buzzsawmonkey 2/5/2025 5:36:55 AM

1

vxbush 2/5/2025 5:40:31 AM

2

In #1 buzzsawmonkey said: Thought occurred to me: if the firings/layoffs/early retirements, etc., in the federal government reach a reasonable size, would that/could that make unnecessary the next "continuing resolution" to keep the government open?

Possibly, but my understanding is the biggest problems right now are all the entitlements (Social Security, Medicaid, etc.) plus interest on the debt. Getting rid of (lots of) dead weight isn't going to address those. While what Trump is doing is a great sign and if we can get rid of the graft can do a whole lot of good, we need to change the thinking of this country when it comes to taking the government dime for everything. 

Of course, I have my reasons for having a government dime, which y'all know about. 

vxbush 2/5/2025 5:45:18 AM

3

What should Pam Bondi's first actions been as attorney general? 

• Fire everyone in the DOJ and federal prisons who are disobeying orders to release January 6 defendants
• Investigate government corruption a la USAID
• Investigate Joe Biden's corruption and graft
• Investigate federal employees who claim they will fight the president

I mean, her dance card is full. 

vxbush 2/5/2025 5:49:43 AM

4

Honest question: How can Trump say the US will "own" Gaza when the Gazan territory is now in the hands of the US? Did Netanyahu say anything to concur with this position when the press came to talk to the two of them? 

Letting Hamas continue to rule in Gaza is stupid beyond stupid (so of course the Democrats are all for that). But I'm having some trouble understanding the point when Trump has released a byline and not a policy. 

vxbush 2/5/2025 6:01:14 AM

5

Did anyone here have any idea that so many FBI agents were involved in investigating January 6 trespassers? 

Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove instructed FBI leadership to meet a deadline of noon Tuesday to submit the names of these agents and analysts [involved in the J6 Capital riot investigations]. This follows his earlier directive to fire eight senior FBI officials.

CNN reports that “More than 5,000 names were submitted” to the Justice Department in response to Bove’s demand. 

That seems like a huge number to me. The article notes, "To put it into proper context, there are only roughly 13,000 agents and 38,000 total FBI employees. This means that roughly 13% of the entire FBI was tasked with investigating protestors."

I would be very interested in we could get any records about the number of agents who have investigated issues in the past to get a comparison. 

vxbush 2/5/2025 6:13:02 AM

6

The Trump administration has offered buyouts to the entire CIA workforce. Holy cow. Per the linked Reuters report: 

The Central Intelligence Agency offered buyouts to its entire workforce Tuesday, citing an aim to bring the agency in line with U.S. President Donald Trump's priorities, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The U.S. spy agency is also freezing the hiring of job applicants already given a conditional offer, the WSJ reported, quoting an aide to CIA Director John Ratcliffe.

The aide, not named in the report, said some of those frozen offers are likely to be rescinded if the applicants do not have the right background for the agency's new goals, which include targeting drug cartels, Trump's trade war and undermining China.

Again, those leaving are being offered 8 months of severance.

vxbush 2/5/2025 6:13:53 AM

7

And Joni Ernst is starting to join the movement: 

vxbush 2/5/2025 6:16:09 AM

8

Be advised, Hillary is doing what Hillary does best: Lie. And Low-info voters are just going to believe her.

vxbush 2/5/2025 6:17:10 AM

9

Reply to vxbush in 8:

As if the chick who joked about wiping a server with a cloth has any clue how these systems really work.

JCM 2/5/2025 8:30:26 AM

10

Reply to buzzsawmonkey in 1:

I hope Trump would refuse to sign any CRs.

Do a pocket veto, which means congress can't override, and tell congress to do their job and pass a budget.

JCM 2/5/2025 8:32:47 AM

11

Reply to vxbush in 6:

I don't know the status of our field officers. But those guys are responsible for human intelligence and that is based on relationships between the officer and the source.

Cutting the entire CIA would be cutting off our nose to spit our face.

vxbush 2/5/2025 8:50:40 AM

12

In #11 JCM said: I don't know the status of our field officers. But those guys are responsible for human intelligence and that is based on relationships between the officer and the source. Cutting the entire CIA would be cutting off our nose to spit our face.

A friend online has pointed out that Trump is known for his bankruptcies because he just wants to break stuff that doesn't work. He doesn't stop think that perhaps he is breaking things irrevocably. I don't know if that is true, but it does bear consideration. 

vxbush 2/5/2025 9:30:45 AM

13

When the media can't compete, they go after grants: 

REVEALED: Politico Received Huge Amounts of Taxpayer Money From USAID — Awarded Over $8 Million in Hundreds of Grants

And here I was told this money went to help countries overseas. 

Occasional Reader 2/5/2025 11:10:50 AM

14

So what do you all think about Trump‘s proposal that we would somehow own Gaza?

I am hoping this is a negotiating tactic, nothing more, his way of trying to cut the Gordian knot on this thing.

Occasional Reader 2/5/2025 11:12:01 AM

15

Reply to vxbush in 6:

“looks like I picked the wrong week to give up sniffing glue…”

Wow.

vxbush 2/5/2025 11:42:04 AM

16

In #14 Occasional Reader said: So what do you all think about Trump‘s proposal that we would somehow own Gaza? I am hoping this is a negotiating tactic, nothing more, his way of trying to cut the Gordian knot on this thing.

That's what it looks like to me. An extreme position that can then be softened to something he really wants and look like he's making a huge concession.

JCM 2/5/2025 2:05:40 PM

17

Reply to Occasional Reader in 14:

Won't work. Even with a Marshall Plan type of take over, the culture is different.

The rebuilding of Japan model might work, but that requires a complete military victory over Hama, and a draconian occupation. That would be domestically unacceptable.

Israel also isn't an option, Gazans would chafe under Israeli occupation again.

No Arab country would take it on.

Kosh's Shadow 2/5/2025 7:52:39 PM

18

In #16 vxbush said: In #14 Occasional Reader said: So what do you all think about Trump‘s proposal that we would somehow own Gaza? I am hoping this is a negotiating tactic, nothing more, his way of trying to cut the Gordian knot on this thing.That's what it looks like to me. An extreme position that can then be softened to something he really wants and look like he's making a huge concession.

Exactly

Trump’s Gaza plan isn’t meant to work, but that’s the point - comment

This is Trumpian negotiation 101, lifted straight from his 1987 book The Art of the Deal.

In his world, you start with an extreme demand – one that is so outrageous it shifts the boundaries of what was previously considered possible. Then, when the inevitable pushback comes, you negotiate down to something that, while far less extreme than your initial position, is still a big win. You aim for 100, knowing that landing at 50 is still a success.

By aiming for an impossible maximum, the president makes the previously unthinkable suddenly seem reasonable. A few weeks ago, the idea of Egypt or Jordan taking a bigger role in post-war Gaza was off the table. Now, it may start looking like the moderate alternative.

This is classic Trump deal-making: start at the extreme, let everyone panic, then walk it back to something that, while less dramatic, still represents real movement in his direction.

RTWT