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If they’d slashed government to the point that the deficit was shrinking, I’d be at least open to the argument that this kind of thing is the price. The defici
by api 1y ago
If they’d slashed government to the point that the deficit was shrinking, I’d be at least open to the argument that this kind of thing is the price.
The deficit is growing. They control all three branches of government. They’re not cutting spending just making us get less for our money.
It’s been a thing for a long time with the right. They don’t actually cut spending. They just make the result of spending shittier like the goal is to set money on fire.
While I do think Elon has gone crackers, I give him a small amount of credit for rapidly realizing that DOGE was baloney and there was never any intent to cut spending. There never is, regardless of party or rhetoric. Given Trump's behavior the most likely answer is that Trump wanted someone to blame the fallout for his grifting on, so he lined up some popularly-unpopular fall guys. Elon dove enthusiastically into this septic tank though, so I have no sympathy.
- palmfacehn 1y agoAgreed. Although I wouldn't attribute it to the right/left divide as much as the incentives baked into the structure of governance. There's very little benefit for a self-interested politician to make meaningful spending cuts. This leaves reallocations and spending increases on the table. The Atlantic's editorial policy is somewhat illustrative of this uniparty phenomenon. The top editors have been foreign policy hawks advocating for increased military spending, while many of the lower tiered authors will appeal for increased social spending. There's something for everyone, as long as follows from the primacy of the state. Another recent submission lamented the fall of Rome, offering predictable doom over token efforts at privatization. As mentioned previously, cuts are better understood as reallocations to other programs. Rome and Caeserism was celebrated. Decentralization was demonized. I found this a bit strange, because from the other corner of The Atlantic's mouth, I'm repeatedly warned about the dangerous rise of a new autocrat.
- api 1y agoAs the saying goes: "politicians always go to DC to drain the swamp, but when they get there they find out it's a jacuzzi not a swamp."
- jrs235 1y agoThey grift and funnel more of the money to themselves and cronies. Apparently more transparently so that makes it and the corruption more okay.