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#governmentwaste — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #governmentwaste, aggregated by home.social.

  1. It's all bullshit.

    I pay $10k in health issuance premiums and still can't afford proper health care and the Republicans are going to use tax money to build a fucking ballroom because Trump got pissed off and planned an "attack" on himself to scare MAGA into supporting the dumbest shit.

    Meanwhile all the old people who have Medicaid and Medicare are like "shut up, you live in the best country ever".

    I hate this shit

    #USPol #Ballroom #GovernmentWaste #HealthCare

  2. ROSE COVERED GLASSES @rosecoveredglasses.wordpress.com@rosecoveredglasses.wordpress.com ·

    What It Means To Kill in Combat

    “DEFENSE ONE” By Phil Zabriskie

    The killing a country does through its soldiers is part of its fabric and identity. The less it is examined, the less a country will know about itself, its impulses, and the impact of what it has trained and dispatched its sons and daughters to do.

    _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    “If a war fails to achieve its stated objectives—as Vietnam did—it can make the reasons for killing even harder to accept. Some recent vets of Iraq and Afghanistan, said the psychiatrist, are already asking, “What was it all for?”

    This is not to cast troops who kill in combat as victims. They should carry the weight of what they did. But they should not be forced to carry it alone. Their leadership, from the company level all the way to the Chief of Staff, is part of every killing that’s carried out. So too are the civilian architects of these wars. And the rest of us bear some responsibility as well.

    The killing a country does through its soldiers is part of its fabric and identity. The less it is examined, the less a country will know about itself, its impulses, and the impact of what it has trained and dispatched its sons and daughters to do.

    A more honest conversation about what war is and what war does is a good place to start. Those who [called] for boots on the ground in Iraq, Syria, or anywhere else, should be first to have it. They should understand and explain exactly what it [means] if troops are deployed, and they should press the military to give its charges tools that not only help them kill when they should, but also how to live with the killing they’ve done later in life.

    More counseling must be made available as well, as part of the broader overhaul of the VA, and steps taken to remove the stigma that still exists around seeking help for the psychological wounds of war. And no one should ask a veteran if he or she has killed anybody unless they really want to hear the answer—and are prepared to listen.”

    What It Means To Kill In Combat

    ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

    Phil Zabriskie, a writer living in New York, is the author of The Kill Switch. Previously, he lived and worked throughout Asia and the Middle East, including in Iraq and Afghanistan.

     

    #COMBAT #GoodLeaders #GovernmentAccoutability #GovernmentWaste #healthCareReform #history #Iran #iraq #isil #ISIS #Israel #LabelsBigGovernment #MIC #MiddleEast #Pentagon #politics #PTSD #VeteranSAssistance #VetsAgainstWar #war #WORLDHISTORY
  3. ROSE COVERED GLASSES @rosecoveredglasses.wordpress.com@rosecoveredglasses.wordpress.com ·

    What It Means To Kill in Combat

    “DEFENSE ONE” By Phil Zabriskie

    The killing a country does through its soldiers is part of its fabric and identity. The less it is examined, the less a country will know about itself, its impulses, and the impact of what it has trained and dispatched its sons and daughters to do.

    _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    “If a war fails to achieve its stated objectives—as Vietnam did—it can make the reasons for killing even harder to accept. Some recent vets of Iraq and Afghanistan, said the psychiatrist, are already asking, “What was it all for?”

    This is not to cast troops who kill in combat as victims. They should carry the weight of what they did. But they should not be forced to carry it alone. Their leadership, from the company level all the way to the Chief of Staff, is part of every killing that’s carried out. So too are the civilian architects of these wars. And the rest of us bear some responsibility as well.

    The killing a country does through its soldiers is part of its fabric and identity. The less it is examined, the less a country will know about itself, its impulses, and the impact of what it has trained and dispatched its sons and daughters to do.

