5 ms·

I would just like to point out that Musk is the richest man in the world and is now directing critical areas of the U.S. government. Surely he doesn't have ulte

I would just like to point out that Musk is the richest man in the world and is now directing critical areas of the U.S. government. Surely he doesn't have ulterior motives and is looking out for the average person?

nimbius 2y ago
If you look back at Germany in the 19th century, nations like Prussia and Austria had this sort of power struggle between the merchant class and the nobility at the advent of steam power. in this case the de-facto US nobility (rank-and-file career politicians) are being usurped by the bourgeouise (billionaires like Musk) at the advent of AI and tech by promising the working class a combination of culture war policy and relief from the very capitalist excess they themselves endorse. by reducing congress and senate to a simple debate team (conversely similar to the German National Asssembly) the tech-elite are able to seize power once reserved for the crown. the question will be, after four years, will they abdicate their power or concentrate it?
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- NickC25 2y ago
  >the question will be, after four years, will they abdicate their power or concentrate it? You honestly think that's a question? Power corrupts. You saw Trump, who in 2016 said he'd get everything done so he'd see no need to run again, he'd have Made America Great Again. He then tried to rig the 2020 election so he could stay in power, despite saying "if I lose the election you'll never hear from me again", and 4 years later, here we are. These people are here to entrench themselves permanently.
  - seabass-labrax 2y ago
    I know that Trump was something of a bad loser when Biden was elected, and that he encouraged the riots on Capitol Hill, but I had not heard (from the media media here in Britain) that he attempted to rig the election. Could you provide a source for this please?
    - vitus 2y ago
      Possibly a reference to the fake electors plot [0], although there was also the phone call to the Georgia secretary of state asking him to find 11,780 more votes [1], the pressure he applied to his VP to reject the election results [2], the subsequent Jan 6 riot that disrupted the certification... At least some of these were covered by BBC [3, 4]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_fake_electors_plot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_fake_electors_plot [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump%E2%80%93Raffensperger_phone_call https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump%E2%80%93Raffensperger_ph... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Pence#Vote_counting_and_storming_of_the_Capitol https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Pence#Vote_counting_and_s... [3] https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-55524838 https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-55524838 [4] https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-55559172 https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-55559172
      - seabass-labrax 2y ago
        Thank you, vitus!
        deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
      - kentm 2y ago
        He also tried to get the DoJ to label the election as suspicious. Don’t have an immediate reference for that but it was surfaced by the Jan 6 committee.
- Spooky23 2y ago
  > the question will be, after four years, will they abdicate their power or concentrate it? Why would they? Once they come for the judges and replace them with “real Americans”, there’s no bottom.
  - SauciestGNU 2y ago
    The Federalist Society has been a 40/50 year project to install a judiciary loyal to this coup project. This mix of Christian nationalist theocracy and unitary executive has been their aim all along.
- SmirkingRevenge 2y ago
  Yea, these guys don't seem like the kind to do any abdicating, voluntarily. A lot can happen in 4 years though. Maybe self-inflicted catastrophic wounds will drive down support for Trump enough where it becomes possible for R pols and oligarchs to abandon him. Or maybe they'll choose the dark path, and go farther into repressive authoritarianism to stay in power. The problem for Musk et al is that they are concentrating power directly to Trump, not themselves. They're shackling themselves to the leopard and betting it will never eat their face.
  - watwut 2y ago
    > Maybe self-inflicted catastrophic wounds will drive down support for Trump enough They will blame women, minorites and especially trans people for all of that. And when dust settles, those who supported Trump and Musk will see themselves as primary victims - and will blame minorites, women, democracts and trans people for consequences of their own actions.
    - joquarky 2y ago
      "Why didn't you stop me from putting my hand in the pain hole?"
- Tobu 2y ago
  > will they abdicate their power Yeah, no. This is a coup and they are all in. They would not be this blatant about taking control illegally and fast if they expected to leave any institutions to still enforce the law against them.
- marcosdumay 2y ago
  I laughed when those people self-identified as accelerationists... but holly shit! they knew what it means and were honest. Historically, they are just a bunch of rich morons that got lucky, got power, and decided to stage a coup. This is not some enlightened movement trying to replace the social norms. It's just your run of the mill personal power switch, and the only notable things about it are it's on a country that has been extremely stable before, and those people are stupid enough to willfully destroy it.
  - tialaramex 2y ago
