The Morning Rant: Minimalist Edition

I trust Elon Musk and his merry band of savants far more than I trust the rank-and-file government employees who have been wasting and stealing and misappropriating our money for generations.

The preposterous idea that Elon Musk has some grand and nefarious plan to fleece the American taxpayers by using the data that he gathers from his and his teams' examination of the books of the various agencies is risable. Much of our private data have been hacked from our own government already, or in the case of Donald Trump, leaked by a malevolent IRS.

And those government functionaries who are crying to the heavens that they and only they are the appropriate custodians of the people's information are the very same hacks who act contrary to both the spirit and the letter of the law with respect to spending our money.

Each government department has vast herds of auditors and compliance "experts" and supposedly ironclad systems to prevent fraud, misuse, and abuse, Yet even the most rabidly pro-government politician would admit to significant issues with government overspending. So what are these people doing? Why have they not uncovered over the many years they have been in existence the waste that Elon Musk's teams have found in only three weeks?

The answers are damning. Either they are pathetically, hilariously bad at what they are paid to do, or they are complicit in the waste and are criminals.

Either one is an acceptable answer, but there is only one result that is appropriate: termination of employment.

I'll take a pimply-faced, big-balled 20-something with a work ethic and superb skills any day over a fat, useless government employee counting the days until his pension kicks in!

[Crossposted at CutJibNewsletter]

Posted by: CBD at 11:00 AM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Pierced minkey.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at February 13, 2025 11:09 AM (bss/y)

2 1

Posted by: Can Pick'em! at February 13, 2025 11:09 AM (G5+As)

3 Oof

Posted by: Lizzy at February 13, 2025 11:09 AM (Cki93)

4 Well

Posted by: Commissar of Plenty and Lysenkoism in Solidarity with the Struggle for festive little hats at February 13, 2025 11:09 AM (Lk3z9)

5 The preposterous idea that Elon Musk has some grand and nefarious plan to fleece the American taxpayers by using the data that he gathers from his and his teams' examination of the books of the various agencies is risable. Much of our private data have been hacked from our own government already, or in the case of Donald Trump, leaked by a malevolent IRS.

=======

All he needed to do was create an NGO, call it "Make America suffer because I hate it," and rake in billions of dollars.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, watching B-movies with Roger Corman at February 13, 2025 11:09 AM (GBKbO)

6 "I trust Elon Musk and his merry band of savants far more than I trust the rank-and-file government employees who have been wasting and stealing and misappropriating our money for generations."

That is not saying much, CBD. I'd trust a syphilitic carnie with three girlfriends and a wife more than them.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at February 13, 2025 11:10 AM (bss/y)

7 There. Was that so hard?
Monkey time is 11:00.

Posted by: Dr. Claw at February 13, 2025 11:10 AM (jbnUc)

8 FoxNews

Patel out of Committee...

Posted by: Stateless...39% - mental state clawing up from 10% at February 13, 2025 11:11 AM (jvJvP)

9 Minkey!

Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea, Radioactive Knight, Concertina Czar at February 13, 2025 11:11 AM (6K6Eu)

10 I've with Space Daddy.

>>@elonmusk

>>But leading Democrats said there was no fraud in government payments 🧐

>>Maybe because they’re getting their cut.

>>That’s what they’re afraid
@DOGE
will discover.

Posted by: JackStraw at February 13, 2025 11:11 AM (LkLld)

11 The answers are damning. Either they are pathetically, hilariously bad at what they are paid to do, or they are complicit in the waste and are criminals.

This neatly summarizes the Dem's dilemma. I see no way out.

Posted by: Archimedes at February 13, 2025 11:11 AM (xCA6C)

12 75k workers took the buyout before the window closed.

Posted by: steevy at February 13, 2025 11:11 AM (KQk9m)

13 FIRST!!!!!

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at February 13, 2025 11:11 AM (+sD5M)

14 10 I've with Space Daddy.

>>@elonmusk

>>But leading Democrats said there was no fraud in government payments 🧐

>>Maybe because they’re getting their cut.

>>That’s what they’re afraid
@DOGE
will discover.
Posted by: JackStraw at February 13, 2025 11:11 AM (LkLld)

Up with People?

Posted by: Aetius451AD at February 13, 2025 11:12 AM (bss/y)

15 Each government department has vast herds of auditors and compliance "experts"

Note to self: go long on salt licks.

Posted by: Commissar of Plenty and Lysenkoism in Solidarity with the Struggle for festive little hats at February 13, 2025 11:12 AM (Lk3z9)

16 The answers are damning. Either they are pathetically, hilariously bad at what they are paid to do, or they are complicit in the waste and are criminals.

Need I say it.

Posted by: The power of "and" at February 13, 2025 11:12 AM (xCA6C)

17 SPONGE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea, Radioactive Knight, Concertina Czar at February 13, 2025 11:12 AM (6K6Eu)

18 I'm waiting for a poop-flinging monkey when the rant is about the libs losing their sh*t for the millionth time.

Posted by: Grapefruit LaCroix at February 13, 2025 11:12 AM (kuTyJ)

19 >>The preposterous idea that Elon Musk has some grand and nefarious plan to fleece the American taxpayers by using the data that he gathers from his and his teams' examination of the books of the various agencies is risable. Much of our private data have been hacked from our own government already, or in the case of Donald Trump, leaked by a malevolent IRS.

Yeah, it's blatantly obvious that the squeals are about protecting THEIR privacy -- the details of their grift.

They think we're dumb enough to believe them.

Posted by: Lizzy at February 13, 2025 11:12 AM (Cki93)

20 11 The answers are damning. Either they are pathetically, hilariously bad at what they are paid to do, or they are complicit in the waste and are criminals.

This neatly summarizes the Dem's dilemma. I see no way out.
Posted by: Archimedes at February 13, 2025 11:11 AM (xCA6C)

It can always be both.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at February 13, 2025 11:12 AM (bss/y)

21 Firsticles!

Posted by: Pudinhead at February 13, 2025 11:12 AM (Wg6v7)

22 11 The answers are damning. Either they are pathetically, hilariously bad at what they are paid to do, or they are complicit in the waste and are criminals.