    A more honest conversation about what war is and what war does is a good place to start. Those who [called] for boots on the ground in Iraq, Syria, or anywhere else, should be first to have it. They should understand and explain exactly what it [means] if troops are deployed, and they should press the military to give its charges tools that not only help them kill when they should, but also how to live with the killing they’ve done later in life.

    More counseling must be made available as well, as part of the broader overhaul of the VA, and steps taken to remove the stigma that still exists around seeking help for the psychological wounds of war. And no one should ask a veteran if he or she has killed anybody unless they really want to hear the answer—and are prepared to listen.”

    What It Means To Kill In Combat

    ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

    Phil Zabriskie, a writer living in New York, is the author of The Kill Switch. Previously, he lived and worked throughout Asia and the Middle East, including in Iraq and Afghanistan.

     

    #COMBAT #GoodLeaders #GovernmentAccoutability #GovernmentWaste #healthCareReform #history #Iran #iraq #isil #ISIS #LabelsBigGovernment #MIC #Pentagon #politics #PTSD #VeteranSAssistance #VetsAgainstWar #war #WORLDHISTORY
  4. ROSE COVERED GLASSES @rosecoveredglasses.wordpress.com@rosecoveredglasses.wordpress.com ·

    What It Means To Kill in Combat

    “DEFENSE ONE” By Phil Zabriskie

    The killing a country does through its soldiers is part of its fabric and identity. The less it is examined, the less a country will know about itself, its impulses, and the impact of what it has trained and dispatched its sons and daughters to do.

    _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    “If a war fails to achieve its stated objectives—as Vietnam did—it can make the reasons for killing even harder to accept. Some recent vets of Iraq and Afghanistan, said the psychiatrist, are already asking, “What was it all for?”

    This is not to cast troops who kill in combat as victims. They should carry the weight of what they did. But they should not be forced to carry it alone. Their leadership, from the company level all the way to the Chief of Staff, is part of every killing that’s carried out. So too are the civilian architects of these wars. And the rest of us bear some responsibility as well.

    The killing a country does through its soldiers is part of its fabric and identity. The less it is examined, the less a country will know about itself, its impulses, and the impact of what it has trained and dispatched its sons and daughters to do.

    A more honest conversation about what war is and what war does is a good place to start. Those who [called] for boots on the ground in Iraq, Syria, or anywhere else, should be first to have it. They should understand and explain exactly what it [means] if troops are deployed, and they should press the military to give its charges tools that not only help them kill when they should, but also how to live with the killing they’ve done later in life.

    More counseling must be made available as well, as part of the broader overhaul of the VA, and steps taken to remove the stigma that still exists around seeking help for the psychological wounds of war. And no one should ask a veteran if he or she has killed anybody unless they really want to hear the answer—and are prepared to listen.”

    What It Means To Kill In Combat

    ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

    Phil Zabriskie, a writer living in New York, is the author of The Kill Switch. Previously, he lived and worked throughout Asia and the Middle East, including in Iraq and Afghanistan.

     

    #COMBAT #GoodLeaders #GovernmentAccoutability #GovernmentWaste #healthCareReform #history #Iran #iraq #isil #ISIS #LabelsBigGovernment #MIC #Pentagon #politics #PTSD #VeteranSAssistance #VetsAgainstWar #war #WORLDHISTORY
  5. ROSE COVERED GLASSES @rosecoveredglasses.wordpress.com@rosecoveredglasses.wordpress.com ·

    What It Means To Kill in Combat

    “DEFENSE ONE” By Phil Zabriskie

    The killing a country does through its soldiers is part of its fabric and identity. The less it is examined, the less a country will know about itself, its impulses, and the impact of what it has trained and dispatched its sons and daughters to do.

    _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    “If a war fails to achieve its stated objectives—as Vietnam did—it can make the reasons for killing even harder to accept. Some recent vets of Iraq and Afghanistan, said the psychiatrist, are already asking, “What was it all for?”

