Let’s pause and have a look at what the Elon Musk administration has performed thus far.
There’s been a number of panic concerning the rapid however considerably summary constitutional disaster as Elon Musk’s misleadingly-named Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE) rips the federal government aside. And as a lot enjoyable as all of us are having watching Congress render itself irrelevant and questioning whether or not the courts even matter, there’s a concrete nightmare looming. Mass unemployment, the defunding of essential social applications, and simply plain incompetence imply that America, as we all know it, is already in for arduous instances.
The diploma to which we now have failed not merely ourselves but additionally our kids and grandchildren is breathtaking
The size of destruction previously 4 weeks begins on the Soviet devotion to Lysenkoist organic theories, and at most, is the American model of Mao’s Cultural Revolution: a disastrous triumph of ideological purity over primary actuality. I’m not positive it has occurred to nearly all of people who we’re about to make a Nice Leap Ahead and destroy our affluent, comparatively peaceable society.
Musk has, within the quick time period, set us up for a shock to the financial system from each unemployment and frozen authorities grants. This might be felt kind of instantly.
However the long-term prices might be measured in a long time. The diploma to which we now have failed not merely ourselves but additionally our kids and grandchildren is breathtaking. Musk tasks — similar to undercutting sensible preparations for attainable disasters and dismantling an academic and scientific system so good that our precise enemies ship their kids to us for faculty — mix with disastrous Trump insurance policies like mass deportation to undermine American society. And by alienating our longtime allies and cozying as much as Russia, we set ourselves as much as be a pariah state.
Let’s begin with the federal employees. What number of federal employees has Elon Musk fired? As of Valentine’s Day, Reuters figured 10,000. That quantity is nearly definitely larger now. Most of the “probationary” workers he focused had been, in actual fact, fairly senior — individuals who had simply gotten promoted or who had been working for presidency contractors after which transitioned to working for the federal government itself. Typically, these folks had been army veterans. One other 75,000 have taken a buyout from the Musk regime.
Kansas Metropolis, Missouri, for example, doesn’t have sufficient jobs to soak up all its ex-federal employees
Amongst these fired: lots of of Federal Aviation Administration workers, together with upkeep mechanics and employees in flight knowledge. Over 1,000 folks from the Division of Veterans Affairs, which offers healthcare to vets. On high of those specifics lies the fundamental proven fact that unemployed folks have much less cash to spend in the remainder of the financial system. The ache is likely to be most seen in reputationally liberal areas just like the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Maryland. But it surely’s widespread — Kansas Metropolis, Missouri, for example, doesn’t have sufficient jobs to soak up all its ex-federal employees. There are laid-off employees in Illinois, Oklahoma, Iowa, and Florida — in actual fact, all around the US.
It will get worse, as a result of the latest pause in federal spending — pushed first by an govt order from President Donald Trump and now by the chaos of DOGE — threatens the steadiness of many, many extra folks. Take, for example, farmers and ranchers. They’re Trump voters, principally, however this will likely push lots of them into chapter 11, since they trusted authorities applications to pay for farm upgrades they already made. The dismantling of the US Company for Worldwide Improvement, or USAID, signifies that an agricultural purchaser who dropped $2 billion into the sector is now gone. Rural areas broadly depend on federal funding, in fact.
It will get worse. Acts of aggression towards our buying and selling companions imply that Canadians are beginning to keep away from US merchandise. The EU is contemplating an import block on soybeans. That’s fewer locations for farmers and ranchers to promote their merchandise. America may not give a superb goddamn about science or scientists, however slicing their funds additionally hits hospitals, which ensures worse affected person care.
Did you suppose I used to be performed? I haven’t even gotten to the existential disasters. The Division of Agriculture has fired, it says unintentionally, quite a lot of folks engaged on fowl flu. (The company is now trying to rehire these employees.) As a result of the Musk regime froze all communications, there was no phrase from the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention on fowl flu for weeks.
There’s no thought-about plan, simply careless mass destruction — and Musk’s want to manage every part, regardless of the dangers
There are different issues to worry. DOGE reportedly fired a bunch of nuclear employees earlier than realizing that they had been, in actual fact, fairly obligatory, after which struggled to rehire them. Oops! Good factor that’s solely nuclear weapons. Nothing to fret about, I’m positive.
DOGE isn’t but contained in the CDC, the place all the damaging microbes are stored, however they’re aiming at it. Additionally, the CDC has entry to all digital healthcare data — so if, let’s say, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. decides he desires to ship everybody on psych meds to a piece farm, a factor he has proposed, he can try this.