This neatly summarizes the Dem's dilemma. I see no way out.
Posted by: Archimedes at February 13, 2025 11:11 AM (xCA6C)

======

They could accept that the grift is over, back the audit and cut in spending, and hope that their support grants them reprieve from any kind of legal reprisals coming their way.

That's always a choice.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, watching B-movies with Roger Corman at February 13, 2025 11:12 AM (GBKbO)

23 75k workers took the buyout before the window closed.
Posted by: steevy at February 13, 2025 11:11 AM (KQk9m)

Probably the top tier employees.
They are smart enough to read the writing on the wall.

Posted by: Diogenes at February 13, 2025 11:12 AM (W/lyH)

24 The preposterous idea that Elon Musk has some grand and nefarious plan to fleece the American taxpayers by using the data that he gathers from his and his teams' examination of the books of the various agencies is risable. Much of our private data have been hacked from our own government already, or in the case of Donald Trump, leaked by a malevolent IRS.

EVERYTHING they accuse the right of doing, they're doing tenfold.

They think Musk and Trump are fleecing the American taxpayer, all while they've been doing THAT EXACT THING for decades.

I applaud DOGE and Trump for what they've shown the left to be. And some of the right.......It's about f*cking time.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at February 13, 2025 11:13 AM (+sD5M)

25 This neatly summarizes the Dem's dilemma. I see no way out.
Posted by: Archimedes at February 13, 2025 11:11 AM (xCA6C)

We got 'em covered.

Posted by: The Media at February 13, 2025 11:13 AM (W/lyH)

26 This neatly summarizes the Dem's dilemma. I see no way out.
Posted by: Archimedes at February 13, 2025 11:11 AM (xCA6C)

It can always be both.

See my #16.

Posted by: Archimedes at February 13, 2025 11:13 AM (xCA6C)

27 I was hoping for a J6 Truth Commission and put it on my Christmas list. Then came the USAID revelations and more.

It was like asking for a toy Ferrari and then getting the real thing.

Posted by: Ignoramus at February 13, 2025 11:13 AM (Amz76)

28 McConnell votes no on Kennedy, Murkowski and Collins vote yes, so it sounds like 52-48 for Kennedy.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at February 13, 2025 11:14 AM (lTGtQ)

29 >>That is not saying much, CBD. I'd trust a syphilitic carnie with three girlfriends and a wife more than them.

Hiya, big boy!
Wanna party with us. . . ?

Posted by: syphilitic carnie at February 13, 2025 11:14 AM (Cki93)

30 They could accept that the grift is over, back the audit and cut in spending, and hope that their support grants them reprieve from any kind of legal reprisals coming their way.

That's always a choice.

You serious?

Posted by: Jonah Jameson at February 13, 2025 11:14 AM (xCA6C)

31 SPONGE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea, Radioactive Knight, Concertina Czar at February 13, 2025 11:12 AM (6K6Eu)

Word......

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at February 13, 2025 11:14 AM (+sD5M)

32 For aviation fans who have about six minutes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaZEwDC-SUY

The Martin Mars "Philippine Mars" finally arrived in Arizona. This is the last time a Mars flying boat will ever fly and land on water. Amazing how it makes a Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer look tiny.

Posted by: Anna Puma at February 13, 2025 11:14 AM (TpJej)

33 a syphilitic carnie with three girlfriends

That's what the cannibal ate, carnie asada.

Posted by: Commissar of Plenty and Lysenkoism in Solidarity with the Struggle for festive little hats at February 13, 2025 11:14 AM (Lk3z9)

34 30 They could accept that the grift is over, back the audit and cut in spending, and hope that their support grants them reprieve from any kind of legal reprisals coming their way.

That's always a choice.

You serious?
Posted by: Jonah Jameson at February 13, 2025 11:14 AM (xCA6C)

=======

Would have been better if we could actually post gifs...because it would have been perfect.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, watching B-movies with Roger Corman at February 13, 2025 11:15 AM (GBKbO)

35 Trump really angered the turtle. Well his impotent rage won't be around much longer.

Posted by: steevy at February 13, 2025 11:15 AM (KQk9m)

36 McConnell votes no on Kennedy, Murkowski and Collins vote yes, so it sounds like 52-48 for Kennedy.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at February 13, 2025 11:14 AM (lTGtQ)

Where's a set of capitol stairs when you need them......

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at February 13, 2025 11:15 AM (+sD5M)

37 That is not saying much, CBD. I'd trust a syphilitic carnie with three girlfriends and a wife more than them.

Posted by: Aetius451AD

Hey, Rube! Would you get on a Ferris Wheel assembled by said carny?

Posted by: County Fair Tweaker at February 13, 2025 11:15 AM (G5+As)

38
OUT: Ludacris
IN: Risable.

Posted by: ShainS -- It's A Sorry State of Affairs When It's The Judges Who Need Hanging at February 13, 2025 11:15 AM (vAHT7)

39 The left is looking for rage sound bites for what is left of their gullible base. I believe it's a mistake to take these "concerns" and "accusations" seriously and treat them like real, credible issues. Nothing is going to fix the so stupid it burns. Some resistant residual will remain. Not even real town destroying wild fire and fix it. Mocking the stupid is about as effective as wild fire.

Posted by: Smellslikevictory at February 13, 2025 11:15 AM (jPdyB)

40 Lord please keep the democrat party on their righteous path to ruin. Let everyday show them to be the corrupt criminals they truly are and open the eyes of those Americans that refuse to see the truth.

Posted by: Jukin the Deplorable at February 13, 2025 11:15 AM (17s+e)

41 75k workers took the buyout before the window closed.
Posted by: steevy at February 13, 2025

***
Average salary, what, 100K? After they're finally paid off in September, that'll save, what, 7.5 mil next year? A good start.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 13, 2025 11:15 AM (J2vNu)

42 Art Carney > syphilitic carnie

Posted by: Diogenes at February 13, 2025 11:15 AM (W/lyH)

43 Someone on Facebook was saying "Well, I don't like the corruption but this is the wrong way to go about it."

My response: "The office was created by Obama for this purpose. Do you honestly think that the better approach is for auditors to ask nicely for the books and walk away after being told there was nothing bad going on?"

