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US Politics

Rudi Hedman said:
‘Campuses have essentially been turned into huge, open-air therapy sessions. At Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy in Washington, DC, a ‘self-care suite’ was opened for students. This offered them Lego to play with, crayons for colouring and milk and cookies ‘in recognition of these stressful times’. 😂😄🤦‍♂️🤔😲🥴🙄🤭

‘What is there to say, other than ‘get a grip’? If America’s liberal leftists struggle to get through an election that doesn’t go their way without recourse to an emotional-support duck, no wonder so many of their fellow Americans do not trust them to rule.’ 👍🏻😆😆😆😆
Why Trump won
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I do recall millions of right wing had a problem dealing with Trumps loss last time round. Many of them decided to take it into their own hands and invade the capitol. People died.

As to why trump won, its simple, he and his people have lied lied lied so much the past 8 years that people's heads are spinning and seemingly willing to believe anything that comes their way thats even remotely believeable. The democrats are far far behind on the misinformation game, and instead chose to believe that telling the truth(or as close to the truth as your typical politician can get) would win them the day. Plus your average american will vote the way of their wallet, or what they believe to be better for their wallet, and many were convinced the prices increases were a result of Democratic policy. If you look at the facts, inflation started just 2 months after Biden took office, and peaked 14 months later before going down literally every months since then. Anyone with economics knowledge will tell you that was the result of the previous administration, not the current one. But american do not look for facts, they look for scapegoat and blame, and the misinformation game won big time.

47% of women aged 45+ voted for trump !
57% of latino men voted for trump
24% of black men voted for trump
 
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twist said:
I do recall millions of right wing had a problem dealing with Trumps loss last time round. Many of them decided to take it into their own hands and invade the capitol. People died.

As to why trump won, its simple, he and his people have lied lied lied so much the past 8 years that people's heads are spinning and seemingly willing to believe anything that comes their way thats even remotely believeable. The democrats are far far behind on the misinformation game, and instead chose to believe that telling the truth(or as close to the truth as your typical politician can get) would win them the day. Plus your average american will vote the way of their wallet, or what they believe to be better for their wallet, and many were convinced the prices increases were a result of Democratic policy. If you look at the facts, inflation started just 2 months after Biden took office, and peaked 14 months later before going down literally every months since then. Anyone with economics knowledge will tell you that was the result of the previous administration, not the current one. But american do not look for facts, they look for scapegoat and blame, and the misinformation game won big time.

47% of women aged 45+ voted for trump !
57% of latino men voted for trump
24% of black men voted for trump
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And isn’t that great considering it fooled over half of the population. Amazing that not one of those voters were as clever as you and saw through it, or it wasn’t all that you presume. Could that have a horse in the race, just maybe !!!
 
I see Elon Musk has been given a job finding efficiencies within Government, what with his prowess at streamlining his own online businesses.
All Governments have established "a way" of doing things. I wonder how much resistance US Government workers will put up. Musk is not known for being a sensitive employer, so this might be interesting , unless Musk is reined-in a little.
 
cryrst said:
And isn’t that great considering it fooled over half of the population. Amazing that not one of those voters were as clever as you and saw through it, or it wasn’t all that you presume. Could that have a horse in the race, just maybe !!!
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Almost half of them did!

The fact that more did not or decided to overlook Trump’s obvious weaknesses is a sad reflection on the attitudes of US voters.

Whatever those who felt ignored by the way change had impacted them, which I see as an inevitable consequence of greater inclusion and the reaction just selfishness, dragging their country backwards in pursuit of unrealistic ambition is not going to help them for long.
 
Forest Hillbilly said:
I see Elon Musk has been given a job finding efficiencies within Government, what with his prowess at streamlining his own online businesses.
All Governments have established "a way" of doing things. I wonder how much resistance US Government workers will put up. Musk is not known for being a sensitive employer, so this might be interesting , unless Musk is reined-in a little.
Click to expand...

This is a really interesting appointment. Will Musk be able to reduce the blob?

If you think this is just political revenge rather than good governance think about this. Yes I know it's the UK.

Back in the 1970's the DTI was responsible for power, railways, mines, steelworks, British Airways, the Post Office, Car manufactures etc etc. In other words the DTI had control over a huge swathe of the economy.

Today nearly all of that is privatised or gone and yet the DTI is still just as big if not bigger, why?

