I liked Thomas Massie's take on it - Mike Johnson, Trump, and Musk are at a 3 way intersection. There will be a crash - who walks away? I like Thomas Massie, too. He gets a lot of stupid comments about why he doesn't do something, when it's pretty obvious he's woefully outnumbered.
The problem with the spending is the house is full of economic buffoons holding out their hand for money they can claim for their district while the other hand is stuffing the backboicket with lobbyist bucks (supposedly for campaigns) while tte senate is full of backroom buddies cutting deals and charading as wider stamen when they are just old and have been in office too long. Then you get the judiciary which rules against the administration for actually doing administrative acts. So in the end, we truly don’t have an income problem; we have a spending problem and a greedy politician problem. That’s why calling it the swamp is an accurate portrayal of the condition.
We can’t continue to spend in deficit mode. Pure and simple.
The world’s richest man and the world’s most powerful man both with no filter and their own social media platform what could go wrong! Even if Elon is totally correct in his stance I don’t remember DJT ever promising Elon anything for his support, Their whole relationship seemed ad hoc. He let him have DOGE and roll with it. I support Elon and DJT but this verbal clash in the end does nothing.
Meanwhile people that have worked, saved, lived well below our means are watching our savings being inflated away. The spending is so absolutely ridiculous I can’t even find a description for it. A true crisis will eventually strike and the largely apathetic people will be forced to get engaged.
As indicated by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), President Donald J. Trump was brought in to reverse the federal government’s trajectory of inefficiency and overspending. Like a corporate turnaround specialist, Trump targeted low-hanging fruit for immediate cost savings, with DOGE identifying hundreds of billions in wasteful government expenditures. Emulating a seasoned CEO, DJT assembled a capable C-suite and middle management team with proven track records to drive results. However, Trump faces challenges with his "board of directors"—the GOP in Congress. Many are entrenched politicians, more focused on re-election and personal perks than effective governance, lacking the acumen to manage even a small business.
The issue of so-called entitlements, such as Medicaid and Social Security, presents a significant challenge. In corporate turnarounds, leadership sets the tone by cutting their own benefits—executives take pay reductions, eliminate luxuries like country club memberships, and forgo first-class travel. Similarly, for the government to credibly address entitlement reform, Trump and the GOP must demonstrate fiscal discipline through bold, visible actions:
Eliminate all taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal immigrants, including housing, education, healthcare, and SNAP benefits.
Halt foreign aid and funding for other nations’ wars.
Without addressing these priorities, the public will remain skeptical of claims that entitlement programs are unaffordable. Many Americans feel squeezed by rising costs for essentials like rent, groceries, and car repairs, yet see billions allocated to foreign conflicts, such as Ukraine, and substantial resources—$400-per-night hotel stays, for instance—provided to illegal immigrants. They also face overcrowded schools struggling to accommodate non-English-speaking students.
For the average citizen, who has paid into Social Security since their teens, the message is clear: “Don’t tell me there’s no money for my benefits while I’m treated like a second-class citizen in my own country.” Until these issues are resolved, entitlement reform will lack credibility and public support.
When the Trump-Musk alliance occurred my thought was this is gonna be fun to watch when they hit the wall… and it is. The machinations of government frustrate Musk- he is a “ doer” and a visionary. Trump is a promoter, a developer who thrives on chaos. The conflict- this too shall pass. The fiscal nightmare - still exists in the swamp. ( As I pay $5 for a $0.25 ice cream cone. )
The question is how much would a slowing economy due to the tariffs impact the rest of the revenue stream?
Personally despite Musk's moves, I still think they will find the votes to pass it. The fear of letting the 2017 tax cuts expire is too much to prevent it. There will be some tweaks (SALT deduction a big one). But overall it will still happen.
I liked Thomas Massie's take on it - Mike Johnson, Trump, and Musk are at a 3 way intersection. There will be a crash - who walks away? I like Thomas Massie, too. He gets a lot of stupid comments about why he doesn't do something, when it's pretty obvious he's woefully outnumbered.