Posted by: NR Pax at February 13, 2025 11:16 AM (BpO1e)

44 The most surprising thing about "Big Balls" isn't that a 19-year-old kid would chose that as his online avatar. The most surprising thing is that "Big Balls" wasn't already chosen.

Posted by: Definitely Not Elric The Blade at February 13, 2025 11:16 AM (iFTx/)

45 >>> Either they are pathetically, hilariously bad at what they are paid to do, or they are complicit in the waste and are criminals.

Or they don't see this spending as wasteful and fraudulent.

There is a subset of our population, concentrated around DC, who believe that the people are stupid and that they need to be ruled over by the "elite".

The "elite" make all the major decisions and more or less run the world. They also need to make money. They're elite. In no universe should their plumber make more money than they do. So they all do a little skimming here or there, but that's understandable. They're choosing to use their noblesse oblige to "help" the commoners instead of getting rich, so of course they deserve a little something for their troubles.

...And that is how DC operates and how the world works. Nothing has made that clearer than the last 10 or so years.

Posted by: Harry Paratestes at February 13, 2025 11:16 AM (uCjyK)

46 26 This neatly summarizes the Dem's dilemma. I see no way out.
Posted by: Archimedes at February 13, 2025 11:11 AM (xCA6C)

It can always be both.

See my #16.
Posted by: Archimedes at February 13, 2025 11:13 AM (xCA6C)

That was "Posted by: The power of "and" at February 13, 2025 11:12 AM". I think this is a clear case of Stolen Valor.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at February 13, 2025 11:16 AM (bss/y)

47 Musk's net worth is a cool 380B dollars and the richest man in the world.

Yeah, he's gonna steal grannies social security check that would pad his net worth by a rounding error.

I can't even with these people.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at February 13, 2025 11:16 AM (XV/Pl)

48 Democrats have been gaming the system for so long they became greedy and complacent.

Dean Wormer would have something to say about that.

Posted by: Anna Puma at February 13, 2025 11:16 AM (TpJej)

49 I found it hilarious the federal retirement system would grind to a halt because a mine shaft elevator broke.

Posted by: sniffybigtoe at February 13, 2025 11:16 AM (REy3e)

50 39 The left is looking for rage sound bites for what is left of their gullible base. I believe it's a mistake to take these "concerns" and "accusations" seriously and treat them like real, credible issues. Nothing is going to fix the so stupid it burns. Some resistant residual will remain. Not even real town destroying wild fire and fix it. Mocking the stupid is about as effective as wild fire.
Posted by: Smellslikevictory at February 13, 2025 11:15 AM (jPdyB)

=======

This has nothing to do with their base.

This has everything to do with their donors...who are funded by the US government.

They must be performative to retain the donors' trust. That donors will care about rhetoric does not speak well to their intelligence, though.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, watching B-movies with Roger Corman at February 13, 2025 11:16 AM (GBKbO)

51 > Probably the top tier employees.
They are smart enough to read the writing on the wall.
---------
More likely employees close to retirement. It's a sweet deal if you're a Fed, close to retirement and have plenty of leave in the bank.

Plus, you're on a paid vacation until 1 October.

A really, really sweet deal TBH.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at February 13, 2025 11:16 AM (Q4IgG)

52 OUT: Ludacris
IN: Risable.

*cough*risible*cough*

Posted by: Spelling nazi at February 13, 2025 11:16 AM (xCA6C)

53 Amazing how it makes a Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer look tiny.
-----------
Not a plane I'd care to fly over water in.

Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea, Radioactive Knight, Concertina Czar at February 13, 2025 11:17 AM (6K6Eu)

54 The jackleg who stole the senate seat in GA voted no on Kennedy, so it looks like a billionairess will be funding a challenger.

Fetterman voted no, so he maintains his streak of talking one way, and voting straight party line.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at February 13, 2025 11:17 AM (lTGtQ)

55 McConnell votes no on RFK Jr. Big pharma and the Chinese own the Turtle

Posted by: Smell the Glove at February 13, 2025 11:17 AM (KXtU1)

56 or they are complicit in the waste

Some of it has to be black-ops. And some of that has to be legitimate and in the National interest. Why bother with Gay Cowboy poetry maskirovka? Just umpteen million in the trust us bucket and the Gang of 8 instead of billions in graft and stupidity. !@#$%^ answeredmy own question again.

Posted by: DaveA at February 13, 2025 11:17 AM (FhXTo)

57 I'll take a pimply-faced, big-balled 20-something with a work ethic and superb skills any day over a fat, useless government employee counting the days until his pension kicks in!

--------------

And I'll take that dude Harry Bōlz over that same fat, useless feral employee any day of the week, and six ways on Sunday!

Posted by: ShainS -- It's A Sorry State of Affairs When It's The Judges Who Need Hanging at February 13, 2025 11:17 AM (vAHT7)

58 If the idea is to reduce the size of the fed roster, why not keep the offer open? Is it to impress upon folks "when I say X, I don't mean X + even a tiny, little bit extra"?

Posted by: SFGoth at February 13, 2025 11:17 AM (KAi1n)

59 Either one is an acceptable answer, but there is only one result that is appropriate: termination of employment.

Oops. I stopped reading at "termination." errr....I think I need a lawyer at this point.

Posted by: NR Pax at February 13, 2025 11:17 AM (BpO1e)

60 >>I was hoping for a J6 Truth Commission and put it on my Christmas list. Then came the USAID revelations and more.

The only problem is it's all coming out so fast major bombshells are getting sort of overlooked.

In normal times the government filtering millions of dollars to media organizations to push the establishment narratives would be the story of the year. Now it's just another day.