    > it's on a country that has been extremely stable before The US is a known bad design, nation builders working for the United States stopped trying to use this design for new countries in the 20th century, it doesn't work. It's inherently unstable and you previously got very lucky, although you have had a civil war and numerous close calls. It's like oh, why don't we make coal-powered cars. Well because it's a known bad idea. We actually did try that, it's a bad idea, don't do it again.
    - SmirkingRevenge 2y ago
      And the bad design has severely limited our ability to self-correct.
    - ambicapter 2y ago
      [Citation Needed] I'd love to read about the new designs.
      - JumpCrisscross 2y ago
        The core is the President is kept from becoming a dictator by nothing more than norms. If Trump staffs the military with loyalists, there isn’t much anyone can do to make him do anything. Most other countries have power over the military, particularly in domestic contexts, much more shattered.
        2y ago
- Xunjin 2y ago
  Looking at the human nature while interacts with Capitalism, looks like they will try to concentrate it. I found it shameful that we hold so much a power hungry war while however as Memento Mori teach us, the only certainty is death, and that power is simply gone.
- belter 2y ago
  “Now I will tell you the answer to my question. It is this. The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power, pure power. What pure power means you will understand presently. We are different from the oligarchies of the past in that we know what we are doing. All the others, even those who resembled ourselves, were cowards and hypocrites. The German Nazis and the Russian Communists came very close to us in their methods, but they never had the courage to recognize their own motives. They pretended, perhaps they even believed, that they had seized power unwillingly and for a limited time, and that just around the corner there lay a paradise where human beings would be free and equal. We are not like that. We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it. Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now you begin to understand me.” ― George Orwell, 1984
- grumple 2y ago
  > the question will be, after four years, will they abdicate their power or concentrate it? Musk, Thiel, and their friends clearly intend to consolidate power, and the people they associate with openly advocate for the creation of independent corporate fiefdoms with authoritarian control over society. There is no doubt at this point. These are not good people. They are oligarchs. They are the bitter nerds that just want power for themselves so they can be the bullies.
  - joquarky 2y ago
    There are far more nerds (bitter or not) who were not so successful yet are far more clever than these "leaders" are, and they aren't the type to tolerate intolerance...
duxup 2y ago
As far as things like ending EV tax credits musk noted it would hurt his competitors more than him. It’s all obvious corruption.
- pclmulqdq 2y ago
  EV tax credits under the previous administration applied to almost every EV that wasn't a Tesla. They got Tesla its start, though, so the ladder must be pulled up. Of course, carbon offsets are still a huge cash cow for Tesla, so Musk won't be eager to touch those.
  - duxup 2y ago
    > applied to almost every EV that wasn't a Tesla And Tesla? https://www.tesla.com/IRA https://www.tesla.com/IRA
    - bdcravens 2y ago
      The tax credits were eventually reapplied to Tesla with the changes starting in 2023, but for a while, Tesla had crossed the sales limit so that the credit wasn't available.
      - evanelias 2y ago
        It's worth mentioning that situation wasn't unique to Tesla, as GM also crossed the sales limit and had no credit available before 2023.
      - craftsman 2y ago
        The phaseout based on units sold was in place as far back as 2018 since Tesla reached it in July 2018 and GM in November 2018. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (effective August 2022, not 2023) reinstated Tesla's eligibility and disqualified a number of other EVs.
        evanelias 2y ago
canecty32 2y ago
[dead]
renewedrebecca 2y ago
I really hope you're being sarcastic.
- southernplaces7 2y ago
  Sort of obvious sarcasm, no?
  - nicce 2y ago
    In this era? Not so.
somename9 2y ago
Musk is not the richest man in the world. Those lists exclude royalty and other individuals who do not want the extra publicity. The Rothschilds are far richer.
- hypeatei 2y ago
  > Those lists exclude royalty and other individuals who do not want the extra publicity What individual(s)? You just mentioned a family and not an individual. Forbes lists Elon's net worth at $419 billion.
  - somename9 2y ago
    David de Rothschild. The family has lent money to governments and royalty for centuries. You’re not going to find his accurate net worth on Forbes. Also, any king or dictator effectively owns their nation’s entire treasury, including all real estate. Maduro, for example, is wealthier than Musk.
    - abenga 2y ago
      Elon seems to have bought control over the US treasury, so he's in those leagues.
    - wbl 2y ago
      Our king has to moonlight as a airline pilot.
      - peterfirefly 2y ago
        Our queen emerita is a part-time painter.
    - Xunjin 2y ago
      I agree with your point but in this parent discussion doesn't make sense just throw "they are way richer than Z person" Tho in the Maduro sense, which is a dictator that just make sense while he is in power, it's not actually own by him.
naruhodo 2y ago
The tech oligarchs want to dismantle democracy, receive a gift of 0.5% of Federal land from Trump and establish their own democracy-free fiefdoms. [1] The social support system in the US is being dismantled and when people can no longer afford to eat, the ensuing riots will provide the necessary trigger to declare martial law and suspend democracy completely. [1] DARK GOTHIC MAGA: How Tech Billionaires Plan to Destroy America https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RpPTRcz1no https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RpPTRcz1no

