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Government selectors, pages, etc.
Let's talk about DOGE. What is the evidence that it made a dent in the expenditure budget?
By Curt_Anderson
May 17, 2025 3:51 pm
Category: Government
(0.0 from 0 votes)
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Tuk22 is a big fan of DOGE. I think it was mostly performative.

Were the promises fulfilled? I don't expect to see the promised "DOGE dividend". The costs of not having some government services or employees are yet to realized. Some DOGE cuts may be of the pennywise pound foolish variety. For example cuts to weather forecasting may end up costing us in greater weather damage and deaths. Some federal costs may be simply shifted to states.

Here are some headlines from not-so liberal sources.

DOGE says it has saved $160 billion. Those cuts have cost taxpayers $135 billion, one analysis says.
Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, says it has saved $160 billion through its push to root out wasteful or fraudulent government spending. But that effort may also have come at a cost for taxpayers, with a new estimate from a nonpartisan research and advocacy group estimating that DOGE's actions will cost $135 billion this fiscal year.

DOGE has made a big impact on Washington. But government spending is up.
Elon Musk and his shadowy “tech support” team have ripped through Washington, reshaping the government and culling the federal workforce with astonishing speed and scope.

DOGE says it’s saved the federal government $115 billion. Experts say the figures don’t stack up.
DOGE claimed to have saved an estimated $115 billion, up $10 billion from the week before. They say this equates to $714 saved per taxpayer.

DOGE Fell Short on Spending Cuts: Now Congress Must Lead
While Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has rightfully drawn attention to some pretty silly and wasteful spending, it has overpromised and underdelivered on verifiable spending cuts.


Cited and related links:

  1. cbsnews.com
  2. politico.com
  3. fortune.com
  4. cato.org

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Comments on "Let's talk about DOGE. What is the evidence that it made a dent in the expenditure budget?":

  1. by oldedude on May 17, 2025 4:07 pm
    I'm waiting for final reports.

    "SPENDING IS UP" Okay, considering the retirement system wasn't even on any computer in the world, and it all had to be hand entered. Don't you think that deserves an upgrade?

    Many of the other things I haven't looked at much. The VA isn't doing too bad. I am adding to my claim and should have my benefits increased. They're moving as fast as they ever have. Again, we'll have to see after the dust settles.

    My question regarding the two state dept analysts that were fired. Were they also part of the group that signed the letter they knew was a lie? That's not very good for any CIA officer. And what I read in the memo was the information was known but couldn't be supported. That would be said if the memo was UNCLASSIFIED, but the information was TS/SCI/NOFORN.

    Like I have said (obviously when navy wasn't here), I don't like how DOGE was done. I agree with their mission, but not their methods. At all. And I've been vocal about that.

    So to have a settled "opinion" about this seems to be extremely premature on anyone's part. And is pretty typical for the TPS folks.


  2. by Indy! on May 17, 2025 4:28 pm

    As Indy said on day 1... You'll know they're serious about cutting government waste by one action and one alone...

    Cutting medicare by going to a more efficient universal healthcare model

    and/or

    Cutting the absolutely ludicrous military budget by a huge number like 50%

    That is the ONLY way to make a real difference. DOGE did neither and they will not do either in the future because like everything MAGAt - they're a bunch of pussies with no balls to do the heavy lifting that needs to be done.

    But oh... OD got a little extra on his welfare check this month - so let's celebrate that. 🙄


  3. by Indy! on May 17, 2025 4:31 pm

    Of course there is the other side of cutting and that is taxing the wealthy. They won't do that since we have a country run by self possessed narcissistic billionaires looking for a tax cut for themselves everytime they get a chance. That would make a difference too - by raising the top rate to something like 75% as it once was and actually auditing that group instead of running from them whining like the little crybabies who run the government right now.


  4. by HatetheSwamp on May 18, 2025 3:03 am

    Absolutely, Curt.

    The national debt is only $37,000,000,000,000. That's not nearly enuff!


