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When are we going to stop getting excited at the sensationalized headlines and just accept the fact that nothing is going to come of this? Nothing.
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Twitter of course!^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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And people wonder why no arrests...Doug Casey on DOGE, Deficits, and the Coming Financial Earthquake
International Man: What’s your perspective on the claims Elon Musk and others made about the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) during the campaign, and how would you assess the actual progress they've achieved since then?
Doug Casey: I hate to sound pessimistic, because the idea of DOGE was excellent, but it's not making much in the way of progress. Musk first thought he could cut $2 trillion from the budget. I see how he could say that; it’s a very reasonable estimate. But as he discovered the depth of the resistance, he reduced it to $1 trillion. And now it's $150 billion—and he's probably not even going to be able to do that.
Why is it failing? One reason is that Congress has legislated and mandated most of the spending, and the hundreds of agencies that carry it out—and Trump can’t eliminate them. Congress has to abolish these programs and agencies. All DOGE can do is make recommendations.
It's true that the USAID building is closed, but apparently, many of its employees and programs have just simply been reassigned to the State Department or other places. They've made no progress on getting rid of the Department of Education.
I’m sure Trump very much wants to see DOGE be successful, but unfortunately its very name is "Government Efficiency," and I question whether we really want the government to be more efficient. The only way to solve the problem isn’t by making government more efficient, but by abolishing agencies wholesale—not just trimming some fat.
Will there be a fundamental change? That’s unlikely because, as I’ve said many times before, Trump has no philosophical center. Nor any understanding of economics, as evidenced by his tariffs scheme, which I think will fail utterly—and may even be the catalyst that sets off the Greater Depression. He’s flying by the seat of his pants.
Equally bad—or worse—he appears to want an industrial policy for the US, where he'll be making investments in all kinds of things to make the US a manufacturing center again. It's like what Argentina did under the Peronists. He does whatever seems like a good idea at the time…
International Man: With Elon Musk signaling his impending departure from DOGE, how do you foresee the future of DOGE and its initiatives unfolding without his leadership?
Doug Casey: As Chairman Mao once said, "The helmsman sets the course that sails the ship." And if the helmsman jumps ship, it's questionable whether other crewmen can take over successfully. Maybe they will. But without the public profile and moral suasion of Musk, I suspect that the people he leaves in charge of this advisory agency will flounder.
And, remember, DOGE itself has no power. But the Deep State has an immense amount of power, and they’re fighting it tooth and nail—both with go-slow policies and by filing lawsuits everywhere possible to stop it from happening.
In the long run, just cutting things back can't possibly work. It's like pruning a plant. Gardeners prune plants to make them healthier. If you just prune agencies, they’ll grow back even more virulent. The only solution is for scores of them—hundreds of them—to be pulled out by the roots and Agent Orange sown where they grew. That’s not happening.
For instance, take Ukraine. Zelensky has become a billionaire, as have all his cronies, and the fighting is still going on. Why? Because the US is still sending them money and materiel.
I’m afraid serious cuts are bluster, not reality. And where can they really cut things? Are they going to take money away from the Veterans Administration or military pensions? No. Certainly not from the military itself—Trump has said they're going to increase spending from $800 billion to $1 trillion. Are they going to cut back Medicare or Social Security? Abolish Medicaid? They should, but they won’t. These things, along with interest on the national debt, equal about 85% of spending.
They can't reduce the interest burden on the federal debt; it will continue growing with more spending and higher interest rates. Which, I suspect, are headed toward the levels we saw in the early 1980s, when the government was paying 20% for its money.
Musk has said he’s found thousands of egregious cases of waste, fraud, and abuse that should be referred to the Department of Justice. But that’s far, far more than the DOJ can handle. Where are the headlines about prosecutions for the things Musk has talked about? I’m quite disappointed. I’d like to see hundreds of heads on stakes, but it looks like the bedbugs and cockroaches are just going to hide while the lights are on.
International Man: Do you believe DOGE’s proposed cuts will lead to genuine, permanent reductions in government spending—or will they simply free up funds for Washington to redirect toward areas like defense?
Doug Casey: All kinds of obvious things aren't being touched—like the $50 billion the US gives to foreign governments around the world, a bottomless pit of graft. That's not going to change. Certainly not the $4 billion the US gives to Israel every year, or the $4 billion it gives to Egypt every year to bribe it into being Israel's BFF.
One thing that will kill any real progress from DOGE is subtle threats from the Deep State in general, and the praetorian agencies in particular. The NSA knows everything about everybody. If any DOGE employee gets too aggressive about breaking rice bowls or imprisoning bigwigs, they’ll be intimidated. These agencies know, or can fabricate, inconvenient things about them.