Posted by: JackStraw at February 13, 2025 11:17 AM (LkLld)

61 >>McConnell votes no on Kennedy, Murkowski and Collins vote yes, so it sounds like 52-48 for Kennedy.

He's gonna be a dick to the end, isn't he?

On a related note: As all of these NGOs squeal, keep in mind how the Obama administration and Congress (especially Elijah Cummings and McCain) set out to bankrupt and destroy every Tea Party organization and their members via the IRS.

Alinsky #4

Posted by: Lizzy at February 13, 2025 11:18 AM (Cki93)

62 Art Carney > syphilitic carnie > Jay Carney

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at February 13, 2025 11:18 AM (+sD5M)

63 Syphilitic and cannibals?

Joey's uncle again?

Posted by: Anna Puma at February 13, 2025 11:18 AM (TpJej)

64 McConnell votes no on Kennedy, Murkowski and Collins vote yes, so it sounds like 52-48 for Kennedy.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at February 13, 2025 11:14 AM (lTGtQ)

Kennedy and Collins seem like they could be bffs.

Posted by: LASue at February 13, 2025 11:18 AM (lCppi)

65 If you can give an 18 yr old a rigle and send him off yo fight in your wars, you can give an 18 yr old a pencil and let him audit your books.

Posted by: rickb223 at February 13, 2025 11:18 AM (ASVsW)

66 60 The only problem is it's all coming out so fast major bombshells are getting sort of overlooked.

In normal times the government filtering millions of dollars to media organizations to push the establishment narratives would be the story of the year. Now it's just another day.
Posted by: JackStraw at February 13, 2025 11:17 AM (LkLld)

======

Now all we get is the general impression that the federal government is wasteful and profligate with our money.

You know...confirmation of what the American people have largely believed for decades.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, watching B-movies with Roger Corman at February 13, 2025 11:18 AM (GBKbO)

67 42 Art Carney > syphilitic carnie
Posted by: Diogenes at February 13, 2025 11:15 AM (W/lyH)

I dunno. Did you ever hear his Christmas album?

https://tinyurl.com/4w74m89c

I feel like I need to be wearing full hazmat and radiological gear when copying and pasting that link.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at February 13, 2025 11:19 AM (bss/y)

68 The preposterous idea that Elon Musk has some grand and nefarious plan to fleece the American taxpayers by using the data that he gathers from his and his teams' examination of the books of the various agencies is risable.

----

Not being a spelling Nazi, it's just that this one bugs me because I used to get it wrong, too. It's "risible."

Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at February 13, 2025 11:19 AM (0l8OY)

69 >>The answers are damning. Either they are pathetically, hilariously bad at what they are paid to do, or they are complicit in the waste and are criminals.

They are not bad at what they do, they are simply utilizing the system as designed and there has never been any real pressure to change how things are done.

I will bet anyone a hundred dollars that the coming GOP CR will contain an increase in funding for USAID and not cut a dime from any spending programs or authorizations.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at February 13, 2025 11:19 AM (XV/Pl)

70 The Press was always going to find (or create) dirt and smear Musk and DOGE.

I'm just ignoring them and hating the Press more and more.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, buy ammo at February 13, 2025 11:19 AM (xcxpd)

71 >>The only problem is it's all coming out so fast major bombshells are getting sort of overlooked.

I am counting on there being books written about this.
Peter Shweizer needs some competition/company is documenting DC graft.

Posted by: Lizzy at February 13, 2025 11:19 AM (Cki93)

72 47 Musk's net worth is a cool 380B dollars and the richest man in the world.

Yeah, he's gonna steal grannies social security check that would pad his net worth by a rounding error.

I can't even with these people.
Posted by: Thomas Bender
========
FUD-fear, uncertainty, and doubt is what makes our bureaucracy run. It is basically the same when a lawyer has a hopeless set of facts and a hopeless set of laws, the only thing left to do for their client is pound the table and make emotional pleas.

Posted by: whig at February 13, 2025 11:19 AM (ctrM5)

73 Average salary, what, 100K? After they're finally paid off in September, that'll save, what, 7.5 mil next year? A good start.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 13, 2025 11:15 AM (J2vNu)

I get $7.5 Billion.
But then again...maths!!!!

Posted by: Diogenes at February 13, 2025 11:19 AM (W/lyH)

74 I don't think Thune would have brought RFK Jr vote to the floor without the votes because Vance is in Europe so a tie would fail

Posted by: Smell the Glove at February 13, 2025 11:19 AM (KXtU1)

75 Mr Senegal parrot is built along the lines of a PBY.

Posted by: Commissar of Plenty and Lysenkoism in Solidarity with the Struggle for festive little hats at February 13, 2025 11:19 AM (Lk3z9)

76 They could accept that the grift is over, back the audit and cut in spending, and hope that their support grants them reprieve from any kind of legal reprisals coming their way.

That's always a choice.
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, watching B-movies with Roger Corman at February 13, 2025 11:12 AM (GBKbO)

Lol.

I think they're a little too committed to this path at this point.

I imagine their plan is delay, delay, delay, and move money around. They know the CIA and media will run cover for them. They just need to run out the clock.

But in the meantime, I imagine there are thousands of nepo babies who are very nervous that their checks from their no-show jobs at NGO's might not show up next pay period.

Posted by: Harry Paratestes at February 13, 2025 11:19 AM (uCjyK)

77 DOGE claims to have found $2.7 TRILLION (with a "t") in improper Medicare and Medicaid payments to overseas entities.

Posted by: Archie and Edith at February 13, 2025 11:19 AM (W5ArC)

78 65 If you can give an 18 yr old a rigle and send him off yo fight in your wars, you can give an 18 yr old a pencil and let him audit your books.
Posted by: rickb223 at February 13, 2025 11:18 AM (ASVsW)

======

The 18 year olds aren't doing any auditing.

They're writing code to organize the data so it can be audited.

That distinction I find amusing.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, watching B-movies with Roger Corman at February 13, 2025 11:19 AM (GBKbO)

79 They could accept that the grift is over, back the audit and cut in spending, and hope that their support grants them reprieve from any kind of legal reprisals coming their way.