    This is not to cast troops who kill in combat as victims. They should carry the weight of what they did. But they should not be forced to carry it alone. Their leadership, from the company level all the way to the Chief of Staff, is part of every killing that’s carried out. So too are the civilian architects of these wars. And the rest of us bear some responsibility as well.

    The killing a country does through its soldiers is part of its fabric and identity. The less it is examined, the less a country will know about itself, its impulses, and the impact of what it has trained and dispatched its sons and daughters to do.

    A more honest conversation about what war is and what war does is a good place to start. Those who [called] for boots on the ground in Iraq, Syria, or anywhere else, should be first to have it. They should understand and explain exactly what it [means] if troops are deployed, and they should press the military to give its charges tools that not only help them kill when they should, but also how to live with the killing they’ve done later in life.

    More counseling must be made available as well, as part of the broader overhaul of the VA, and steps taken to remove the stigma that still exists around seeking help for the psychological wounds of war. And no one should ask a veteran if he or she has killed anybody unless they really want to hear the answer—and are prepared to listen.”

    What It Means To Kill In Combat

    ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

    Phil Zabriskie, a writer living in New York, is the author of The Kill Switch. Previously, he lived and worked throughout Asia and the Middle East, including in Iraq and Afghanistan.

     

    #COMBAT #GoodLeaders #GovernmentAccoutability #GovernmentWaste #healthCareReform #history #Iran #iraq #isil #ISIS #LabelsBigGovernment #MIC #Pentagon #politics #PTSD #VeteranSAssistance #VetsAgainstWar #war #WORLDHISTORY
  6. ROSE COVERED GLASSES @rosecoveredglasses.wordpress.com@rosecoveredglasses.wordpress.com ·

    What It Means To Kill in Combat

    “DEFENSE ONE” By Phil Zabriskie

    The killing a country does through its soldiers is part of its fabric and identity. The less it is examined, the less a country will know about itself, its impulses, and the impact of what it has trained and dispatched its sons and daughters to do.

    _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    “If a war fails to achieve its stated objectives—as Vietnam did—it can make the reasons for killing even harder to accept. Some recent vets of Iraq and Afghanistan, said the psychiatrist, are already asking, “What was it all for?”

    This is not to cast troops who kill in combat as victims. They should carry the weight of what they did. But they should not be forced to carry it alone. Their leadership, from the company level all the way to the Chief of Staff, is part of every killing that’s carried out. So too are the civilian architects of these wars. And the rest of us bear some responsibility as well.

    The killing a country does through its soldiers is part of its fabric and identity. The less it is examined, the less a country will know about itself, its impulses, and the impact of what it has trained and dispatched its sons and daughters to do.

    A more honest conversation about what war is and what war does is a good place to start. Those who [called] for boots on the ground in Iraq, Syria, or anywhere else, should be first to have it. They should understand and explain exactly what it [means] if troops are deployed, and they should press the military to give its charges tools that not only help them kill when they should, but also how to live with the killing they’ve done later in life.

    More counseling must be made available as well, as part of the broader overhaul of the VA, and steps taken to remove the stigma that still exists around seeking help for the psychological wounds of war. And no one should ask a veteran if he or she has killed anybody unless they really want to hear the answer—and are prepared to listen.”

    What It Means To Kill In Combat

    ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

    Phil Zabriskie, a writer living in New York, is the author of The Kill Switch. Previously, he lived and worked throughout Asia and the Middle East, including in Iraq and Afghanistan.

     

    #COMBAT #GoodLeaders #GovernmentAccoutability #GovernmentWaste #healthCareReform #history #Iran #iraq #isil #ISIS #LabelsBigGovernment #MIC #Pentagon #politics #PTSD #VeteranSAssistance #VetsAgainstWar #war #WORLDHISTORY
  7. Several congressional Democrats filed an amicus brief in support of that lawsuit in March. Washington, the brief states, “is not the President’s backyard to renovate, relandscape, & build in as he sees fit.”

