refusing to spend money appropriated by Congress under the euphemism of a pause is a violation of the rule of law and suggests that the executive branch can overrule the other two co-equal branches of government. This is contrary to the constitutional framework and not the way our democracy works. The money appropriated by Congress must be spent in accordance with what Congress has said. It cannot be changed or paused because a newly elected administration desires it. Our elected representatives know this. The lawyers of this country know this. It must stop.
There is much that Americans disagree on, but all of us expect our government to follow the rule of law, protect due process and treat individuals in a way that we would treat others in our homes and workplaces. The ABA does not oppose any administration. Instead, we remain steadfast in our support for the rule of law.
We call upon our elected representatives to stand with us and to insist upon adherence to the rule of law and the legal processes and procedures that ensure orderly change. The administration cannot choose which law it will follow or ignore. These are not partisan or political issues. These are rule of law and process issues. We cannot afford to remain silent. We must stand up for the values we hold dear. The ABA will do its part and act to protect the rule of law.
We urge every attorney to join us and insist that our government, a government of the people, follow the law. It is part of the oath we took when we became lawyers. Whatever your political party or your views, change must be made in the right way. Americans expect no less.
– William R. Bay, president of the American Bar Association