That's always a choice.

+++
I believe some have. How else to explain Google calendar, Meta, Rubio, Tulsi getting confirmed...

Posted by: Smellslikevictory at February 13, 2025 11:19 AM (jPdyB)

80 Judy Carne > Art Carney > syphilitic carnie > Jay Carney

Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea, Radioactive Knight, Concertina Czar at February 13, 2025 11:20 AM (6K6Eu)

81 When Disneyland opened in 1955, a lot of the workers at the rides were carnies. Walt walked around and saw how they treated the guests. He called in his management team and told them "Fire all the carnies."

Posted by: no one of any consequence at February 13, 2025 11:20 AM (ZmEVT)

82 What happened to FERS?

Timmy fell down a mine shaft?

Posted by: Anna Puma at February 13, 2025 11:20 AM (TpJej)

83 Next time someone says Musk isn't qualified, tell them, "he doesn't have to be a CPA to identify anomalies. Hell, I'm not a gynecologist but I know a cvnt when I see one".

Posted by: rickb223 at February 13, 2025 11:20 AM (ASVsW)

84 > If the idea is to reduce the size of the fed roster, why not keep the offer open?
---------
Monies to pay Fed workers is appropriated by fiscal year. That's why the offer currently is only valid until the end of September.

Fiscal Year 2026 starts on 1 October for the government.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at February 13, 2025 11:20 AM (Q4IgG)

85 Rfk Jr confirmed. No idea what McConnell's up to.

Posted by: Alteria Pilgram - My President has convictions. at February 13, 2025 11:20 AM (Q8Bj8)

86 76 Lol.

I think they're a little too committed to this path at this point.

I imagine their plan is delay, delay, delay, and move money around. They know the CIA and media will run cover for them. They just need to run out the clock.

But in the meantime, I imagine there are thousands of nepo babies who are very nervous that their checks from their no-show jobs at NGO's might not show up next pay period.
Posted by: Harry Paratestes at February 13, 2025 11:19 AM (uCjyK)

======

I just keeping thinking of Japan "needing" to attack Pearl Harbor because they "needed" more energy resources because they "needed" to keep expanding their empire.

None of these needs were actual needs. And it led to the destruction of the empire.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, watching B-movies with Roger Corman at February 13, 2025 11:21 AM (GBKbO)

87 DOGE Comics might be an idea. Big Balls, Crusher, Sliderule, and Pocketprotector set out from the Halls of Cheetos, directed by Master Elon, to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse faster than a speeding Tesla.

Posted by: bill in arkansas, not gonna comply with nuttin, waiting for the 0300 knock on the door at February 13, 2025 11:21 AM (gm9Sb)

88 I will bet anyone a hundred dollars that the coming GOP CR will contain an increase in funding for USAID and not cut a dime from any spending programs or authorizations.
Posted by: Thomas Bender
==========
Problem there is a presidential veto and Trump is likely to quite happily enjoy a government shutdown where essential employees are kept on and non essential ones are furloughed.

I am not so sure we are in Kansas anymore, Toto.

Posted by: whig at February 13, 2025 11:21 AM (ctrM5)

89 I like Big Balls and I can not lie
You other brothers can't deny

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Covfefe Today, Covfefe Tomorrow, Covfefe Forever! at February 13, 2025 11:21 AM (L/fGl)

90 60 The only problem is it's all coming out so fast major bombshells are getting sort of overlooked.

In normal times the government filtering millions of dollars to media organizations to push the establishment narratives would be the story of the year. Now it's just another day.
Posted by: JackStraw at February 13, 2025 11:17 AM (LkLld)

Yeah, but I think the speed at which they are moving is the way to go. 9 out of 10 great generals cannot be wrong.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at February 13, 2025 11:21 AM (bss/y)

91 Chili con carnie > Judy Carne > Art Carney > syphilitic carnie > Jay Carney

Posted by: Diogenes at February 13, 2025 11:21 AM (W/lyH)

92
OW!

Posted by: Nancy Pelosi at February 13, 2025 11:21 AM (EFZgU)

93 The only problem is it's all coming out so fast major bombshells are getting sort of overlooked.

This longish article has an extremely good summary of all that happened yesterday, and why some of it has been a bit overlooked, despite its importance. Summary: this is an ELE for the left.

Yesterday, instead of retreating into lawfare defense mode as everyone expected, the Trump Team unleashed the most devastating assault yet, the Deep State’s D-Day. Nobody’s covering it, but it is inescapable. You may have heard about some of the parts, but just wait till you see the big picture.

https://is.gd/QUis5x

There was also this, which on any other day, would have been huge.

Lee Zeldin Just Discovered $20 Billion Laundered by the Biden Admin

https://is.gd/ajLz8K

Posted by: Archimedes at February 13, 2025 11:21 AM (xCA6C)

94 Wth is wrong with McConnell?

Posted by: Halfhand at February 13, 2025 11:21 AM (xx8CH)

95 I found it hilarious the federal retirement system would grind to a halt because a mine shaft elevator broke.

Posted by: sniffybigtoe at February 13, 2025 11:16 AM (REy3e)

---------------

* In best Maxwell Smart voice: *

"Would you believe ... because of a burst pipe in Atlanta?"

Posted by: ShainS -- It's A Sorry State of Affairs When It's The Judges Who Need Hanging at February 13, 2025 11:21 AM (vAHT7)

96 >>If you can give an 18 yr old a rigle and send him off yo fight in your wars, you can give an 18 yr old a pencil and let him audit your books.

Heck, the Left wanted an autistic 16 year old who had decided "climate change" was responsible for her health issues to dictate global energy policy.

Posted by: Lizzy at February 13, 2025 11:21 AM (Cki93)

97 84 > If the idea is to reduce the size of the fed roster, why not keep the offer open?
---------
Monies to pay Fed workers is appropriated by fiscal year. That's why the offer currently is only valid until the end of September.