    #law #Trump #narcissism #architecture #GovernmentSpending #GovernmentWaste

  8. A group of #VietnamWar #veterans, as well as an architectural historian, have sued in federal court to stop its construction. The lawsuit argues that the #arch would require congressional approval under various statutes, including the Commemorative Works Act of 1986, which dictates that a memorial built in the proposed location must be of “pre-eminent historical & lasting significance to the United States.”

    #law #Trump #narcissism #architecture #GovernmentSpending #GovernmentWaste

  9. …Its proposed height means it would be taller than the Lincoln Memorial & nearly as tall as the US Capitol building.

    The White House expects to complete construction before the end of #Trump’s term. But questions remain on how the #arch would be built, including who would #pay for it.

    It remains possible that, like Trump’s planned 90,000-square-foot White House #ballroom, the proposed arch could get caught up in a #legal quagmire.

    #narcissism #architecture #GovernmentSpending #GovernmentWaste

  10. …Its proposed height means it would be taller than the Lincoln Memorial & nearly as tall as the US Capitol building.

    The White House expects to complete construction before the end of #Trump’s term. But questions remain on how the #arch would be built, including who would #pay for it.

    It remains possible that, like Trump’s planned 90,000-square-foot White House #ballroom, the proposed arch could get caught up in a #legal quagmire.

    #narcissism #architecture #GovernmentSpending #GovernmentWaste

  11. Though it is loosely modeled on the Arc de Triomphe, the neoclassical monument in Paris commissioned by Napoleon, the #arch #Trump proposes would dwarf that by some 86 feet.

    In fact, the proposed arch would be taller than nearly every other monumental arch across the #US & the world.

    Many of the world’s monumental arches are war memorials…

    Asked in October who the proposed Washington arch would be for, Trump responded, “Me.”

    #narcissism #architecture #GovernmentSpending #GovernmentWaste

  12. His intention is for the #arch to rise up from a roundabout near Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial. The design prominently features the heavy gold embellishments that have come to be known as a signature #Trump “style” [or lack thereof].

    The proposed arch, whose #cost the admin has not released, carries the feel of a Trump design for another reason: It is simply massive [#overcompensating].

    #architecture #GovernmentSpending #GovernmentWaste

  13. His intention is for the #arch to rise up from a roundabout near Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial. The design prominently features the heavy gold embellishments that have come to be known as a signature #Trump “style” [or lack thereof].

    The proposed arch, whose #cost the admin has not released, carries the feel of a Trump design for another reason: It is simply massive [#overcompensating].

    #architecture #GovernmentSpending #GovernmentWaste

  14. His intention is for the #arch to rise up from a roundabout near Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial. The design prominently features the heavy gold embellishments that have come to be known as a signature #Trump “style” [or lack thereof].

    The proposed arch, whose #cost the admin has not released, carries the feel of a Trump design for another reason: It is simply massive [#overcompensating].

    #architecture #GovernmentSpending #GovernmentWaste

  15. His intention is for the #arch to rise up from a roundabout near Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial. The design prominently features the heavy gold embellishments that have come to be known as a signature #Trump “style” [or lack thereof].

    The proposed arch, whose #cost the admin has not released, carries the feel of a Trump design for another reason: It is simply massive [#overcompensating].

    #architecture #GovernmentSpending #GovernmentWaste

  16. His intention is for the #arch to rise up from a roundabout near Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial. The design prominently features the heavy gold embellishments that have come to be known as a signature #Trump “style” [or lack thereof].

    The proposed arch, whose #cost the admin has not released, carries the feel of a Trump design for another reason: It is simply massive [#overcompensating].

    #architecture #GovernmentSpending #GovernmentWaste

  17. The federal Commission of Fine Arts is set on Thursday to review plans for a hulking 250-foot “triumphal arch” purportedly to celebrate the #US’ 250th birthday, one of several unwelcome construction projects #Trump has conjured up in an effort to leave his garish mark on Washington.