nimbius 2y ago

If you look back at Germany in the 19th century, nations like Prussia and Austria had this sort of power struggle between the merchant class and the nobility at the advent of steam power. in this case the de-facto US nobility (rank-and-file career politicians) are being usurped by the bourgeouise (billionaires like Musk) at the advent of AI and tech by promising the working class a combination of culture war policy and relief from the very capitalist excess they themselves endorse. by reducing congress and senate to a simple debate team (conversely similar to the German National Asssembly) the tech-elite are able to seize power once reserved for the crown. the question will be, after four years, will they abdicate their power or concentrate it?

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
NickC25 2y ago
>the question will be, after four years, will they abdicate their power or concentrate it? You honestly think that's a question? Power corrupts. You saw Trump, who in 2016 said he'd get everything done so he'd see no need to run again, he'd have Made America Great Again. He then tried to rig the 2020 election so he could stay in power, despite saying "if I lose the election you'll never hear from me again", and 4 years later, here we are. These people are here to entrench themselves permanently.
- seabass-labrax 2y ago
  I know that Trump was something of a bad loser when Biden was elected, and that he encouraged the riots on Capitol Hill, but I had not heard (from the media media here in Britain) that he attempted to rig the election. Could you provide a source for this please?
  - vitus 2y ago
    Possibly a reference to the fake electors plot [0], although there was also the phone call to the Georgia secretary of state asking him to find 11,780 more votes [1], the pressure he applied to his VP to reject the election results [2], the subsequent Jan 6 riot that disrupted the certification... At least some of these were covered by BBC [3, 4]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_fake_electors_plot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_fake_electors_plot [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump%E2%80%93Raffensperger_phone_call https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump%E2%80%93Raffensperger_ph... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Pence#Vote_counting_and_storming_of_the_Capitol https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Pence#Vote_counting_and_s... [3] https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-55524838 https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-55524838 [4] https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-55559172 https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-55559172
    - seabass-labrax 2y ago
      Thank you, vitus!
      - deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
    - kentm 2y ago
      He also tried to get the DoJ to label the election as suspicious. Don’t have an immediate reference for that but it was surfaced by the Jan 6 committee.
Spooky23 2y ago
> the question will be, after four years, will they abdicate their power or concentrate it? Why would they? Once they come for the judges and replace them with “real Americans”, there’s no bottom.
- SauciestGNU 2y ago
  The Federalist Society has been a 40/50 year project to install a judiciary loyal to this coup project. This mix of Christian nationalist theocracy and unitary executive has been their aim all along.
SmirkingRevenge 2y ago
Yea, these guys don't seem like the kind to do any abdicating, voluntarily. A lot can happen in 4 years though. Maybe self-inflicted catastrophic wounds will drive down support for Trump enough where it becomes possible for R pols and oligarchs to abandon him. Or maybe they'll choose the dark path, and go farther into repressive authoritarianism to stay in power. The problem for Musk et al is that they are concentrating power directly to Trump, not themselves. They're shackling themselves to the leopard and betting it will never eat their face.
- watwut 2y ago
  > Maybe self-inflicted catastrophic wounds will drive down support for Trump enough They will blame women, minorites and especially trans people for all of that. And when dust settles, those who supported Trump and Musk will see themselves as primary victims - and will blame minorites, women, democracts and trans people for consequences of their own actions.
  - joquarky 2y ago
    "Why didn't you stop me from putting my hand in the pain hole?"
Tobu 2y ago
> will they abdicate their power Yeah, no. This is a coup and they are all in. They would not be this blatant about taking control illegally and fast if they expected to leave any institutions to still enforce the law against them.
marcosdumay 2y ago
I laughed when those people self-identified as accelerationists... but holly shit! they knew what it means and were honest. Historically, they are just a bunch of rich morons that got lucky, got power, and decided to stage a coup. This is not some enlightened movement trying to replace the social norms. It's just your run of the mill personal power switch, and the only notable things about it are it's on a country that has been extremely stable before, and those people are stupid enough to willfully destroy it.
- tialaramex 2y ago
  > it's on a country that has been extremely stable before The US is a known bad design, nation builders working for the United States stopped trying to use this design for new countries in the 20th century, it doesn't work. It's inherently unstable and you previously got very lucky, although you have had a civil war and numerous close calls. It's like oh, why don't we make coal-powered cars. Well because it's a known bad idea. We actually did try that, it's a bad idea, don't do it again.
  - SmirkingRevenge 2y ago
    And the bad design has severely limited our ability to self-correct.
  - ambicapter 2y ago
    [Citation Needed] I'd love to read about the new designs.
    - JumpCrisscross 2y ago
      The core is the President is kept from becoming a dictator by nothing more than norms. If Trump staffs the military with loyalists, there isn’t much anyone can do to make him do anything. Most other countries have power over the military, particularly in domestic contexts, much more shattered.
      - 2y ago
Xunjin 2y ago
Looking at the human nature while interacts with Capitalism, looks like they will try to concentrate it. I found it shameful that we hold so much a power hungry war while however as Memento Mori teach us, the only certainty is death, and that power is simply gone.
belter 2y ago
“Now I will tell you the answer to my question. It is this. The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power, pure power. What pure power means you will understand presently. We are different from the oligarchies of the past in that we know what we are doing. All the others, even those who resembled ourselves, were cowards and hypocrites. The German Nazis and the Russian Communists came very close to us in their methods, but they never had the courage to recognize their own motives. They pretended, perhaps they even believed, that they had seized power unwillingly and for a limited time, and that just around the corner there lay a paradise where human beings would be free and equal. We are not like that. We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it. Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now you begin to understand me.” ― George Orwell, 1984
grumple 2y ago
> the question will be, after four years, will they abdicate their power or concentrate it? Musk, Thiel, and their friends clearly intend to consolidate power, and the people they associate with openly advocate for the creation of independent corporate fiefdoms with authoritarian control over society. There is no doubt at this point. These are not good people. They are oligarchs. They are the bitter nerds that just want power for themselves so they can be the bullies.
- joquarky 2y ago
  There are far more nerds (bitter or not) who were not so successful yet are far more clever than these "leaders" are, and they aren't the type to tolerate intolerance...