Fiscal Year 2026 starts on 1 October for the government.
Posted by: Martini Farmer at February 13, 2025 11:20 AM (Q4IgG)

=======

I also saw that Reduction in Force orders are being finalized for right after the offer is done.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, watching B-movies with Roger Corman at February 13, 2025 11:21 AM (GBKbO)

98 I'll take a pimply-faced, big-balled 20-something with a work ethic and superb skills any day over a fat, useless government employee counting the days until his pension kicks in!

I’m so proud of Gen Alpha and happy for the future of America’s youth!

This generation now has a cohort of brainy heroes to emulate. Millenial heroes were the ones who could pull the perfect demitasse of espresso. Boomer heroes were…I dunno, who were our heroes? Jackson Browne? Weed? Stoli?
Bimmers?

Posted by: kallisto at February 13, 2025 11:22 AM (zX78/)

99 When Disneyland opened in 1955, a lot of the workers at the rides were carnies. Walt walked around and saw how they treated the guests. He called in his management team and told them "Fire all the carnies."
Posted by: no one of any consequence

They all look Irish and smell like boiled cabbage.

Posted by: rickb223 at February 13, 2025 11:22 AM (ASVsW)

100 The 'files in a mine shaft' story is so bizarre it's hard to believe. If it was in a movie I'd guffaw.

Posted by: LASue at February 13, 2025 11:22 AM (lCppi)

101 The left is trotting out some State Dept plan that is available on their website that says they will spend $400 million on armored Teslas as evidence that money is being funneled to Elon.

The plan is dated 12/23/24.

Posted by: sniffybigtoe at February 13, 2025 11:22 AM (REy3e)

102 94 Wth is wrong with McConnell?
Posted by: Halfhand at February 13, 2025 11:21 AM (xx8CH)

=======

He hates Trump. He hates Republicans. He hates you.

That's what's wrong with him.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, watching B-movies with Roger Corman at February 13, 2025 11:22 AM (GBKbO)

103 Elon's warriors are doing a great job if it what is finding out the looting

Posted by: Skip at February 13, 2025 11:22 AM (fwDg9)

104 Why have they not uncovered over the many years they have been in existence the waste that Elon Musk's teams have found in only three weeks?

That wasn't what they looked for. Treasury inspectors, for example, would say "oh, here's a dispersion order for TotallyNotHamas for $25B. Was exactly that amount of money paid and in a timely fashion? Yes? Time for a latte and some kiddie porn".

They were incurious. They were hired with that attribute in mind. What DOGE has shown is that every single line item of federal spending* should be made public so that the public can ask questions about it.

* specifically secret stuff would need to be exempt but that should have detailed write-ups for both houses of Congress AND a citizen review every ten years.

Posted by: I used to have a different nic at February 13, 2025 11:22 AM (ExV1e)

105 > 44 The most surprising thing about "Big Balls" isn't that a 19-year-old kid would chose that as his online avatar. The most surprising thing is that "Big Balls" wasn't already chosen.
Posted by: Definitely Not Elric The Blade at February 13, 2025 11:16 AM (iFTx/)

I still think that any time he appears on video, his entry should be accompanied by the AC/DC tune of that name.

Posted by: Archie and Edith at February 13, 2025 11:22 AM (W5ArC)

106 89 I like Big Balls and I can not lie
You other brothers can't deny
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Covfefe Today, Covfefe Tomorrow, Covfefe Forever! at February 13, 2025 11:21 AM (L/fGl)

Booty Juice. Lance.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at February 13, 2025 11:22 AM (bss/y)

107 NOTE TO DOGE:

Please please please do Olympia next!
Make those assholes squeal!

Posted by: Diogenes at February 13, 2025 11:22 AM (W/lyH)

108 The only problem is it's all coming out so fast major bombshells are getting sort of overlooked.

feature not bug

Posted by: DaveA at February 13, 2025 11:22 AM (FhXTo)

109 McTurtle has always been a closet leftist democrat. Now as he creeps off this mortal plane he is unashamedly proving it.

AND HE WAS THE REPUBLICAN SENATE LEADER FOR DECADES!!

Posted by: Jukin the Deplorable at February 13, 2025 11:23 AM (17s+e)

110 Was Gordon Gecko a Boomer hero or Gen X?

Posted by: kallisto at February 13, 2025 11:23 AM (zX78/)

111 Back to work, but on a 'lighter' note:

First Lady got a reprieve from the oncologist and does NOT need to get the last round of chemo, especially since her final treatment would've been a month later. She will start the process of radiation prep next week, and may start the 19 rounds next week as well. We'll see.

She was disappointed she didn't get to ring the bell, but since she had to get her port flushed, she went to infusion and after she was done, they gave her the bell to ring, so she was satisfied with that.

Only negative is they HIGHLY recommend, due to her triple negative cancer type, that she keep the port in for 2 years, just in case.

We went to her favorite Mexican food place where she actually had her first swirl margarita in 7 months.

Slept like a baby last night and I'm told, feels well rested this morning.

Praise God.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at February 13, 2025 11:23 AM (+sD5M)

112 Wth is wrong with McConnell?

Posted by: Halfhand at February 13, 2025 11:21 AM (xx8CH)

------------------

Might I refer you to the comments section here yesterday for Ace's post on Tulsi's confirmation?

Posted by: ShainS -- It's A Sorry State of Affairs When It's The Judges Who Need Hanging at February 13, 2025 11:23 AM (vAHT7)

113 75k workers took the buyout before the window closed.

Out of 2.4 million Federal (and non-USPS) workers, 75,000 feel they have what it takes to survive in the real world.

Hire those people back and fire those parasites who cannot unlatch from their host (which is us) for fear of dying.

Posted by: t-bird at February 13, 2025 11:23 AM (eST6G)

114 No idea what McConnell's up to.
Posted by: Alteria Pilgram

Rage against change and rage against the man who forced him into political retirement as leader.

McConnell is mainly the GOP flip side of Joe Biden--vicious, lying, nasty, and a total DC insider. McConnell even has foreign money coming in just like Joe did.