    Trump has reason to be optimistic about the fate of the review: He fired all of the panel’s members in October & replaced them with allies.

    #architecture #GovernmentSpending #GovernmentWaste
    nytimes.com/interactive/2026/0

  18. The infamous San Francisco Bay penitentiary was shuttered six decades ago specifically because the upkeep was draining public coffers. Now, the administration is asking for **$152 million just to cover the initial reopening costs**‼️
    This isn't sound fiscal policy; it's a monumental waste of money driven by nostalgia rather than numbers. #GovernmentWaste
    cnn.com/2026/04/03/politics/al

  19. As #FBI director, #KashPatel has focused on trying to bring a criminal case against the outspoken Democrat, reassigning multiple agents in San Francisco to work on the matter, the current & former ofcls said. FBI leaders have even discussed sending agents to China to talk to the suspected intelligence operative, believing she could have damaging information about #EricSwalwell, acc/to 2 of the people….

    #Trump #DOJ #law #LegalEthics #EnemiesList #WeaponizationOfGovernment #GovernmentWaste

  20. As #FBI director, #KashPatel has focused on trying to bring a criminal case against the outspoken Democrat, reassigning multiple agents in San Francisco to work on the matter, the current & former ofcls said. FBI leaders have even discussed sending agents to China to talk to the suspected intelligence operative, believing she could have damaging information about #EricSwalwell, acc/to 2 of the people….

    #Trump #DOJ #law #LegalEthics #EnemiesList #WeaponizationOfGovernment #GovernmentWaste

  21. As #FBI director, #KashPatel has focused on trying to bring a criminal case against the outspoken Democrat, reassigning multiple agents in San Francisco to work on the matter, the current & former ofcls said. FBI leaders have even discussed sending agents to China to talk to the suspected intelligence operative, believing she could have damaging information about #EricSwalwell, acc/to 2 of the people….

    #Trump #DOJ #law #LegalEthics #EnemiesList #WeaponizationOfGovernment #GovernmentWaste

  22. As #FBI director, #KashPatel has focused on trying to bring a criminal case against the outspoken Democrat, reassigning multiple agents in San Francisco to work on the matter, the current & former ofcls said. FBI leaders have even discussed sending agents to China to talk to the suspected intelligence operative, believing she could have damaging information about #EricSwalwell, acc/to 2 of the people….

    #Trump #DOJ #law #LegalEthics #EnemiesList #WeaponizationOfGovernment #GovernmentWaste

  23. As #FBI director, #KashPatel has focused on trying to bring a criminal case against the outspoken Democrat, reassigning multiple agents in San Francisco to work on the matter, the current & former ofcls said. FBI leaders have even discussed sending agents to China to talk to the suspected intelligence operative, believing she could have damaging information about #EricSwalwell, acc/to 2 of the people….

    #Trump #DOJ #law #LegalEthics #EnemiesList #WeaponizationOfGovernment #GovernmentWaste

  24. “It takes money to kill bad guys,” #Hegseth told reporters on March 19, saying the ask of Congress is intended to ensure “we’re properly funded for what’s been done, for what we may have to do in the future [&] ensure that our ammunition is — everything’s refilled & not just refilled, but above & beyond.”

    #kakistocracy #idiocracy #TrumpsWar #war #Trump #law #Congress #WarPowers #geopolitics #MiddleEast #GovernmentWaste

  25. …the #Pentagon is seeking >$200 billion from #Congress to fund the #war in #Iran, an enormous ask that has already run into resistance from lawmakers opposed to the conflict. #Hegseth, when asked about that reporting, said last week that the final budget request “could move.”

    #kakistocracy #idiocracy #TrumpsWar #Trump #law #WarPowers #geopolitics #MiddleEast #GovernmentWaste

  26. …The #US #military also has fired >1,000 air-defense interceptor missiles in response to #Iran counterattacks across the region, including from the #Patriot & Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (#THAAD) systems, which are considered the world’s most advanced, 2 other officials familiar with the issue said. The inventory of those weapons also is limited & not publicly disclosed.