  5. by oldedude on May 18, 2025 6:55 am
    That is the ONLY way to make a real difference. DOGE did neither and they will not do either in the future because like everything MAGAt - they're a bunch of pussies with no balls to do the heavy lifting that needs to be done.

    So you just LIED AGAIN (perhaps "as usual"). Both of those are being evaluated, and there's been no decision as of now. If you didn't use the cartoon channel for your "news" you'd know that. Or maybe you're addicted to tiktok, which is why you completely support drug cartels (rapists, wife beaters, and murderers), terrorists, and China.


  6. by HatetheSwamp on May 18, 2025 7:18 am

    Interesting.

    Curt schpiels this stuff from time to time. But, half pb's Facebook friends are posting stories about the many thousands whose lives have already been ruined by DOGE.


  7. by oldedude on May 18, 2025 7:37 am
    and sorry, that was for indy.


  8. by oldedude on May 18, 2025 8:04 am
    What we do know from the euro models is that a "government owned" healthcare is far less efficient than private models. Except maybe for princess, who thrives on medicaid, and has it's entire life. because it sucks off the tit of the government and isn't smart enough to chose it's own health plan.

    You look at the brits who refuse to allow lifesaving treatments in the US for kids. By putting a bureaucrat in charge of people's lives, you create the same bullshit that's in our VA system right now. Patients committing suicide in their parking lots because of lack of services, refusal of VA employees to treat patients, etc. And since they're "government employees" it takes years to fire them. And everything is built on how much money they have to spend. Once their "quota" is done for that quarter, you have to wait for the next, then the next, then the next.

    The VA is also famous for not giving services until the patient dies, thusly saving them money. They did this with Gulf War I and II women that were in the region. There was a huge uptick of uterine, neurological, and breast cancer that was about double the US average. And the government wouldn't accept this as "service related" illness. So a couple of thousand women died from lack of services. In order to get a rating for TBI, you have to be knocked out, which is funny because if a sports figure (volleyball, baseball, hockey, football, etc) gets jarred, they are required to go through a bunch of tests. That's if they're just "jarred." Overall, about 10% of U.S. military veterans who served after Sept. 11, 2001, (9/11), and deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan experienced TBI (with VA "standards"), which has been linked to a heightened risk of central nervous system (CNS) cancer and mortality.
    usmedicine.com


  9. by Curt_Anderson on May 18, 2025 8:06 am
    Is debt really so terrible? When you made a major purchase like a house or new car, did you pay cash or borrow? Sometimes it makes sense to borrow to avoid paying rent or because the car or house needs urgent maintenance or a repair.

    As of March 2025, the US national debt is approximately $36.2 trillion. Dividing this by the US population of about 332 million results in a per capita debt of roughly $109,000 per person.

    Over 70% of the U.S. national debt is owned by domestic entities within the United States---investors mostly.


  10. by oldedude on May 18, 2025 8:11 am
    So if I'm earning $35K/year, do I buy a $75K truck? That's debt, right? And you've been very critical of people that "overspend" and can't handle their finances. So to me, you're talking out of both ends of your body.


  11. by Curt_Anderson on May 18, 2025 8:44 am
    True, I don't think a guy making $35k needs a $75k unless he's starting a contractor business or something. I don't think a person should borrow more than they afford to pay back, but if their credit is good and it's a good investment, why not?


  12. by oldedude on May 18, 2025 11:39 am
    Because Foreign ownership of US debt introduces several risks that can impact economic stability.

    China and Japan are the two biggest owners of our debt. Between 2003 and 2011, Japan and China held 44% or more of all foreign-owned US debt. This has declined over time. As of 2023, they controlled approximately 25% of foreign-owned debt. To me, this is like borrowing money from vinny the loan shark (China especially). If they want to suddenly pull out, that's really going to screw up our interest rates and financial markets. It could also throw off our global economic policies leading to our financial crises, and investors. So having more debt means one or more countries can screw us over by demanding payment or selling off our debt quickly. And as they screw us over, means our trade is worth less.
    usafacts.org


  13. by Indy! on May 18, 2025 11:56 am

    OD:
    So you just LIED AGAIN (perhaps "as usual"). Both of those are being evaluated, and there's been no decision as of now.