Or perform a cover up. Look at the Epstein case. We were supposed to learn what Epstein was up to, and with who. But everything’s being heavily redacted to protect guilty but well-connected people. The elite always close ranks to protect each other.
It’s all smoke but no fire. These agencies—with all the information they have—can destroy anyone who attacks them. If not now, while Trump is still in office, they’ll certainly seek retribution after he leaves. Our best hope—but it’s a long shot—is that Trump will realize that it’s kill or be killed, and will try to destroy them utterly while he’s still in power. That would be inviting civil war… but he has no real alternative.
International Man: Given that DOGE represents the most significant attempt to reduce government spending in generations, what are the implications if it fails?
Doug Casey: The economy is on the ragged edge, and with the tariffs creating economic chaos the Democrats may be re-elected in 2028. In fact, they may even win the midterms, which would guarantee that all of Trump’s efforts fail.
If the Democrats regain control of the government, they’ll redouble spending to try to forestall the Greater Depression and kick the can down the road for a few more years. And they’ll be supported by the American people, who are going to miss all the freebies the government was bribing them with. The average American has become so corrupt that he doesn’t want to have his doggy dish taken away.
For a while, during the first month of Trump’s presidency, it looked like it was going to once again be morning in America. But we’re finding out that morning only lasts six hours—and we’re already past noon. Things look quite grim.
International Man: As the US debt crisis intensifies, what steps should individuals take to protect their wealth—and what speculative opportunities do you see emerging from this turmoil?
Doug Casey: Even if we avoid a major war, I’m afraid the trend that’s been in motion for many decades is going to stay in motion and continue accelerating until the whole mess collapses under its own weight.
The US has become a giant multicultural empire revolving around the Washington Beltway. It could go down catastrophically the way Rome did. Or it may just degrade slowly like Spain or England. They still exist, but they’re hollow shells of their previous selves.
The financial, economic, political, and social problems we're laboring under are leading to a breakup of the country. So, instead of the US getting bigger with the extremely expensive acquisitions of Greenland, the Panama Canal Zone, and—God forbid—Canada, the US is more likely to get smaller.
All you can do is try to insulate yourself. The way to do that is by diversifying your money safely out of the country and continuing to build significant positions in gold, silver, and Bitcoin. With hopefully some successful speculations along the way.
The wheels of justice move slowly.Doug Casey on DOGE, Deficits, and the Coming Financial Earthquake
International Man: What’s your perspective on the claims Elon Musk and others made about the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) during the campaign, and how would you assess the actual progress they've achieved since then?
Doug Casey: I hate to sound pessimistic, because the idea of DOGE was excellent, but it's not making much in the way of progress. Musk first thought he could cut $2 trillion from the budget. I see how he could say that; it’s a very reasonable estimate. But as he discovered the depth of the resistance, he reduced it to $1 trillion. And now it's $150 billion—and he's probably not even going to be able to do that.
Why is it failing? One reason is that Congress has legislated and mandated most of the spending, and the hundreds of agencies that carry it out—and Trump can’t eliminate them. Congress has to abolish these programs and agencies. All DOGE can do is make recommendations.
It's true that the USAID building is closed, but apparently, many of its employees and programs have just simply been reassigned to the State Department or other places. They've made no progress on getting rid of the Department of Education.
I’m sure Trump very much wants to see DOGE be successful, but unfortunately its very name is "Government Efficiency," and I question whether we really want the government to be more efficient. The only way to solve the problem isn’t by making government more efficient, but by abolishing agencies wholesale—not just trimming some fat.
Will there be a fundamental change? That’s unlikely because, as I’ve said many times before, Trump has no philosophical center. Nor any understanding of economics, as evidenced by his tariffs scheme, which I think will fail utterly—and may even be the catalyst that sets off the Greater Depression. He’s flying by the seat of his pants.
Equally bad—or worse—he appears to want an industrial policy for the US, where he'll be making investments in all kinds of things to make the US a manufacturing center again. It's like what Argentina did under the Peronists. He does whatever seems like a good idea at the time…
International Man: With Elon Musk signaling his impending departure from DOGE, how do you foresee the future of DOGE and its initiatives unfolding without his leadership?
Doug Casey: As Chairman Mao once said, "The helmsman sets the course that sails the ship." And if the helmsman jumps ship, it's questionable whether other crewmen can take over successfully. Maybe they will. But without the public profile and moral suasion of Musk, I suspect that the people he leaves in charge of this advisory agency will flounder.
And, remember, DOGE itself has no power. But the Deep State has an immense amount of power, and they’re fighting it tooth and nail—both with go-slow policies and by filing lawsuits everywhere possible to stop it from happening.