    #kakistocracy #idiocracy #TrumpsWar #war #Trump #law #Congress #WarPowers #geopolitics #MiddleEast #GovernmentWaste

  27. ⚠️Spoiler Alert: When complexity feels "too simple to be true," it is usually because the reality is simple.
    Despite past tricks, we can no longer afford to artificially complicate simple problems just to squeeze out more tax revenue. The mask is slipping.

    #Bureaucracy #RedTape #GovernmentSpending #Taxation #PoliticalSatire #Economics #KeepItSimple #GovernmentWaste #Transparency #FiscalResponsibility #MaskOfComplexity #RealityCheck #Politics #TaxSeason #Jargon #SpoilerAlert

  28. ⚠️Spoiler Alert: When complexity feels "too simple to be true," it is usually because the reality is simple.
    Despite past tricks, we can no longer afford to artificially complicate simple problems just to squeeze out more tax revenue. The mask is slipping.

    #Bureaucracy #RedTape #GovernmentSpending #Taxation #PoliticalSatire #Economics #KeepItSimple #GovernmentWaste #Transparency #FiscalResponsibility #MaskOfComplexity #RealityCheck #Politics #TaxSeason #Jargon #SpoilerAlert

  29. ⚠️Spoiler Alert: When complexity feels "too simple to be true," it is usually because the reality is simple.
    Despite past tricks, we can no longer afford to artificially complicate simple problems just to squeeze out more tax revenue. The mask is slipping.

    #Bureaucracy #RedTape #GovernmentSpending #Taxation #PoliticalSatire #Economics #KeepItSimple #GovernmentWaste #Transparency #FiscalResponsibility #MaskOfComplexity #RealityCheck #Politics #TaxSeason #Jargon #SpoilerAlert

  30. ⚠️Spoiler Alert: When complexity feels "too simple to be true," it is usually because the reality is simple.
    Despite past tricks, we can no longer afford to artificially complicate simple problems just to squeeze out more tax revenue. The mask is slipping.

    #Bureaucracy #RedTape #GovernmentSpending #Taxation #PoliticalSatire #Economics #KeepItSimple #GovernmentWaste #Transparency #FiscalResponsibility #MaskOfComplexity #RealityCheck #Politics #TaxSeason #Jargon #SpoilerAlert

  31. ⚠️Spoiler Alert: When complexity feels "too simple to be true," it is usually because the reality is simple.
    Despite past tricks, we can no longer afford to artificially complicate simple problems just to squeeze out more tax revenue. The mask is slipping.

    #Bureaucracy #RedTape #GovernmentSpending #Taxation #PoliticalSatire #Economics #KeepItSimple #GovernmentWaste #Transparency #FiscalResponsibility #MaskOfComplexity #RealityCheck #Politics #TaxSeason #Jargon #SpoilerAlert

  32. Why do we have a Drug Enforcement Agency and a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives? Are states really too stupid to be trusted to enforce their own laws? It seems to me like a waste of taxpayers' money, not to mention lives in need of medications...

    #AFT #bureaucracy #DEA #drugPolicy #drugs #federalism #firearms #governmentWaste #regulation #TenthAmendment #tobacco

  33. What an absolutely obscene, wasteful & completely unnecessary waste of money! ABC News: BOM reveals new website cost $96.5m, not $4.1m as first announced abc.net.au/news/2025-11-23/bur #WeatherForecasts #AusPol #BOM #GovernmentWaste

  34. #Trump to make #GoldenDome announcement on Tues

    The Golden Dome is estimated to cost tens of billions of dollars & take years to implement, as the controversial program faces both political scrutiny & funding uncertainty.

    Democratic lawmakers have voiced concern about the procurement process & the involvement of Trump ally #ElonMusk's #SpaceX, which has emerged as a frontrunner to build key components of the system.