    "Being evaluated"... snicker. Only a rube like OD would buy that kind of low level aimed at idiots politispeak.

    So far as universal healthcare - every civilized nation already has it and it costs about 1/2 what our healthcare costs and is twice as effective. There have been plenty of studies that have reached the same conclusion every time which means we pay approximately 4X what other countries pay for healthcare. That's because of administrative costs rising - not actual healthcare costs rising. The system is so bloated and convoluted they need millions of paper pushers to figure out who they're going to let live and who they'll let die.

    For the record, I've never been on medicaid and more importantly - unlike you, OD - my entire livelihood is not dependent on government welfare checks. You ARE the reason for the bloated military budget - you and your sucking at Uncle Sam's teat your entire life... overpaid, under worked, highly ineffective... YOU are the problem - not people like myself who PROVIDE jobs and CREATE their own financial security.


  14. by oldedude on May 18, 2025 12:38 pm
    You can say what you want. I actually travelled and lived outside of the US. Helping people. You have no evidence that you lived. You can't get any news outside of tiktok or your comic book "news." At least my job is in the constitution. You attempt (and epically failed) at your jobs tells me everything I need to know about you. You're incredibly incompetent and lazy, can't read on a sixth-grade level and you must have people acknowledge you like an insecure two-year-old. Maybe if your mommy wasn't out smoking crack and hooking for a living, you'd be more secure about yourself and you'd know who your daddies are. That about sum it up, princess?


  15. by Indy! on May 18, 2025 1:24 pm

    You were PAID to "help" people (read: kill them). There is nothing magnanimous about that. And if 30+ years and counting in business for myself is not success - certainly being spoon fed by the U.S. taxpayer your entire life because you couldn't even get HIRED for a real job at a burger joint or sweeping up the streets is the ULTIMATE FAILURE when it comes to employment history.

    "Alpha male"... snicker.

    I'm LAUGHING at your self delusion.


  16. by HatetheSwamp on May 18, 2025 2:46 pm

    "Is debt really so terrible...?"

    What's terrible is the deficit that guarantees that the debt willing continue to grow and what's bad about that is the trillions we already pay in interest... and that interest rates continue to be fairly low.

    If Trump destroys the economy in the way you lot are sure he will, interest rates will increase and the annual deficit will also increase.

    That ain't good.


  17. by tuk22 on May 18, 2025 2:54 pm
    This is silly. If you don’t want to stop fraud you’re probably benefiting from it. If you have process concerns make it more efficient. I love the idea of DOGE at all levels of government. Stop pretending accountability is bad


  18. by HatetheSwamp on May 18, 2025 3:09 pm

    tuk,

    I've been a strong supporter of attacking the budget deficit. It baffles me that Curt, very regularly, celebrates the difficulties the Trump administration faces in attempting to minimize waste, fraud and abuse... and, that there are millions of Americans just like him. I agree that people who oppose reducing waste and fraud are probably doing so for a reason that is evil.


  19. by Indy! on May 18, 2025 3:36 pm

    Nobody is against reducing fraud. We're against pretending Leon and the Homeless Hairdo are actually interested in reducing fraud for the sake of regular Americans or to reduce the debt/deficit. They're doing it in order to find enough money to give themselves yet another undeserved tax cut for themselves and their rich buddies.


  20. by Indy! on May 18, 2025 3:38 pm
    Brown Shorts:
    "I agree that people who oppose reducing waste and fraud are probably doing so for a reason that is evil."


    Good lord you can (inadvertantly) be a fucking riot at times. 😂


  21. by HatetheSwamp on May 18, 2025 3:42 pm

    But, Indy, I think Curt actually is against reducing fraud. He jokes about it regularly.


  22. by Indy! on May 18, 2025 6:49 pm

    Well again you "think" wrong. Curt is against the manner with which Leon is going about his faux tax "cutting" - firing people we need to make the government run.