The problem with the spending is the house is full of economic buffoons holding out their hand for money they can claim for their district while the other hand is stuffing the backboicket with lobbyist bucks (supposedly for campaigns) while tte senate is full of backroom buddies cutting deals and charading as wider stamen when they are just old and have been in office too long. Then you get the judiciary which rules against the administration for actually doing administrative acts. So in the end, we truly don’t have an income problem; we have a spending problem and a greedy politician problem. That’s why calling it the swamp is an accurate portrayal of the condition.
We can’t continue to spend in deficit mode. Pure and simple.
Absolutely agree!
The world’s richest man and the world’s most powerful man both with no filter and their own social media platform what could go wrong! Even if Elon is totally correct in his stance I don’t remember DJT ever promising Elon anything for his support, Their whole relationship seemed ad hoc. He let him have DOGE and roll with it. I support Elon and DJT but this verbal clash in the end does nothing.
Meanwhile people that have worked, saved, lived well below our means are watching our savings being inflated away. The spending is so absolutely ridiculous I can’t even find a description for it. A true crisis will eventually strike and the largely apathetic people will be forced to get engaged.
As indicated by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), President Donald J. Trump was brought in to reverse the federal government’s trajectory of inefficiency and overspending. Like a corporate turnaround specialist, Trump targeted low-hanging fruit for immediate cost savings, with DOGE identifying hundreds of billions in wasteful government expenditures. Emulating a seasoned CEO, DJT assembled a capable C-suite and middle management team with proven track records to drive results. However, Trump faces challenges with his "board of directors"—the GOP in Congress. Many are entrenched politicians, more focused on re-election and personal perks than effective governance, lacking the acumen to manage even a small business.
The issue of so-called entitlements, such as Medicaid and Social Security, presents a significant challenge. In corporate turnarounds, leadership sets the tone by cutting their own benefits—executives take pay reductions, eliminate luxuries like country club memberships, and forgo first-class travel. Similarly, for the government to credibly address entitlement reform, Trump and the GOP must demonstrate fiscal discipline through bold, visible actions:
Eliminate all taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal immigrants, including housing, education, healthcare, and SNAP benefits.
Halt foreign aid and funding for other nations’ wars.
Without addressing these priorities, the public will remain skeptical of claims that entitlement programs are unaffordable. Many Americans feel squeezed by rising costs for essentials like rent, groceries, and car repairs, yet see billions allocated to foreign conflicts, such as Ukraine, and substantial resources—$400-per-night hotel stays, for instance—provided to illegal immigrants. They also face overcrowded schools struggling to accommodate non-English-speaking students.
For the average citizen, who has paid into Social Security since their teens, the message is clear: “Don’t tell me there’s no money for my benefits while I’m treated like a second-class citizen in my own country.” Until these issues are resolved, entitlement reform will lack credibility and public support.
When the Trump-Musk alliance occurred my thought was this is gonna be fun to watch when they hit the wall… and it is. The machinations of government frustrate Musk- he is a “ doer” and a visionary. Trump is a promoter, a developer who thrives on chaos. The conflict- this too shall pass. The fiscal nightmare - still exists in the swamp. ( As I pay $5 for a $0.25 ice cream cone. )
Lets not forget Trump's solution..Cancel all of the federal government contracts with Elon Musk's companies. Would save the government around $40 Billion. https://www.eenews.net/articles/trump-floats-ending-musks-government-contracts/
But the big solution would be to codify the Trump tariffs. That would significantly cut into the deficit number.
https://apnews.com/article/cbo-trump-tariffs-cut-deficits-shrink-economy-18a07a73b72a31a164b15835dd34fd61
The question is how much would a slowing economy due to the tariffs impact the rest of the revenue stream?
Personally despite Musk's moves, I still think they will find the votes to pass it. The fear of letting the 2017 tax cuts expire is too much to prevent it. There will be some tweaks (SALT deduction a big one). But overall it will still happen.