Summary

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s new “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) began recruiting “high-IQ small-government revolutionaries” willing to work 80+ hours per week with no pay to help slash federal spending.

Appointed by President-elect Donald Trump, the panel is tasked with recommending spending cuts, regulatory rollbacks, and agency restructuring by July 4, 2026.

Musk and Ramaswamy advocate for drastic measures, including cutting grants to nonprofits and potential mass layoffs.

  • xmunk@sh.itjust.works
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    1 month ago

    No they won’t… but rich people who can afford to support themselves while indulging in their love of making poor people suffer will be lined up around the block.

    Making a position unpaid is a classic tactic to keep out the poors.

    • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      It’s disappointing so many aren’t getting this…

      It’s the same as “unpaid internships” being advantage to rich kids who can afford to work without pay.

      Like, there is an inordinate amount of rich assholes that would love to spend 80 hours a week finding way to cut taxes, regulations, and the social safety net.

      If you’re rich enough to begin with, this could pay a hell of a lot better than anything else you would spend your time on. Couple hundred million in the bank or stock market, and it would be more profitable than any actual job.

      And let’s be honest, Musk and Trump aren’t judging IQ by the freaking Wechsler exam, when rich idiots talk about IQ, they mean zeros in a bank account.

      • would_be_appreciated@lemmy.ml
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        1 month ago

        People with that kind of money don’t work, they own. They’ll hire somebody to do those 80 hours while they rape underage trafficked girls.

      • chaosCruiser@futurology.today
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        1 month ago

        So, if you own a coal plant and the government is spending time and money on regulating your livelihood, then that would be an obvious thing to cut from the budget.

        • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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          1 month ago

          As a hypothetical sure…

          But we broke fossil fuel production records under trump, we broke them under Biden, and there’s no reason to think trump won’t break them again.

          For fucks sake, they had both of the only two options be pro-fracking this time…

          Billion dollar fossil fuel corporations don’t have to worry, they already bought both parties. And have been lobbying trump to leave Biden’s “signature climate change legislation” intact, because it makes them a bunch of money and comes with zero negatives.

          So as a hypothetical you’re example would fit.

          Except no one is doing this but currently:

          the government is spending time and money on regulating (fossil fuels)

          • TehWorld@lemmy.world
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            1 month ago

            Right, but stick with me here… what if they could make MORE money? All they need to do is stop requiring them to clean out the lead in the toxic waste that they dump on their worker’s towns and the owners can put that money into another vacation house.

            • chaosCruiser@futurology.today
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              1 month ago

              And why does the government need to have so many people inspecting industrial facilities? Can’t a single person handle the entire country? On second thought, that takes money, and the goal was to cut spending. Just have the companies send reports every 20 years and we’re all good. I’m sure they’ll do a great job with notifying the government if something violates regulations.