  23. by Curt_Anderson on May 18, 2025 11:36 pm
    Thank you Indy!

    For example, this from CBS News:
    Wildland firefighting crews left short-staffed by DOGE ahead of wildfire season
    Trump administration funding cuts and a loss of federal workers who help support wildland firefighting continues to make planning for the upcoming wildfire season a challenge, according to forest and fire officials in Washington state and Oregon.



    More than 60% of the forests in Oregon and Washington State are federally owned. If reductions to firefighting efforts cause more deaths, injuries and property loss is that really a savings? Fighting wildfires is already hard, dangerous work requiring people to work long hours.

    Politicians love to talk about ending "waste, fraud and abuse", although none seem to be able identify it. I am sure w, f & a is overstated. Some waste is inevitable. It is not possible to spend every dollar with 100% efficiency.

    Who hasn't bought groceries that were forgotten in the fridge and had to be tossed out? Do you watch all the movies and shows you that pay streaming services for? No family gets 100% use and value out every dollar they spend.

    Businesses overbuy and waste money; underbuying can mean the loss of potential sales. It's not realistic to expect the federal government to be a paragon of efficiency.


    cbsnews.com


  24. by Curt_Anderson on May 18, 2025 11:36 pm
    Thank you Indy!

    For example, this from CBS News:
    Wildland firefighting crews left short-staffed by DOGE ahead of wildfire season
    Trump administration funding cuts and a loss of federal workers who help support wildland firefighting continues to make planning for the upcoming wildfire season a challenge, according to forest and fire officials in Washington state and Oregon.



    More than 60% of the forests in Oregon and Washington State are federally owned. If reductions to firefighting efforts cause more deaths, injuries and property loss is that really a savings? Fighting wildfires is already hard, dangerous work requiring people to work long hours.

    Politicians love to talk about ending "waste, fraud and abuse", although none seem to be able identify it. I am sure w, f & a is overstated. Some waste is inevitable. It is not possible to spend every dollar with 100% efficiency.

    Who hasn't bought groceries that were forgotten in the fridge and had to be tossed out? Do you watch all the movies and shows you that pay streaming services for? No family gets 100% use and value out every dollar they spend.

    Businesses overbuy and waste money; underbuying can mean the loss of potential sales. It's not realistic to expect the federal government to be a paragon of efficiency.


    cbsnews.com


  25. by oldedude on May 19, 2025 1:18 am
    I, too are against fraud in social security, medicare, medicaid, insurance, etc.
    indy can say all it wants, but I actually worked cases in each one of those genres. And it lists in the billions of dollars. Those who don't live in the "real world" don't understand that.

    curt- I've been one of the biggest advocates for forest advocation coming from CO and FL. CO has its millions of acres of wildfires and yes, the everglades actually burn and it's horrible to our Eco structure.

    You've never been in favour of the federal government supporting these. Which to me is strange sometimes. First, you're a libertarian, so the feds have no "right" to step in to a states- rights issue (state's wild fires). And yet you're a big government guy. I don't understand that. If you don't want the government to step into a disaster in another state that is a difference between clean and highly polluted drinking water, and you think it's a "federal" issue for wildland fires, I don't get it. Either it is or it isn't.


  26. by HatetheSwamp on May 19, 2025 3:53 am

    Curt,

    It's the apparent glee with which you celebrate the frustrations DOGE has encountered that convinces me that, bottom line, you do support fraud.

    You are a Swamp creature more than anyone else on SS.

    Ole pb chagrins over the way that DOGE has undertaken its task. So, I can tell the difference. You resist every attempt to fiddle with the dysfunction and corruption that is the DC culture.


  27. by Ponderer on May 19, 2025 6:51 am

    Curt, unless you stand back and allow a so-called exterminator to burn your house down with a flame thrower to rid it of termites... you are pro-termite.

    This is what passes for "logic" with the MAGA Hat crowd that Hate is such a devoted member of.


  28. by Indy! on May 19, 2025 9:17 am

    Two dumbasses proving Fox turns people into mental midgets.


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