I'm just glad that cutting government spending will be easy. Noone will fight EVERY step of the way.
I won't be holding my breath for the first spending cut to be supported by both sides.
This is why I've said we should just assume that ever dollar spent is worthwhile, and then cut everything across the board by 20% no matter what. We won't argue that any spending is a waste. We will only argue that we don't have enough money for all this amazingly worthwhile spending we are doing. And, we don't. So, it is an easy argument to make.
Replies to: I'm just glad that cutting government spending will be easy. Noone will fight EVERY step of the way.
Congress (not Musk) controls the purse.
It’s bad enough that Trump gave Musk and his associates full access to the United States Treasury’s payment system, allowing a private entity to mine all the data (which includes everyone’s social security numbers) or sell the data to whomever.
It also allows Musk (without any Congressional authority) to cease or reverse funding for any US department or agency, all of which was approved by Congress.
Tell us Ned if such an arrangement is consistent with the rule of law and the US Constitution.
Sure about that Marine? This is how autocracies gain footing and control.
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This USAID is obviously a grift.
The sheer volume of swamp rats clinging wildly to it is quite telling.
Read more.
coons learned from the best grifter.
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What is happening with Trump and spending should happen with every President
Come in, audit for waste, and eliminate the waste.
I imagine some of the spending is CIA driven - e.g., the transsexual plays and things like that in other countries, but all of this should be 100% transparent.
Yep.
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China is smart enough to spread Foreign Aid around the world...especially in strategic areas...it
would be a huge error on our part to close our wallet (i.e. Shutdown USAID)...btw, Russia also continues to spend on foreign aid.
We can afford to spend 2% of a tax break that provided no benefit to an institution that truly helps others while making friends and future allies. We are not...and never will be totally "Self Sufficient". Putin knows this, and it's one of the reasons he spent so much effort helping Trump get elected.
Link: https://www.usglc.org/media/2017/04/USGLC-Chinas-Foreign-Assistance-FAQs.pdf
Dem slush fund: LGBTQ comic books in Peru, atheism in Nepal, $600M for contraceptive worldwide.
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and more....Drag shows in Ecuador, transgender opera in Columbia, etc., etc...
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Link: USAID
So, here is the most important question: If we cut USAID spending in half, what would they pick?
Would they still fund transgender children's theater around the world?
Or, would they focus on feeding starving people or delivering medicines to the third world?
Obviously that is not a tough choice for someone with common sense, but I wonder what USAID administrators would do.
100% they'd fund their ideology/religion rather than food/medicine because they're zealots....
...the food and medicine was just for cover. That's why most of the money is going to their ideology.
Just as their Hamas clients do when they tunnel under a hospital with USAID money to prevent getting fire returned at them, USAID makes a small effort to also have a protective cover of some medical aid at which to point. "You can't cut the vaccines!"
Interestingly, this very tactic is used by Planned Parenthood who does mammograms so that they can point to something besides the abortions that really define their existence and most of their activity.
Indeed.Left wing agenda items with a rare medical asset included to hide behind when questioned.....
....transfer the legitimate medical efforts to a legitimate agency and can that crap. No more ridiculous expenditures for Climate Change friendly ovens and Palestinian efforts against Israel and "reproductive care" in foreign countries which will go in a direction that we all know.
It is the same strategy that USAID's friends in Hamas use when the tunnel under hospitals for protection.
Funding for USAID is $40B...or 2% of the tax break DJT gave to billionaire buds..talk about waste...
Again...Vlad will be able to crank up his propaganda network and tell targeted countries not to trust the USA while he and Xi invest in far off places like Africa, so they can get primo access to minerals, and other geopolitical advantages. File under "Soft Power".
Aside from the wealthiest country on earth doing the Right Thing for it's neighbors...as every administration since 1961 has done...it's in our 'Enlightened Best Interest' to share some of our wealth. If you're concerned about not getting your fair share of that wealth...cast your eye on the top !%ers not paying their fair share for your productivity.
Link: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyezjwnx5ko
Now your argument is that it's "only $40 billion." Sounds like a winner.
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Sorry you weren't able to comprehend...the issue is making good choices on how use taxpayer money...
wasting $2T on tax breaks to those who don't need it and won't invest it (e.g. stock buy backs)...is WAY WORSE than helping to save millions of lives around the world with aid clearly delivered by the USA, so when we need their cooperation and assistance someday, they'll be only too glad to say "Yes". Our adversaries are doing this for very strategic reasons. We are shooting ourselves in the foot by NOT giving foreign aid...and in this case it's only 2% of what Trump wasted on his Billionaire Bro's.
Agreed that it's a waste of $40B of our money.
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Maybe we can spend only $40B on a wall or deportations. Who'd notice such a small amount of money
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We can probably agree that you have no idea what you are talking about, though
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How we know Trump is over the target.
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I can be convinced some of it is good.
I can't be convinced the entire thing is worthwhile if the communist faction of Congress is up in arms over it.
A given but never stops the cult fan boys.
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Big fan of USAID are you?
Really important to you that the United States funds contraceptives in Jordan? We should be able to agree that that is stupid, but if we cannot...
...I'm happy to assume it is good, while I slash it's budget. We don't have the money.
Can you please explain why you like it, and why we should borrow from future generations of Americans, who cannot vote, to fund it.
Uh fan, no. Hater, no. Like all aid orgs it’s done some good and bad things. The good far outweigh
the bad in my humble opinion. Educate yourself a little about it as a whole and it’s history, or just stay a partisan tool bag.
Link: https://afsa.org/usaid-60-enduring-purpose-complex-legacy
Got a link to their spending? I don't care about their history, just what they are taking now.
Since you know so much about what they do, I figured you could give me a link pretty quickly.
Or stop being an arsehole. The number is 40 billion. Google is your friend.
You’re welcome.
Interesting. You seemed so knowledgeable about USAID when you chimed in.
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You have a collection of scarecrows in your head. Never claimed expertise in the program. Do
know enough to believe it shouldn’t be eliminated.
Maybe we should double their budget? Or increase it tenfold? I mean, why not? They do good things.
My grandchildren don't need a stable country to live in. Let's just use their money.
I would cut everything. That makes me a non-partisan. You only jumped to USAID's defense because Trump attacked it. That makes you a partisan. You wouldn't be posting on this topic otherwise. You aren't a big fan of USAID. You just hate Trump. Your motives are fairly obvious. I was just making light of them by asking whether you were a fan of USAID.
Sure you were Neddie. Just having fun as always. No dog in any hunt.
If there was a serious proposal to reform it I would listen to it. But to just end it? Not my fault that your guy is the only dipshit that feckin stupid and cruel to peeps that need help. And get rid of yer straw man. Nowhere did I say it should get a huge funding increase.
It occurs to me, if you want to fund LGBQT comic books in Peru, you could just write a check.
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It occurs to me that reading isn’t your thing as I said I would be open to reforms of the program.
Keep knocking down those strawmen Neddie