Posted by: whig at February 13, 2025 11:23 AM (ctrM5)

115 I found it hilarious the federal retirement system would grind to a halt because a mine shaft elevator broke.

-

Hold my beer.
- 2020 election toilet

Posted by: Boron Cobbie - Nacho taco chimichanga at February 13, 2025 11:23 AM (sG4Li)

116 94 Wth is wrong with McConnell?
Posted by: Halfhand at February 13, 2025 11:21 AM (xx8CH)

Like I said last thread: He probably figures the votes are safe so he can be a whiny bitch.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at February 13, 2025 11:23 AM (bss/y)

117 The only problem is it's all coming out so fast major bombshells are getting sort of overlooked.

In normal times the government filtering millions of dollars to media organizations to push the establishment narratives would be the story of the year. Now it's just another day.
Posted by: JackStraw at February 13, 2025 11:17 AM (LkLld)

I'm sure you've seen that Lee Zeldin just found $20 BILLION that was hidden in an NGO by the Biden admin in it's last few days. Looks like he can claw it back.

Posted by: Tom Servo at February 13, 2025 11:23 AM (wyMQY)

118 Heck, the Left wanted an autistic 16 year old who had decided "climate change" was responsible for her health issues to dictate global energy policy.
Posted by: Lizzy

Minor nit pick. She was 13 when they started.

Posted by: rickb223 at February 13, 2025 11:23 AM (ASVsW)

119 9 Minkey!

Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea, Radioactive Knight, Concertina Czar at February 13, 2025 11:11 AM (6K6Eu)
----
Wait, do you have a leesance for that minkey, eh?

Posted by: Ciampino - Oui Ispetteur at February 13, 2025 11:24 AM (KjLnc)

120 44 The most surprising thing about "Big Balls" isn't that a 19-year-old kid would chose that as his online avatar. The most surprising thing is that "Big Balls" wasn't already chosen.

even more surprising is that you think there could be one and only one person going by "big balls" online.

(some joker at github stole "anachronda" before i could get there)

Posted by: anachronda at February 13, 2025 11:24 AM (oY6Yp)

121 RFK jr confirmed

Posted by: sharon(willow's apprentice) at February 13, 2025 11:24 AM (t/2Uw)

122 Rfk Jr confirmed. No idea what McConnell's up to.
Posted by: Alteria Pilgram - My President has convictions. at February 13, 2025 11:20 AM (Q8Bj

Amber Heard'ing on his way out the door.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at February 13, 2025 11:24 AM (+sD5M)

123 I'm sure you've seen that Lee Zeldin just found $20 BILLION that was hidden in an NGO by the Biden admin in it's last few days. Looks like he can claw it back.
Posted by: Tom Servo

Ooooooh. Link?

Posted by: rickb223 at February 13, 2025 11:24 AM (ASVsW)

124 Patel out of Committee...

I started watching some of that but, apparently, the Senators get to bloviate more and Klobuchar was gonna make me stroke out so I turned it off.

Posted by: I used to have a different nic at February 13, 2025 11:24 AM (ExV1e)

125 DOGE's revelations are like being on the receiving end of an MLRS barrage.

Too many bombshells and nowhere to run.

Posted by: Anna Puma at February 13, 2025 11:24 AM (TpJej)

126 When did the phrase "close enough for govt. work" originate?...I'm betting at least Civil War era.

Posted by: BignJames at February 13, 2025 11:24 AM (Yj6Os)

127 I will bet anyone a hundred dollars that the coming GOP CR will contain an increase in funding for USAID and not cut a dime from any spending programs or authorizations.
Posted by: Thomas Bender
==========
Problem there is a presidential veto and Trump is likely to quite happily enjoy a government shutdown where essential employees are kept on and non essential ones are furloughed.

Agree. I have no doubt that Trump has already told Congressional leadership that any bill funding USAID is DOA. If you read the article I posted above, Johnson makes it quite clear that he's gotten the message.

Posted by: Archimedes at February 13, 2025 11:24 AM (xCA6C)

128 They all look Irish and smell like boiled cabbage.
Posted by: rickb223 at February 13, 2025 11:22 AM (ASVsW)
----------
Small hands.

*shudder*

Posted by: Nigel Powers at February 13, 2025 11:25 AM (6K6Eu)

129 If you can give an 18 yr old a rigle and send him off yo fight in your wars, you can give an 18 yr old a pencil and let him audit your books.
Posted by: rickb223 at February 13, 2025 11:18 AM (ASVsW)

======

The 18 year olds aren't doing any auditing.

They're writing code to organize the data so it can be audited.

That distinction I find amusing.
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, watching B-movies with Roger Corman at February 13, 2025 11:19 AM (GBKbO)
______

The way I understood what DataRepublican was saying in that interview, they're not even writing new code to organize the data. They're tweaking pre-written AI to do it. Or at least that's what I understood she was saying (through the ASL interpreter).

Posted by: Definitely Not Elric The Blade at February 13, 2025 11:25 AM (iFTx/)

130 AND HE WAS THE REPUBLICAN SENATE LEADER FOR DECADES!!
Posted by: Jukin the Deplorable at February 13, 2025 11:23 AM (17s+e)

It's pretty obvious now that he helped orchestrate the first term attempted coup against Trump.

Posted by: Tom Servo at February 13, 2025 11:25 AM (wyMQY)

131 >>DOGE Comics might be an idea. Big Balls, Crusher, Sliderule, and Pocketprotector set out from the Halls of Cheetos, directed by Master Elon, to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse faster than a speeding Tesla.

It's funny because they've already published graphic novelizations of things like The 9/11 Report and Clinton Cash to, one assumes, make those details more digestible for non-standard audiences for such books.

Posted by: Lizzy at February 13, 2025 11:25 AM (Cki93)

132 The files in a mine is not as ridiculous as the billions of lbs of cheese in a mine. Yes, that’s a real thing. We have a strategic cheese reserve.

Posted by: sniffybigtoe at February 13, 2025 11:25 AM (REy3e)

133 Chili con carne>Judy Carne > Art Carney > syphilitic carnie > Jay Carney

But no fucking carrots.