    #GovernmentWaste #Fraud #corruption
    reuters.com/world/us/trump-mak

  35. …Andrew Hunter, who until January served as #AirForce asst secy supervising the #AirForceOne effort, said that once the plane was acquired—by gift or purchase—it would represent a major new #cost for the #FederalGovernment.

    Paying for the crew alone of an Air Force One jet costs >$37M a year, & the total annual operating cost is $134M a year…

    “No one other than a nation-state—or an airline—could afford to operate this plane,” Hunter said. “It’s wildly #expensive.”

    #GovernmentWaste #Trump

  36. Foulkrod said preparing the new plane for use would take years—pushing any chance for #Trump to use it out past 2027.

    “It is ridiculous,” Foulkrod said of the idea that #Qatar’s plane could be a quick fix, adding that the existing Boeing projects could probably be accelerated more. “That’s a better dollar value than trying to take an airplane from somebody else &…make it into a presidential plane. It makes no sense.”

    #GovernmentWaste #law #emoluments #corruption #NationalSecurity

  37. #Qatar’s plane has a luxurious interior, but considerable work would be needed to prep the plane to serve as #AirForceOne —including ridding the jet of any hidden electronic listening devices & adding advanced communications equipment & specialized systems to protect the plane from a missile attack or other threats. And even if the plane is donated, the cost of those retrofits would be enormous, acc/to current & fmr #Pentagon ofcls: at least $1 billion.

    #GovernmentWaste #Trump #NationalSecurity

  38. @luckytran

    If American people could make the national budget together, hands-on, without conniving politicians to distract us and siphon money, would we still choose to send money abroad? To play goody two shoes? When we are not all fed, housed, educated? When healthcare is too expensive?

    Charity begins at home. Sending aid abroad is a view held by the privileged class, who have no idea what hunger and poverty in America is like. They just like the glow of largesse and magnanimity from giving away "Other People's Money" ( to quote Margaret Thatcher *cringe* ) while ignoring homeless people here in America.

    No. You want the slick bullshit of "foreign" people, acting all happy for the camera.

    Warms your heart, makes you feel all superior, like YOU had anything to do with it.
    Hey, it's the American people's money.
    You are either astro-turfing for some party that siphons USAID money, or belong to a privileged class.

    I am homeless. How about some aid for me?

    I am a former Democrat voter, who was made homeless by the Biden administration in 2023, as a VA programmer with Federal clearance, who turned whistle-blower and called out egregious government waste.

    This is my first-hand experience, not some slick commercial I saw in the media.

    Your ad is pure propaganda! Like Musk, or hate him, he is right on this one.

    #CancelUSAID #JailForBiden #USAID #USVeteran #astroturf #astroturfing #propaganda #Lies #GovernmentWaste #GovernmentSpending #Accenture #AccentureFederalServices #AFS #VA #Veterans

  39. How to save half a million dollars: "Faced with fierce criticism over her chief wildfire recovery officer’s planned salary of $500,000 for 90 days of work, Mayor Karen Bass reversed course Saturday evening and said Steve Soboroff would receive no compensation" via Los Angeles Times. #GovernmentWaste

  40. Yeah, but the super rich oligarchs won't like it! We, The People would really see our lives improve. Every billionaire is a policy failure.

    #Capitalism #Oligarchy #GovernmentWaste #PolicyFailure

    pluralistic.net/2025/01/27/bel

  41. @TerryHancock

    My favourite #debunking of the "government paid $EXCESSIVE for $THING" kind of story was by Jerry #Pournelle. It's currently offline, and archive.org is still recovering, so I can't link it. Actual numbers below are made up because I don't remember the exact figures, but the gist is correct.

    It was the "#Pentagon paid $17,000 for a #toilet seat" one. What actually happened was that the Pentagon needed to procure more toilet seats for the B-52 bomber - the planes were (and still are!) old and stuff wears out or gets damaged. There was no remaining stock of parts.

