4 ms·

I am thrilled that Elon is doing this. Our government doesn't get anything done. Taxes are a fucking scam with how much gets wasted. Finally someone with a "ju

I am thrilled that Elon is doing this. Our government doesn't get anything done. Taxes are a fucking scam with how much gets wasted. Finally someone with a "just ship it" mindset has entered the govt and is getting shit done for the first time in forever.

apawloski 2y ago
I brought this on myself for making a political comment on a forum, but I'm curious how much spending you think goes to this. Like of every $1 in taxes you pay - how much do you think goes to USAID (or the entire federal workforce)? When you see the answer you might question the honesty of the cost-savings argument here.
- xvector 2y ago
  I'd ballpark USAID at maybe half a percent? It's an easy win. A few more of these and Elon will have made a meaningful dent in the wastage of my tax dollars. I'd consider even a 3% reduction in spend a massive success. The percentage of money being wasted is much higher, somewhere between 30% and 70% (estimates vary.) If you've ever worked for a government contractor you've seen the immense waste/scam firsthand.
  - loeg 2y ago
    > The percentage of money being wasted is much higher, somewhere between 30% and 70% (estimates vary.) Any cut of 30% or above involves cutting entitlement spending (social security, medicare, medicaid).
    - xvector 2y ago
      Yes, and military contracting as well. There is immense waste in all of these programs.
- jalapenos 2y ago
  There's a great dishonesty in this argument, because it intentionally ignores the fact that this is only the opening couple of weeks in something that's going to continue for 4 years, Milei-style. So obviously it's not a matter of what percent savings comes from closing USAID specifically, but in what total savings the posture behind that is going to create over the next 4 years.
  - apawloski 2y ago
    What do you expect the total savings to be?
    - jalapenos 2y ago
      Who knows, never been done before. Is your position that if someone can't say the exact percent, that's the end of the argument and the US government should continue its unbounded deficit spending?
      - loeg 2y ago
        No, the argument is that the best case answer here is "< 1%" and it comes at huge cost in disruption.
        jalapenos 2y ago
        If that's what it turns out to be, that no matter what happens politically, the government absolutely cannot do anything to bring its spending under control, then the US is effectively a failed state, and in that case, DOGE's role is a diagnostician. But I seriously doubt that's the case. What's more likely is that it is perfectly possible to bring spending under control, and that the people who are complaining are doing so because they've had their lips taken off the teat.
        loeg 2y ago
        So there are a few bigger levers the US can use to reduce spending. 1. Raise taxes to pre-2017 TCJA levels and eliminate deficit spending. Pay down the debt. A much, much bigger chunk of our spending is debt interest (17%) than anything DOGE is targeting. 2. More aggressive Medicare/Medicaid service and drug price negotiation. This is 39% of the budget, and even a few percent here would have a bigger impact than anything DOGE is disrupting. DOGE is a performative gimmick. It's hugely disruptive, mostly just to "own the libs." The biggest and easiest lever the GOP has to bring spending under control is to let the 10-year TCJA tax rates expire without renewal. Do you think they will do that?

apawloski 2y ago

I brought this on myself for making a political comment on a forum, but I'm curious how much spending you think goes to this. Like of every $1 in taxes you pay - how much do you think goes to USAID (or the entire federal workforce)? When you see the answer you might question the honesty of the cost-savings argument here.

xvector 2y ago
I'd ballpark USAID at maybe half a percent? It's an easy win. A few more of these and Elon will have made a meaningful dent in the wastage of my tax dollars. I'd consider even a 3% reduction in spend a massive success. The percentage of money being wasted is much higher, somewhere between 30% and 70% (estimates vary.) If you've ever worked for a government contractor you've seen the immense waste/scam firsthand.
- loeg 2y ago
  > The percentage of money being wasted is much higher, somewhere between 30% and 70% (estimates vary.) Any cut of 30% or above involves cutting entitlement spending (social security, medicare, medicaid).
  - xvector 2y ago
    Yes, and military contracting as well. There is immense waste in all of these programs.
jalapenos 2y ago
There's a great dishonesty in this argument, because it intentionally ignores the fact that this is only the opening couple of weeks in something that's going to continue for 4 years, Milei-style. So obviously it's not a matter of what percent savings comes from closing USAID specifically, but in what total savings the posture behind that is going to create over the next 4 years.
- apawloski 2y ago
  What do you expect the total savings to be?
  - jalapenos 2y ago
    Who knows, never been done before. Is your position that if someone can't say the exact percent, that's the end of the argument and the US government should continue its unbounded deficit spending?
    - loeg 2y ago
      No, the argument is that the best case answer here is "< 1%" and it comes at huge cost in disruption.
      - jalapenos 2y ago
        If that's what it turns out to be, that no matter what happens politically, the government absolutely cannot do anything to bring its spending under control, then the US is effectively a failed state, and in that case, DOGE's role is a diagnostician. But I seriously doubt that's the case. What's more likely is that it is perfectly possible to bring spending under control, and that the people who are complaining are doing so because they've had their lips taken off the teat.
        loeg 2y ago
        So there are a few bigger levers the US can use to reduce spending. 1. Raise taxes to pre-2017 TCJA levels and eliminate deficit spending. Pay down the debt. A much, much bigger chunk of our spending is debt interest (17%) than anything DOGE is targeting. 2. More aggressive Medicare/Medicaid service and drug price negotiation. This is 39% of the budget, and even a few percent here would have a bigger impact than anything DOGE is disrupting. DOGE is a performative gimmick. It's hugely disruptive, mostly just to "own the libs." The biggest and easiest lever the GOP has to bring spending under control is to let the 10-year TCJA tax rates expire without renewal. Do you think they will do that?