Most governments promise to cut back waste but really tinker around the edges e.g. lets cut staff by 5% (whilst also creating new bureaucratic jobs elsewhere).

Musk will ask the basic question, do we even need this department at all?

Another example from the UK. There are over 80 Quangos for the Arts? Think about that 80? I can see the need for 1 each for Broadcasting, Music, Theatre, Museums / galleries etc. but 80?

Another example. Our tax system gets more complicated year on year. HMRC has to employ more and more people to manage this. However if the government of the day simplified our tax system by closing all the loopholes and tax breaks then tax reporting and collecting would be a lot simpler and require less staff.

It will be interesting to see if Musk will identify significant savings, and if he can fight the blob to implement them. What will America look like afterwards? Will these cuts be seen as ill judged or will the taxpayer say hooray.
 
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Badger11 said:
This is a really interesting appointment. Will Musk be able to reduce the blob?

If you think this is just political revenge rather than good governance think about this. Yes I know it's the UK.

Back in the 1970's the DTI was responsible for power, railways, mines, steelworks, British Airways, the Post Office, Car manufactures etc etc. In other words the DTI had control over a huge swathe of the economy.

Today nearly all of that is privatised or gone and yet the DTI is still just as big if not bigger, why?

Most governments promise to cut back waste but really tinker around the edges e.g. lets cut staff by 5% (whilst also creating new bureaucratic jobs elsewhere).

Musk will ask the basic question, do we even need this department at all?

Another example from the UK. There are over 80 Quangos for the Arts? Think about that 80? I can see the need for 1 each for Broadcasting, Music, Theatre, Museums / galleries etc. but 80?

Another example. Our tax system gets more complicated year on year. HMRC has to employ more and more people to manage this. However if the government of the day simplified our tax system by closing all the loopholes and tax breaks then tax reporting and collecting would be a lot simpler and require less staff.

It will be interesting to see if Musk will identify significant savings, and if he can fight the blob to implement them. What will America look like afterwards? Will these cuts be seen as ill judged or will the taxpayer say hooray.
Click to expand...
Depends. Our experience of cutting the blob normally involves cutting the excess fat - HOORAY! - then...

Well, once you set that juggernaut in motion and make promises of how much you will cut...

The knife then hacks at the muscle and then the bone. Indiscriminate, voracious with City types employed to asset strip to reach largely political targets.

And how is the public service then provided? It isn't. Not properly. Instead, once stock is taken and the quality of public experience is found to have significantly dwindled to the extent there is a backlash, the gaps need to be filled quickly.

And how is that achieved? Not by re-engaging the countless, hard working and experienced staff who were needlessly pared off, but contracting out to the private sector at double the cost to the public purse but from a different budget.

The political target is reached as that budget still demonstrates a reduction in cost of 30%, but the real cost to the public is somehow higher.
 
silvertop said:
Depends. Our experience of cutting the blob normally involves cutting the excess fat - HOORAY! - then...

Well, once you set that juggernaut in motion and make promises of how much you will cut...

The knife then hacks at the muscle and then the bone. Indiscriminate, voracious with City types employed to asset strip to reach largely political targets.

And how is the public service then provided? It isn't. Not properly. Instead, once stock is taken and the quality of public experience is found to have significantly dwindled to the extent there is a backlash, the gaps need to be filled quickly.

And how is that achieved? Not by re-engaging the countless, hard working and experienced staff who were needlessly pared off, but contracting out to the private sector at double the cost to the public purse but from a different budget.

The political target is reached as that budget still demonstrates a reduction in cost of 30%, but the real cost to the public is somehow higher.
Click to expand...
1. You are assuming that there is no fat in the public service.
2. I agree that some jobs are vital so this is where someone like Musk will have to prove his judgement by not hurting those jobs.
3. As I said in my post I would look at the big picture e.g. why do we even do this, rather than can we do with with less people.
4. Politics in the US is all about pork barrel. I will vote for your legislation if you open a federal department in my state (lots of well paid jobs). NASA launches rockets from Florida yet Mission Control is in Texas. There is plenty of scope to rationalise this however I doubt the blob will allow it.

We will see.
 
silvertop said:
Depends. Our experience of cutting the blob normally involves cutting the excess fat - HOORAY! - then...

