DOGE cuts - where to start?

[Hawkmoon]

Regards DOGE, I doubt they'll have authority to actually do much, but can make recommendations to DJT.  My hope is they can A) ferret out the few agencies that should be retained, allowing Trump to close the rest, and B) figure out the % of workers actually needed at whatever agencies remain.  If (IF) it goes the way it should wed probably see 70-80% of agencies eliminated altogether, and staffing at the remainder drop by 50-80% as well, for a total head count reduction of at least 80%, and an ability to sell off 80-90% or so of federal buildings.

Things like DoD, courts, probably SS, some regulatory bodies would remain, but with staffing much reduced.

Meh.

The feral government is the only group in the known universe that can promulgate a 26-page form that collects two pages of information accompanied by 24 pages of incoherent instructions, and proclaim at the bottom of page 26 that the document complies with the paperwork reduction act.

[Bogie]

If you cut welfare - you will see cities burn. The theory is that it is cheaper to pay off the folks who would riot than it is to pay for the destruction and economic disaster.
 
We saw that here in St. Louis, when Michael Brown's "family" announced a press conference, with crowd, on the county courthouse steps.
 
That's Clayton, MO, right in the middle of the metro area, and that's some high dollar real estate. Not just a couple of Walgreen's getting trashed.
 
The county .gov caved and paid them off.

[Ben]

If you cut welfare - you will see cities burn.

https://youtu.be/V3yJW1yYZ7w?t=174

[WLJ]

Remember when the food stamp system went down for two hours?

[Northwoods]

Remember when the food stamp system went down for two hours?

God forbid they have spend their own money on food instead of their luxury SUV.

[HankB]

If you cut welfare - you will see cities burn. The theory is that it is cheaper to pay off the folks who would riot than it is to pay for the destruction and economic disaster.
 

Considering which cities would burn, and which parts of those cities would light up first, that might not be such a bad thing; there's a segment of society that never learned the old adage "don't poop where you eat."

Then apply the Roman solution, mix salt with the earth so nothing grows there. Or alternatively, level it and plant trees for carbon capture.

[Bogie]

God forbid they have spend their own money on food instead of their luxury SUV.

There's a bunch of folks who are running "side hustles" for cash... Lots of urban folks are also on head meds, which I think can cause more problems, especially when they are stopped... Some of 'em just fill the scripts, and sell the stuff.

There is a sizable cash economy - for instance, you have your Mobile Mechanics... I've seen everything from real service trucks, to a guy with rando tools in the trunk of his Mazda shitbox. The Mazda guy is an idiot, but he talks a lot, mostly does padslap brake jobs for people who don't know any better. I'm guessing he is also one of the ones drawing some sort of aid...

[zahc]

"spending their own money" doesn't quite describe the situation correctly. In areas where welfare is endemic and systematic, it's impossible to survive without the welfare. The economy adjusts to absorb the welfare as a matter of basic economics. Cutting off welfare in these areas literally does create an economic shock that individuals cannot overcome. Now, this is a great argument against the welfare in the first place, but facts are facts.

[Northwoods]

"spending their own money" doesn't quite describe the situation correctly. In areas where welfare is endemic and systematic, it's impossible to survive without the welfare. The economy adjusts to absorb the welfare as a matter of basic economics. Cutting off welfare in these areas literally does create an economic shock that individuals cannot overcome. Now, this is a great argument against the welfare in the first place, but facts are facts.

If you've got the money for a luxury SUV you've got money for food and other necessities apart from welfare.

[Bogie]

Saw a guy at the grocery - had a cart full of ribs, brats, sauces, etc...
 
"I'm sick of this - Just got my EBT, so I'm setting up a grill, and I'm gonna make some money."

[Brad Johnson]

Way back in ye olden dayes when Food Stamps were actually stamps, the store where I worked was in an area heavily populated by food stamp recipients. You always knew distribution day because recipients would fill the strip center's parking lot, trolling stores and patrons trying to sell their booklets for cash at fifty cents on the dollar.

Brad

[WLJ]

Way back in ye olden dayes when Food Stamps were actually stamps, the store where I worked was in an area heavily populated by food stamp recipients. You always knew distribution day because recipients would fill the strip center's parking lot, trolling stores and patrons trying to sell their booklets for cash at fifty cents on the dollar.

Brad

Remember winos and drug head trying to sell food stamp books back in the day.