    The problem was that the #manufacturer had long ago junked the tooling used to make the parts (they were metal, requiring tool & die etc). Making that tooling is quite expensive - it's difficult, skilled work. Other costs involved in getting a #manufacturing line set up are also expensive. And they couldn't justify buying and storing tons of extra toilet seats.

    So what you get is a high fixed #cost to rebuild a line, divided by a relatively small number of finished articles, giving an apparently absurd price per unit. Say, a million dollars to make 60 replacement toilet seats to original spec.

    And that gives... $16,667 per seat. And a great, totally #misleading #headline.

    #B52 #B52Bomber #ToiletSeat #GovernmentWaste #waste #procurement

  42. The Tories are returning England to "the good old days" when sewage literally ran in the gutters.

    Dorset’s River Lim ‘ecologically dead’ after sewage spills
    Graham Roberts, who worked as a freshwater ecologist for 40 years, has described the River Lim as being 'ecologically dead'.

    dorsetecho.co.uk/news/23520807

    #sewage #rivers #SewageParty #Toryfailure #EcologicalDisaster #GovernmentWaste #governmentcorruption

  43. @luckytran

    If American people could make the national budget together, hands-on, without conniving politicians to distract us and siphon money, would we still choose to send money abroad? To play goody two shoes? When we are not all fed, housed, educated? When healthcare is too expensive?

    Charity begins at home. Sending aid abroad is a view held by the privileged class, who have no idea what hunger and poverty in America is like. They just like the glow of largesse and magnanimity from giving away "Other People's Money" ( to quote Margaret Thatcher *cringe* ) while ignoring homeless people here in America.

    No. You want the slick bullshit of "foreign" people, acting all happy for the camera.

    Warms your heart, makes you feel all superior, like YOU had anything to do with it.
    Hey, it's the American people's money.
    You are either astro-turfing for some party that siphons USAID money, or belong to a privileged class.

    I am homeless. How about some aid for me?

    I am a former Democrat voter, who was made homeless by the Biden administration in 2023, as a VA programmer with Federal clearance, who turned whistle-blower and called out egregious government waste.

    This is my first-hand experience, not some slick commercial I saw in the media.

    Your ad is pure propaganda! Like Musk, or hate him, he is right on this one.

    #CancelUSAID #JailForBiden #USAID #USVeteran #astroturf #astroturfing #propaganda #Lies #GovernmentWaste #GovernmentSpending #Accenture #AccentureFederalServices #AFS #VA #Veterans

  44. @luckytran

    If American people could make the national budget together, hands-on, without conniving politicians to distract us and siphon money, would we still choose to send money abroad? To play goody two shoes? When we are not all fed, housed, educated? When healthcare is too expensive?

    Charity begins at home. Sending aid abroad is a view held by the privileged class, who have no idea what hunger and poverty in America is like. They just like the glow of largesse and magnanimity from giving away "Other People's Money" ( to quote Margaret Thatcher *cringe* ) while ignoring homeless people here in America.

    No. You want the slick bullshit of "foreign" people, acting all happy for the camera.

    Warms your heart, makes you feel all superior, like YOU had anything to do with it.
    Hey, it's the American people's money.
    You are either astro-turfing for some party that siphons USAID money, or belong to a privileged class.

    I am homeless. How about some aid for me?

    I am a former Democrat voter, who was made homeless by the Biden administration in 2023, as a VA programmer with Federal clearance, who turned whistle-blower and called out egregious government waste.

    This is my first-hand experience, not some slick commercial I saw in the media.

    Your ad is pure propaganda! Like Musk, or hate him, he is right on this one.

    #CancelUSAID #JailForBiden #USAID #USVeteran #astroturf #astroturfing #propaganda #Lies #GovernmentWaste #GovernmentSpending #Accenture #AccentureFederalServices #AFS #VA #Veterans