Jack by the hedge
Safely Ignored
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Relax. He said she's a 11, not she's 11.
Merged USAID: is it really a bunch of crazy leftists? / Trump Was Absolutely Right to Shut Down USAID
- Thread starter Puppycow
- Start date
Back to topic for a moment. Just watched an interview on CNN with a former Trump State Department official who's a self-described conservative. He did the whole rigmarole about waste under Biden, but ultimately believes that scrapping the whole thing is a really bad idea.
It's been around for six decades, without much controversy, and now all the sudden it's a problem. For some reason.
In the interview, it was mentioned that according to a recent Kaiser poll (don't have a link), about one-third of Americans believe we spend too much on foreign aid. But it's less than one percent of the US budget. The lives that it saves and our global reputation is well worth that miniscule cost.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politi...why-its-a-target-for-the-trump-administration
It's been around for six decades, without much controversy, and now all the sudden it's a problem. For some reason.
In the interview, it was mentioned that according to a recent Kaiser poll (don't have a link), about one-third of Americans believe we spend too much on foreign aid. But it's less than one percent of the US budget. The lives that it saves and our global reputation is well worth that miniscule cost.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politi...why-its-a-target-for-the-trump-administration
Jack by the hedge
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That's true in the UK too, and probably just about universal. People who have no idea at all of how much we spend on foreign aid, or of how it might benefit our own interests, reckon it's too much and it ought to be stopped.
TragicMonkey
Poisoned Waffles
Including during Trump's first term as president. I don't understand why people are not pointing this out constantly: ALL of these "urgent" "problems" that need to be "fixed" fast fast fast fast because they're DESTROYING AMERICA....were there during Trump's first term as president. Why, if they are so awful, didn't he do anything then? Either he's an idiot who didn't notice all this dreadful waste and destruction for four years the first time, or he's lying and exaggerating about these things being problems now. Which is it?
turingtest
Mistral, mistral wind...
Could be a sort of mixture of both- he didn't notice or care his first time around because he's a shallow idiot who needs someone to point out to him the issues he can lie/exaggerate about at any given time, and he has different folks to do that for him now. He had Fox News to tell him that there were people who weren't allowed to say "Merry Christmas" then, and he's clung to that idiocy like a dog with a ratty old bone; now it's a new set to give him new idiocies. The problem is that one stupidity is just trivially stupid, and there's not much, after all is said and done, that can be done but to say; now he's graduated to inanities that can and do have real-world consequences. Either way, these are, to his transactional mindset, issues he can use, not problems to actually care about- weapons to wield that have never, for him, been ploughshares.
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Safe-Keeper
My avatar is not a Drumpf hat
You know there's no thought process to their postings. They're a cult, they hate whatever Dear Leader tells them to hate. No reflection, no considerations about consistency. The organization they didn't even know about a month ago all of a sudden this massive evil woke communist DEI threat to the US economy that needs to be destroyed.
It's pretty frightening to behold, actually. Dump tells them to jump, and they jump.
Either they don't care because they're short-sighted or, if you're more conspiratorially inclined, it's a feature, not a bug.
stanfr
Illuminator
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The latter, but the interesting question for me is why didn't he attempt this coup during his first term? He had just as much potential to abuse his power then, the same evil actors were backing him, so why save the lunacy for now? My guess (only a guess) is that his ego was so wounded by losing in 2020 when I am sure in his mind he would end up with a landslide victory, that he has to compensate by becoming the 'greatest bilgiest dictator in history'--making Caesar seem like a postmaster.
arthwollipot
Observer of Phenomena, Pronouns: he/him
China has already been throwing about soft power in Africa and the Pacific for ages. The destruction of USAID will ensure China's dominance in these areas.
johnny karate
... and your little dog too.
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Not only did USAID exist during Trump’s first administration, his daughter in her role as presidential advisor set up a new program under it. Exactly zero of the people in a lather over USAID now cared.
johnny karate
... and your little dog too.
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One of the unvetted kids currently accessing sensitive government data was fired from his last job for leaking sensitive data.
Musk’s DOGE teen was fired by cybersecurity firm for leaking company secret
Musk’s DOGE teen was fired by cybersecurity firm for leaking company secret
arthwollipot
Observer of Phenomena, Pronouns: he/him
I'm shocked. Shocked, I tell you.
Donal
Philosopher
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Fine if it honks like a goode and steps like a goose
Has this administration?
That's not how you know them to operate. What difference does it make if it is an official government agency or contractors acting on behalf of the government?
No, you're trying to tell us that fins, gills, 230 teeth, and the Kintner boy in its stomach isn't a shark.
Ziggurat
Penultimate Amazing
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That's what he's trying to do. And that's what people are throwing a ◊◊◊◊ fit about.
The Hitler thing isn't working. People can see it's not true. And in 4 years, when we haven't become the third reich, the Democrats are going to have a hard time arguing why they should get a turn again, because they will have spent the last 4 years blowing through what little credibility they have left.
Chris_Halkides
Penultimate Amazing
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I have seen a claim in the media that Samantha Power's net worth increased sharply during her time at USAID. I have not seen evidence of this, and I am skeptical of the claim.
Donal
Philosopher
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Did he do it the last time?
No, its because, once again, he is running around breaking things because he doesn't understand how they work. And considering how ◊◊◊◊◊◊◊ stupid he is, there's a lot to break.
More like our education system failed to help people see it
Is it just the brand name? It that all it is for you? If he checks off all the other boxes but isn't specifically using the symbols of the National Socialist Party of 1930s Germany...are you OK with that?
He could recite Mein Kampf at the State of the Union Address and you'd hand wave it.
It is becoming abundantly clear that the problem isn't Trump's similarity to Hitler or any other authoritarian throughout history, but rather how a lot folks aren't bothered by it.
Ziggurat
Penultimate Amazing
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You keep going on and on about check boxes, but in 2 years we will have midterm elections, and in 4 years we will have another presidential election, and Trump won't be running. In the mean time, my personal freedoms aren't going to be any more restricted than they were under Biden. Neither are yours.
You can chicken little this all you want to, but the dictatorship just isn't happening. And none of your checklists will make it happen.
AmyStrange
Philosopher
bwahahahahahaha
Anyone who deports a wife who was trying to become a citizen the legal way is a dictator in my book, whether it be Obama or the fat clown.
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theprestige
Penultimate Amazing
Becoming a citizen the legal way doesn't start with being in the country illegally. It's always baffled me that we're giving these people a free pass and a do-over, instead of disqualifying them and sending them back home. I never liked this policy, and I'm glad it's being challenged.
I've been watching a lot of court proceedings on YouTube lately. It turns out that every probation violator is a good person with family to take care of, a job they're just about to start, and rehab meetings they promise to attend regularly for real this time, if we just give them one more chance.
I've also been watching a lot of police bodycam footage. Turns out every drunk driver lives only two blocks away and just needs to get home to their family or pets or whatever, so can you please let them go just this once?
After a while, the sob stories from people caught in the act get tiresome. You want them to just shut up and accept their rightful consequences.