duxup 2y ago

As far as things like ending EV tax credits musk noted it would hurt his competitors more than him. It’s all obvious corruption.

pclmulqdq 2y ago
EV tax credits under the previous administration applied to almost every EV that wasn't a Tesla. They got Tesla its start, though, so the ladder must be pulled up. Of course, carbon offsets are still a huge cash cow for Tesla, so Musk won't be eager to touch those.
- duxup 2y ago
  > applied to almost every EV that wasn't a Tesla And Tesla? https://www.tesla.com/IRA https://www.tesla.com/IRA
  - bdcravens 2y ago
    The tax credits were eventually reapplied to Tesla with the changes starting in 2023, but for a while, Tesla had crossed the sales limit so that the credit wasn't available.
    - evanelias 2y ago
      It's worth mentioning that situation wasn't unique to Tesla, as GM also crossed the sales limit and had no credit available before 2023.
    - craftsman 2y ago
      The phaseout based on units sold was in place as far back as 2018 since Tesla reached it in July 2018 and GM in November 2018. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (effective August 2022, not 2023) reinstated Tesla's eligibility and disqualified a number of other EVs.
      - evanelias 2y ago

canecty32 2y ago

[dead]

renewedrebecca 2y ago

I really hope you're being sarcastic.

southernplaces7 2y ago
Sort of obvious sarcasm, no?
- nicce 2y ago
  In this era? Not so.

somename9 2y ago

Musk is not the richest man in the world. Those lists exclude royalty and other individuals who do not want the extra publicity. The Rothschilds are far richer.

hypeatei 2y ago
> Those lists exclude royalty and other individuals who do not want the extra publicity What individual(s)? You just mentioned a family and not an individual. Forbes lists Elon's net worth at $419 billion.
- somename9 2y ago
  David de Rothschild. The family has lent money to governments and royalty for centuries. You’re not going to find his accurate net worth on Forbes. Also, any king or dictator effectively owns their nation’s entire treasury, including all real estate. Maduro, for example, is wealthier than Musk.
  - abenga 2y ago
    Elon seems to have bought control over the US treasury, so he's in those leagues.
  - wbl 2y ago
    Our king has to moonlight as a airline pilot.
    - peterfirefly 2y ago
      Our queen emerita is a part-time painter.
  - Xunjin 2y ago
    I agree with your point but in this parent discussion doesn't make sense just throw "they are way richer than Z person" Tho in the Maduro sense, which is a dictator that just make sense while he is in power, it's not actually own by him.

naruhodo 2y ago

The tech oligarchs want to dismantle democracy, receive a gift of 0.5% of Federal land from Trump and establish their own democracy-free fiefdoms. [1] The social support system in the US is being dismantled and when people can no longer afford to eat, the ensuing riots will provide the necessary trigger to declare martial law and suspend democracy completely. [1] DARK GOTHIC MAGA: How Tech Billionaires Plan to Destroy America https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RpPTRcz1no https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RpPTRcz1no