Cool cool, so as just a private citizen he shouldn’t have access to federal offices and computer systems, right?
-
Please take a moment and update your account profile. If you have an updated account profile with basic information on why you are on Air Warriors it will help other people respond to your posts. How do you update your profile you ask?
Go here:
Edit Account Details and Profile
Hard Power and Soft Power
- Thread starter taxi1
- Start date
Cool cool, so as just a private citizen he shouldn’t have access to federal offices and computer systems, right?
Is Musk acting as a private citizen, or a special employee of the government? Because I have read it both ways, today.
You don't think having an unelected, foreign-born citizen (with dubious legal authority) running around and shutting down government departments is radical? To say nothing of shutting down government websites, his attempt to end birthright citizenship, his threats to shutdown the Department of Education...
Last edited:
Spekkio
He bowls overhand.
Again, Trump is the one signing the EOs, not Musk.
I'd be happier if Congress pulled the tens of billions of dollars in tax credits Musk gets per year from the US government because he owns an EV company, but hey, baby steps.
The American electorate is rarely paying attention and often not educated on the subject to which they may turn their attention.
That said, just what do you anticipate the people will do once they begin to pay attention, post outrage on X and facebook, demonstrate on The Mall, riot in Chicago, tell their reps to impeach, obstruct ICE/CBP, occupy government offices if relieved of their jobs, refuse to pay taxes, boycott Musk companies? It seems to me that a pissed off individual American has little recourse at this point. Elections matter. We have a president for four years and the modern Executive has exercised increasing power for many years. If these actions of late are what gets the people fed up, I just don't know what they can do about it in the short term? I don't believe we are in a Constitutional crisis. the country needs to take a collective deep breath. The other two branches of government remain independent and functional. Let them, make them, do their jobs.
Spekkio
He bowls overhand.
These actions are actually relatively popular and what his base wants him to do.
We all work in government circles with government agencies. I tried to explain to some family members the amount of dysfunction another Trump administration could bring to the federal government, to include the military, based on the turnover from his first term. Also, that he's burned through every reputable person to appoint as a cabinet member, so he's going to be reaching real deep into the fourth and fifth string for people to run key executive agencies.
They were completely unsympathetic to it. To them, the government is bloated and cutting it is better than not, even if you cut with a chainsaw.
OK guys. We’re all about to find out. I have made my arguments since before the election, and will keep doing my level best, although I seem to be getting nowhere- just like the last several election cycles. Apathy is an enemy in this environment.
I will also maintain that the popularity of an idea is independent of its merit, or its legality.
I also got that question - "was it intentional?" - this past weekend at a super bowl party.
jeeeeebus
In principle, yes. In practice, debatable.
Either way, Musk is not an elected official. You still have not answered my question from earlier: is he acting as a private citizen, or a special government employee?
I remain ambivalent about Musk as a manager/genius, I simply don’t care that much. That said, there are over 300 PAs (presidential appointees) in every administration and most of those don’t require a Senate vote. This applied to Biden just as it does Trump. Biden’s PAs dug deep into DoD and created whole offices to forward Biden’s agenda and now Musk (as a PA) is doing the same. Why the upset? This is common administration work that happens every four years.
I get it, people have their various shades of political concern, but the winner has an absolute responsibility to drive their agenda. Trump will be challenged (as we already see) in the courts and he will win a few and lose a few - politics. I’ll add one more thing - every POTUS since Washington has labored hard to scoop up as much power as possible under the executive branch. It is up to Congress to stop this and if they don’t we have to live with it for good or bad. It is, however, disingenuous to cry foul when the “opposition” does it but stay silent when their “side” does the same.
I get it, people have their various shades of political concern, but the winner has an absolute responsibility to drive their agenda. Trump will be challenged (as we already see) in the courts and he will win a few and lose a few - politics. I’ll add one more thing - every POTUS since Washington has labored hard to scoop up as much power as possible under the executive branch. It is up to Congress to stop this and if they don’t we have to live with it for good or bad. It is, however, disingenuous to cry foul when the “opposition” does it but stay silent when their “side” does the same.
Some of you folk here seem very aloof as to just why Trump got the support he did. Trump will make the government dysfunctional? Responses to that from MANY Americans range from "GOOD!" to "Who cares?" and in particular because of all the other things that were going on that the government was either doing or not doing that are what caused people to vote for Trump.
This seems apropos.
More like half…