Well, once you set that juggernaut in motion and make promises of how much you will cut...

The knife then hacks at the muscle and then the bone. Indiscriminate, voracious with City types employed to asset strip to reach largely political targets.

And how is the public service then provided? It isn't. Not properly. Instead, once stock is taken and the quality of public experience is found to have significantly dwindled to the extent there is a backlash, the gaps need to be filled quickly.

And how is that achieved? Not by re-engaging the countless, hard working and experienced staff who were needlessly pared off, but contracting out to the private sector at double the cost to the public purse but from a different budget.

The political target is reached as that budget still demonstrates a reduction in cost of 30%, but the real cost to the public is somehow higher.
Click to expand...
Like the many skilled and experienced staff sacked during the Covid hysteria because they refused to have barely tested 'medicine' pumped into them.
 
Badger11 said:
This is a really interesting appointment. Will Musk be able to reduce the blob?

If you think this is just political revenge rather than good governance think about this. Yes I know it's the UK.

Back in the 1970's the DTI was responsible for power, railways, mines, steelworks, British Airways, the Post Office, Car manufactures etc etc. In other words the DTI had control over a huge swathe of the economy.

Today nearly all of that is privatised or gone and yet the DTI is still just as big if not bigger, why?

Most governments promise to cut back waste but really tinker around the edges e.g. lets cut staff by 5% (whilst also creating new bureaucratic jobs elsewhere).

Musk will ask the basic question, do we even need this department at all?

Another example from the UK. There are over 80 Quangos for the Arts? Think about that 80? I can see the need for 1 each for Broadcasting, Music, Theatre, Museums / galleries etc. but 80?

Another example. Our tax system gets more complicated year on year. HMRC has to employ more and more people to manage this. However if the government of the day simplified our tax system by closing all the loopholes and tax breaks then tax reporting and collecting would be a lot simpler and require less staff.

It will be interesting to see if Musk will identify significant savings, and if he can fight the blob to implement them. What will America look like afterwards? Will these cuts be seen as ill judged or will the taxpayer say hooray.
Click to expand...

It's a good post.

Over a hundred years ago Oscar Wilde made that famous quote about bureaucracy, if anyone needs reminding, 'the bureaucracy is expanding to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy'.

When restricted both in power and expansion most people can see a need for quangos within advisory roles. However, as always happens the concept was bloated into a 'jobs for the boys' or more correctly political tribal friends within industries. Massive expansion following Wilde's original criticism to a tee.

The point about Musk and what he did to Twitter is a good case in point. That company was literally providing a significant amount of 'make busy' jobs that cost more than they were worth. It was losing a lot of money even with all the far left companies like Disney paying it millions for advertising. Musk came in and looked at what the employees were actually doing and kept productive people and cut the fat.....that's what efficiency is meant to be.

The only reason Twitter is suffering any problems at all is because the corporate world under Biden's administration were trying to shut it down for political reasons.

Personally I think people like Trump and Musk are fully justified in righting the wrongs that were needlessly done to them....they were gone after in an unprecedented fashion.....and I will look with interest at what happens.

Of course bringing it back to the UK, we have to suffer the government of progressives so the continuation of economic decline and ridiculous spending on unproductive bottomless pits won't only continue but they will get worse.

We are heading towards an updated version of the 70s.......History doesn't repeat but it rhymes.

​

 
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cryrst said:
And isn’t that great considering it fooled over half of the population. Amazing that not one of those voters were as clever as you and saw through it, or it wasn’t all that you presume. Could that have a horse in the race, just maybe !!!
Click to expand...

I know, you have to smile in the end. They are pathologically unable to look at themselves.
 
Apparently, the Grauniad has offered staff counselling in the wake of Trump’s election win, with editor Katharine Viner saying the result would be “upsetting” for many staff. Did they offer counselling after the October Hamas attacks? I doubt it, as the staff were probably not upset by it.
 
georgenorman said:
Apparently, the Grauniad has offered staff counselling in the wake of Trump’s election win, with editor Katharine Viner saying the result would be “upsetting” for many staff. Did they offer counselling after the October Hamas attacks? I doubt it, as the staff were probably not upset by it.
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They ought to be upset that an unsuitable candidate with no policies was put into a position for which she had no aptitude and who lost to someone even Joe Biden was capable of beating.
 
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