In the long run, just cutting things back can't possibly work. It's like pruning a plant. Gardeners prune plants to make them healthier. If you just prune agencies, they’ll grow back even more virulent. The only solution is for scores of them—hundreds of them—to be pulled out by the roots and Agent Orange sown where they grew. That’s not happening.
For instance, take Ukraine. Zelensky has become a billionaire, as have all his cronies, and the fighting is still going on. Why? Because the US is still sending them money and materiel.
I’m afraid serious cuts are bluster, not reality. And where can they really cut things? Are they going to take money away from the Veterans Administration or military pensions? No. Certainly not from the military itself—Trump has said they're going to increase spending from $800 billion to $1 trillion. Are they going to cut back Medicare or Social Security? Abolish Medicaid? They should, but they won’t. These things, along with interest on the national debt, equal about 85% of spending.
They can't reduce the interest burden on the federal debt; it will continue growing with more spending and higher interest rates. Which, I suspect, are headed toward the levels we saw in the early 1980s, when the government was paying 20% for its money.
Musk has said he’s found thousands of egregious cases of waste, fraud, and abuse that should be referred to the Department of Justice. But that’s far, far more than the DOJ can handle. Where are the headlines about prosecutions for the things Musk has talked about? I’m quite disappointed. I’d like to see hundreds of heads on stakes, but it looks like the bedbugs and cockroaches are just going to hide while the lights are on.
International Man: Do you believe DOGE’s proposed cuts will lead to genuine, permanent reductions in government spending—or will they simply free up funds for Washington to redirect toward areas like defense?
Doug Casey: All kinds of obvious things aren't being touched—like the $50 billion the US gives to foreign governments around the world, a bottomless pit of graft. That's not going to change. Certainly not the $4 billion the US gives to Israel every year, or the $4 billion it gives to Egypt every year to bribe it into being Israel's BFF.
One thing that will kill any real progress from DOGE is subtle threats from the Deep State in general, and the praetorian agencies in particular. The NSA knows everything about everybody. If any DOGE employee gets too aggressive about breaking rice bowls or imprisoning bigwigs, they’ll be intimidated. These agencies know, or can fabricate, inconvenient things about them.
Or perform a cover up. Look at the Epstein case. We were supposed to learn what Epstein was up to, and with who. But everything’s being heavily redacted to protect guilty but well-connected people. The elite always close ranks to protect each other.
It’s all smoke but no fire. These agencies—with all the information they have—can destroy anyone who attacks them. If not now, while Trump is still in office, they’ll certainly seek retribution after he leaves. Our best hope—but it’s a long shot—is that Trump will realize that it’s kill or be killed, and will try to destroy them utterly while he’s still in power. That would be inviting civil war… but he has no real alternative.
International Man: Given that DOGE represents the most significant attempt to reduce government spending in generations, what are the implications if it fails?
Doug Casey: The economy is on the ragged edge, and with the tariffs creating economic chaos the Democrats may be re-elected in 2028. In fact, they may even win the midterms, which would guarantee that all of Trump’s efforts fail.
If the Democrats regain control of the government, they’ll redouble spending to try to forestall the Greater Depression and kick the can down the road for a few more years. And they’ll be supported by the American people, who are going to miss all the freebies the government was bribing them with. The average American has become so corrupt that he doesn’t want to have his doggy dish taken away.
For a while, during the first month of Trump’s presidency, it looked like it was going to once again be morning in America. But we’re finding out that morning only lasts six hours—and we’re already past noon. Things look quite grim.
International Man: As the US debt crisis intensifies, what steps should individuals take to protect their wealth—and what speculative opportunities do you see emerging from this turmoil?
Doug Casey: Even if we avoid a major war, I’m afraid the trend that’s been in motion for many decades is going to stay in motion and continue accelerating until the whole mess collapses under its own weight.
The US has become a giant multicultural empire revolving around the Washington Beltway. It could go down catastrophically the way Rome did. Or it may just degrade slowly like Spain or England. They still exist, but they’re hollow shells of their previous selves.
The financial, economic, political, and social problems we're laboring under are leading to a breakup of the country. So, instead of the US getting bigger with the extremely expensive acquisitions of Greenland, the Panama Canal Zone, and—God forbid—Canada, the US is more likely to get smaller.
All you can do is try to insulate yourself. The way to do that is by diversifying your money safely out of the country and continuing to build significant positions in gold, silver, and Bitcoin. With hopefully some successful speculations along the way.
We know why.You should ask them why.
Remember, Casey is selling something. Is he still involved with his Galt's-Gulch planned colony in Uruguay, or wherever it is/was?
He's likely selling something.I don't think Casey was involved in Galt's Gulch but he did / does have a hand in La Estancia de Cafayate. I believe that this may have been the inspiration for Galt's Gulch.
Suspend Habeas corpusWe know why.