[WLJ]

USPS needs an enema

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸
@RepMTG
The United States Postal Service just reported a $9.5 BILLION loss in FY24, adding to its approximately $100 BILLION in losses since 2007.

This is what happens when government-run entities are bloated, mismanaged, and unaccountable.

It’s time to demand real reform and stop wasting taxpayer dollars! Government efficiency is coming to Washington!!

https://x.com/RepMTG/status/1866540780631830623

[MechAg94]

I should have posted this here the first time.

https://x.com/Mrgunsngear/status/1866313677017928040?t=Do_WBg_MNvqiKK5PZyE-lw&s=19

Mrgunsngear posted this.  I think it is referring tot he DOD audits recently, but I could be wrong.

I'm sure Chris knows this but I'm also sure many seeing this post don't know what I'm about to post below ⬇️

The reason there's $1 trillion "missing" (it's not) between what's being reported as spending vs. deficit (what was actually spent) is because President George Bush authorized the Director of the DNI to spend "unreported" money as they see fit for "national security" related causes that aren't publicly reported.

Perhaps that's one reason the "deep state" is so against the appointment of @TulsiGabbard
 as President Trump's Director of DNI 👀

[Pb]

Most government spending is authorized by Congress. Doge is powerless to do anything, really. All show.

That's what I am afraid of.

[HankB]

Prepare yourself with a stack of hankies to dry your tears as you read about these cuts at the University of Texas . . .   

https://www.statesman.com/story/news/education/2024/09/23/university-of-texas-cut-dei-laid-off-staff-eliminated-student-supports/74140394007/

[WLJ]

Newsom says he was DOGE before DOGE

Autism Capital 🧩
@AutismCapital
🚨GAVIN NEWSOM: "We've been working before DOGE was DOGE. It's like a promo project. We're going to eliminate 62,000 positions. California is a leader in that space."

LMAO Gavin seriously tries to say California is a leader in gov efficiency. WHAT? 🤦‍♂️😂

https://x.com/AutismCapital/status/1868808127157780866

[Ben]

Newsom says he was DOGE before DOGE

https://x.com/AutismCapital/status/1868808127157780866

That guy is the worst of the slimey used car salesmen politicians. In fact he gives a bad name to the "used car salesman" generalization.

[AZRedhawk44]

Best place to start is education.  Cross reference student performance for the last 90 years:  45 years before and after the creation of the Dept of Education in 1979.  Examine max/min/mean teacher pay adjusted for inflation for the several States, average student performance, minority success in schools, and administrative bloat in dollars spent per non-credentialed headcount (non-teachers).

Suspend execution of all DOE mandates and send all employees home, put a single bill in front of Congress for roll call votes to eliminate the agency and rescind 50% of its budget of about $270 billion annually in the form of structured income tax breaks, keep the other 50% to apply to the national annual deficit.  The several States can adjust their own budgets accordingly and tax as they see fit to replace what they might have lost through elimination of Federal budget reallocation/redistribution.  I'd be shocked if a quarter of DOE funds actually made it back to school campuses.

Rinse and repeat with other departments.  For BLM, begin a process of releasing 10% of Federal lands back to the western States they reside in, and cutting staff accordingly.  They're only a $2 billion operation, but the land holdings are egregious and an insult to the integrity of the several western States and their parity with their eastern peers.

For DOD, some sort of budgetary oversight has to happen even with the classified stuff.  A variation on the GAO with the authority to audit and expose/cull what is wasteful.

Social Security?  Kill it.  With fire.  Pro-rate existing "benefits" for those that paid in so far, cut what you're taking out of everyone's paycheck in half right now.  Pay the liabilities of those currently on SS with the halved amount for the next 20 years, then cut it in half again for another 20 years, then eliminate it.  Boomers whining about being on a fixed income and they paid their fair share will be sent copies of Ida May Fuller's SS contribution documents and benefits statements, and asked to reconcile them.  Then asked why they didn't fix it 50 years ago.

[MechAg94]

The biggest challenge with things like Dept of Education is to get Congress to get rid of all the federal laws/regulations that force some of the administrative bloat. 