The Trump administration, clearly, would have performed a few of this injury with out Musk — he wasn’t main the preliminary federal spending freeze or bringing in witless cronies, like RFK, Brendan Carr, and Kash Patel, with their very own idiotic agendas. However DOGE has focused a surprising sweep of primary authorities companies with an unprecedented stage of slash-and-burn nihilism. There’s no thought-about plan, simply careless mass destruction — and Musk’s want to manage every part, regardless of the dangers.
DOGE is claimed to be in search of entry to detailed monetary data about each American taxpayer. Musk additionally desires entry to Notify.gov, which incorporates everybody’s cellphone numbers, together with particulars similar to whether or not they obtain Medicaid. A Social Safety chief resigned relatively than let Musk into these programs. He reportedly has entry to checking account numbers, Social Safety numbers, and different private particulars as a part of the “God mode” entry granted to DOGE. Up to now, this entry has solely been confirmed at USAID — but it surely’s not tough to think about that it’s been granted elsewhere, too. Oh, DOGE is outwardly now inside CISA, indiscriminately hacking away at workers. No approach that may presumably expose delicate data to the US’s adversaries, of which there appear to be an growing quantity recently.
At no earlier level in my lifetime has a sitting president needed to seem on tv and inform the general public that he’s not being manipulated by a scheming vizier
How organized is DOGE? Nicely, they’re struggling to maintain straight whether or not a contract is value $8 million or $8 billion. This isn’t an operation focusing on authorities waste. It’s about destroying anybody and something that is likely to be focused towards having a functioning society — effete targets like feeding the hungry, stopping local weather change, and caring for the sick. DOGE depends on operatives’ elite mastery of the Ctrl + F shortcut and their fierce dedication to anti-“woke” Silicon Valley supremacy. Who wants authorities experience whenever you’ve acquired ideological conviction, proper? Destroying bourgeois consultants has by no means led to dangerous outcomes!
The army was one of many final DOGE holdouts, however lists have already been submitted for layoffs there — supplemented by plans from TV character and drunkard Pete Hegseth, who’s for some cause the protection secretary, to fireplace generals and different senior workers, presumably as quickly as this week.
You might, at this level, be questioning, “What about Donald Trump?” It’s maybe value noting that at no earlier level in my lifetime has a sitting president needed to seem on tv and inform the general public that he’s not being manipulated by a scheming vizier. Not even George W. Bush had to do this, and loads of folks had been suspicious of Dick Cheney.
Anyway, Trump shares lots of Musk’s targets and has spent his free time dismantling the Pax Americana whereas sanctioning abroad focus camps for refugees and dubbing himself a king. If Trump decides to attempt wresting again management of home politics from Musk, the destruction will proceed — albeit maybe with fewer folks named “Huge Balls.”
The Purge is being declared, however just for Trump supporters
In fact, if Musk and Trump activate one another, that might wreak its personal havoc. Certain, Musk has management of all of the funds programs, everybody’s private knowledge, and a bunch of different delicate stuff, however Trump additionally has, you already know, a military.
Beside atrocities like blocking AIDS reduction and the Panamanian jungle focus camps, assaults on the rule of regulation might sound a little bit dry. Who cares that the disgraced mayor of New York could skate on corruption fees in an open quid professional quo association? However let me make it sensible: the Purge is being declared, however just for Trump supporters. Any unlawful or violent exercise they have interaction in might be excused, particularly if it targets Trump or Musk’s supposed enemies. Pardoning January sixth rioters was simply the beginning.
As all this occurs, the putative opposition social gathering continues to be watching SNL, voting to substantiate picks for the Trump / Musk regime, and tweeting bizarre shit about inflation. Except for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — who’s presently being threatened by Trump’s border czar for informing folks of their rights — there has barely been pushback. New York Governor Kathy Hochul, maybe essentially the most lukewarm Democrat in existence, has nonetheless managed to make one of many strongest showings within the social gathering by slamming the “king” feedback. Actually, there’s resistance from some People. Folks have been annoying their elected officers and protesting pretty repeatedly.
However many extra persons are merely tuning out — making an attempt to faux this isn’t taking place. Nicely, it’s a matter of time earlier than all this comes for them: the potential recession; the impoverished dystopia; the sicker, worse America.
Put all of it collectively. We’re within the strategy of being rendered unemployed, sick, helpless, and frightened of a regulation that works nakedly within the curiosity of Musk’s energy. I nonetheless consider it’s attainable to cease what’s in movement, however the window is closing. It has solely been a month. Consider what a yr will convey — and what we are going to lose.
Correction Feb. 22, 2025: Removes inaccurate reference to air visitors controller firings on the FAA.