I applaud what Trump and DOGE are trying to do; but I don't think it will work. We need...how shall we say, extralegal efforts, campaigns, and leaders.
IMHO the system is so rotted through, it has to be wiped clean. The problem is not with the rules, but the institutionalized THWARTING of the rules by the Deep State.
The Deep State needs to be "terminated with extreme prejudice" (old KGB term) and started over.
I've always thought State Secession would be an integral part of that. But the Bidenistas successfully spread the rot via NGOs and OUR OWN airlines...dropping parasites into every community in the Untied Skates.
Now, I'm starting to think it's going to take someone who will use the Left's favorite tool, Identity Politics, against the Left. You can imagine what I'm thinking.
And the moar we're told to worship obese certain-ethnics; the more we see anon repulsive statutes being set up on the pedestals that once held memorials to our founders and our war and civic heroes...the quicker will emerge the leader who will take charge once Trump is checkmated.
Early on in this thread I believe I said something to the effect that politicians would never vote to cut the spending they all benefit from. And here we are. Politicians are untouchable and they know it. The grifting will continue as if it was never exposed and no one will do a thing about it. Bondi cant even release the names in the Epstein files and are we to believe there are tons of super secret indictments? Where have we heard that before. It's all eerily similar to the Q BS. Same playbook. Release just enough info to give you hope that at some point in the future something will happen but it never does.
We keep hearing about the 26 Republican senators who teamed up with Democrats to kill Senator Rand Paul’s amendment.
I just want to remind everyone what they voted against cutting:
1. Gutting USAID: The U.S. Agency for International Development, which burns through $72 billion a year, was set to lose 83% of its programs.
2. Slashing the Inter-American Foundation (IAF): DOGE cut this $60 million grant program to one employee, axing handouts like $903,811 for alpaca farms in Peru, $523,000 for avocado projects, and $364,500 for other fluffy grants.
3. Broad Foreign Aid Cuts: DOGE’s plan included $8.3 billion in total reductions.
Here’s the full list of the 26 Republican senators who betrayed the MAGA mission: John Barrasso, John Boozman, Shelley Moore Capito, Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, Kevin Cramer, Mike Crapo, Lindsey Graham, Chuck Grassley, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Ron Johnson, John Kennedy, James Lankford, Mike Lee, Cynthia Lummis, Roger Marshall, Mitch McConnell, Jerry Moran, Markwayne Mullin, Lisa Murkowski, James Risch, Mitt Romney, Mike Rounds, John Thune, Thom Tillis, and Todd Young.
You should ask them why.
Suspend Habeas corpus
GROK
Habeas corpus is a legal principle that protects against unlawful detention, requiring a person under arrest to be brought before a court or judge to determine if their imprisonment is lawful. It’s rooted in English common law, formalized by the Habeas Corpus Act of 1679, and is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution (Article I, Section 9), which allows its suspension only in cases of rebellion or invasion.
In practice, a habeas corpus petition challenges the legality of detention, often in criminal or immigration cases, focusing on issues like due process violations or lack of evidence. Federal courts can review state convictions under 28 U.S.C. § 2254, but the scope is narrow, typically limited to constitutional errors. The writ doesn’t judge guilt or innocence, only the detention’s legality.
Historically, it’s been a cornerstone of individual liberty, though its application has faced controversy, like during the U.S. Civil War (Lincoln’s suspension) or post-9/11 Guantanamo cases, where detainees challenged indefinite detention (e.g., Boumediene v. Bush, 2008, affirming habeas rights for non-citizens).
DOGE results in hunt for Social Security fraud leave little to consider a success
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), under the watchful eye of Elon Musk, has embarked on a mission to combat fraud within the Social Security Administration (SSA). However, the results have been far from promising. Instead of making headway in fraud detection, DOGE's initiatives have inadvertently exacerbated existing issues within the SSA, which was already grappling with office closures, staffing shortages, and service cuts.
A key component of DOGE's anti-fraud strategy involved a tool that was supposed to identify fraudulent phone calls to the SSA. Initially, it was claimed that a staggering 40% of these calls were fraudulent. However, this figure was grossly exaggerated. In reality, a report revealed that only 0.0018% of the calls were potentially fraudulent. Out of more than 110,000 claims analyzed, just two were deemed "probably fraudulent."
More:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/com...S&cvid=1058d535ca3e407f9884ab13b7627507&ei=15
If true... at least they LOOKED instead of trusting a system that we all know is faulty....DOGE went looking for phone fraud at SSA — and found almost none
Since SSA installed new anti-fraud checks on claims made over the phone, only two claims out of over 110,000 were found to likely be fraudulent, according to internal documents obtained by Nextgov/FCW.www.nextgov.com
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