[HankB]

Social Security?  Kill it.  With fire.  Pro-rate existing "benefits" for those that paid in so far, cut what you're taking out of everyone's paycheck in half right now.  Pay the liabilities of those currently on SS with the halved amount for the next 20 years, then cut it in half again for another 20 years, then eliminate it.  Boomers whining about being on a fixed income and they paid their fair share will be sent copies of Ida May Fuller's SS contribution documents and benefits statements, and asked to reconcile them.  Then asked why they didn't fix it 50 years ago.

While chopping EARNED benefits, You missed UNearned benefits entirely. Back in 2012, payments from some 80 programs - everything from direct payments to free Obama phones - totaled over one TRILLION dollars per year. Benefits simply handed out to people who never contributed. Cut that off and use it to prop up EARNED benefits for a bit longer. SS today is still in the black - that will hold true for roughly 10 more years. Shift welfare expenditures to SS and it will last a good bit longer, providing a soft landing to those who earned benefits.

Oh, and NO benefits for illegal aliens. None. Zip. Nada. The only thing illegals get from fed.gov is humane treatment from the time they're in custody to the time they're transported back across the border they entered through, and that time should be only as long as it takes to arrange transportation. Two days at most.

[MechAg94]

While chopping EARNED benefits, You missed UNearned benefits entirely. Back in 2012, payments from some 80 programs - everything from direct payments to free Obama phones - totaled over one TRILLION dollars per year. Benefits simply handed out to people who never contributed. Cut that off and use it to prop up EARNED benefits for a bit longer. SS today is still in the black - that will hold true for roughly 10 more years. Shift welfare expenditures to SS and it will last a good bit longer, providing a soft landing to those who earned benefits.

Oh, and NO benefits for illegal aliens. None. Zip. Nada. The only thing illegals get from fed.gov is humane treatment from the time they're in custody to the time they're transported back across the border they entered through, and that time should be only as long as it takes to arrange transportation. Two days at most.

And take a very close look at the administration costs of the SS program and the pension/retirement benefits.  How much money is spent for every sent out in benefit payments?  The FedGov has avoided numbers like that for decades.

[MechAg94]

"spending their own money" doesn't quite describe the situation correctly. In areas where welfare is endemic and systematic, it's impossible to survive without the welfare. The economy adjusts to absorb the welfare as a matter of basic economics. Cutting off welfare in these areas literally does create an economic shock that individuals cannot overcome. Now, this is a great argument against the welfare in the first place, but facts are facts.

Many of these people are not doing long term planning.  They are living check to check.  If you make changes gradually, I think they will adjust.  Start with adding restrictions and fraud and move on to adjusting amounts later.  Reorganize the work requirements and other restrictions and loop holes. 

[HankB]

And take a very close look at the administration costs of the SS program and the pension/retirement benefits.  How much money is spent for every sent out in benefit payments?  The FedGov has avoided numbers like that for decades.

I'd like to see numbers for school payrolls as well - see how administrative salary totals compare to teaching salary totals both now and in, say, 1950. I suspect admin pay is a larger portion of the salary total than it used to be.

Many of these people are not doing long term planning.  They are living check to check.  If you make changes gradually, I think they will adjust.  Start with adding restrictions and fraud and move on to adjusting amounts later.  Reorganize the work requirements and other restrictions and loop holes. 

Today's' bloated welfare budget didn't develop overnight. Just start ratcheting the total spending down at the same rate it increased. Or move it down at twice the rate - it will STILL take a couple of decades to "zero out" unearned benefits. Recipients WILL adjust.

[dogmush]

While chopping EARNED benefits, You missed UNearned benefits entirely. Back in 2012, payments from some 80 programs - everything from direct payments to free Obama phones - totaled over one TRILLION dollars per year. Benefits simply handed out to people who never contributed. Cut that off and use it to prop up EARNED benefits for a bit longer. SS today is still in the black - that will hold true for roughly 10 more years. Shift welfare expenditures to SS and it will last a good bit longer, providing a soft landing to those who earned benefits.

Oh, and NO benefits for illegal aliens. None. Zip. Nada. The only thing illegals get from fed.gov is humane treatment from the time they're in custody to the time they're transported back across the border they entered through, and that time should be only as long as it takes to arrange transportation. Two days at most.

Not to be a dick, but SS in it's current form is not an earned benefit.  It is a Ponzi scheme wherein because older folks were robbed their entire working life, they assert the moral authority to Rob people currently working. 

Your PENSION, if you have one, is an earned benefit.

The rest of your post is spot on though.