Posted by: Rodrigo Borgia at February 13, 2025 11:25 AM (W5ArC)

134 113 75k workers took the buyout before the window closed.

Out of 2.4 million Federal (and non-USPS) workers, 75,000 feel they have what it takes to survive in the real world.

Hire those people back and fire those parasites who cannot unlatch from their host (which is us) for fear of dying.
Posted by: t-bird
======
As Martini Farmer said above, most of these would soon retire anyway (and due to seniority rules--many of them are the ones that are most likely to "Resist". Better off building them a bridge of gold to go off into the sunset.

Posted by: whig at February 13, 2025 11:25 AM (ctrM5)

135 McTurtle has always been a closet leftist democrat. Now as he creeps off this mortal plane he is unashamedly proving it.

AND HE WAS THE REPUBLICAN SENATE LEADER FOR DECADES!!

Posted by: Jukin the Deplorable at February 13, 2025 11:23 AM (17s+e)

-----------------

When you look-up the term "controlled opposition" in the encyclopedia, there's an image of Cocaine Glitch McConnell.

Posted by: ShainS -- It's A Sorry State of Affairs When It's The Judges Who Need Hanging at February 13, 2025 11:25 AM (vAHT7)

136 @88

>>I am not so sure we are in Kansas anymore, Toto.

I hope and pray you are right, as much as we get on the Donks, the GOP has controlled the purse for 24 of the last 32 years, so, they more so than any entity are responsible for our financial pickle.

And I don't want to hear anyone say, but the Democrats this and the Democrats that, no, they control the purse strings, they set they play the tune, unfortunately the tune they have been playing the last 25 years is akin to Yoko Ono belting one out on a particularly bad day.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at February 13, 2025 11:25 AM (XV/Pl)

137 I have actually been to a government facility that was "underground." In PA no less. Not sure if it's the one being discussed, but the one I went to was were the Feds were storing a shit ton of "stuff" in case there was some sort of national/world wide disaster. Or so I presume.

I was delivering some computer gear that remained boxed up, wrapped in plastic, and shoved into an alcove.

No questions. Just do it.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at February 13, 2025 11:25 AM (Q4IgG)

138 129 The way I understood what DataRepublican was saying in that interview, they're not even writing new code to organize the data. They're tweaking pre-written AI to do it. Or at least that's what I understood she was saying (through the ASL interpreter).
Posted by: Definitely Not Elric The Blade at February 13, 2025 11:25 AM (iFTx/)

=======

For some reason, I feel an absence in our comment section.

Where did Elric the Blade go?

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, watching B-movies with Roger Corman at February 13, 2025 11:26 AM (GBKbO)

139 YASSSSS

TULSI

RFK JR

DREAM TEAM SLAY ALL DAY

Posted by: kallisto at February 13, 2025 11:26 AM (zX78/)

140 When did the phrase "close enough for govt. work" originate?...I'm betting at least Civil War era.
Posted by: BignJames at February 13, 2025 11:24 AM (Yj6Os)
-----------
The phrase "red tape" goes back at least to the ACW.

Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea, Radioactive Knight, Concertina Czar at February 13, 2025 11:26 AM (6K6Eu)

141 132 The files in a mine is not as ridiculous as the billions of lbs of cheese in a mine. Yes, that’s a real thing. We have a strategic cheese reserve.
Posted by: sniffybigtoe
========
Actually a cheese reserve makes more sense than a paper document reserves in a digital age.

Posted by: whig at February 13, 2025 11:26 AM (ctrM5)

142 Vote4America@Vote4America24
With all the MSM noise its hard to tell what people really think about the US Gov and DOGE's attempt to shrink it.
So we asked them
Most important Q of the poll...Do you believe the gov has your best interest in mind as it spends YOUR money?
Only 28% said Yes...Brutal

-
Yes 28%
No 58%
Unsure 13%

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Covfefe Today, Covfefe Tomorrow, Covfefe Forever! at February 13, 2025 11:26 AM (L/fGl)

143 Out of 2.4 million Federal (and non-USPS) workers, 75,000 feel they have what it takes to survive in the real world.

Hire those people back and fire those parasites who cannot unlatch from their host (which is us) for fear of dying.
Posted by: t-bird

Or they were close enough to retirement to pull the trigger.

Posted by: rickb223 at February 13, 2025 11:26 AM (ASVsW)

144 Sponge, tears in my eyes. God Bless!

Posted by: Diogenes at February 13, 2025 11:26 AM (W/lyH)

145 >>Minor nit pick. She was 13 when they started.

UGH

Posted by: Lizzy at February 13, 2025 11:26 AM (Cki93)

146 My first commercial aviation job ... the Boss Man had a pic of him in the Navy standing in front of the Martin Mars which he flew round trips between San Fran and Pearl ......

Posted by: Qmark at February 13, 2025 11:27 AM (ttHnV)

147 126 When did the phrase "close enough for govt. work" originate?...I'm betting at least Civil War era.
Posted by: BignJames at February 13, 2025 11:24 AM (Yj6Os)

Age of Shoddy.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at February 13, 2025 11:27 AM (bss/y)

148 111 We went to her favorite Mexican food place where she actually had her first swirl margarita in 7 months.

Slept like a baby last night and I'm told, feels well rested this morning.

Praise God.
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at February 13, 2025 11:23 AM (+sD5M)

======

Wonderful news. I'm very happy for you.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, watching B-movies with Roger Corman at February 13, 2025 11:27 AM (GBKbO)

149 No questions. Just do it.
Posted by: Martini Farmer
---------
Due to Cold War era programs, there are also strategic drug reserves among other things.

Posted by: whig at February 13, 2025 11:27 AM (ctrM5)

150 Slept like a baby last night and I'm told, feels well rested this morning.

Praise God.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at February 13, 2025 11:23 AM (+sD5M)
----
Sponge, Thanks to God Almighty and best wishes.

Posted by: Ciampino - Si Ispettore, ho la licenza per la scimmia at February 13, 2025 11:27 AM (KjLnc)

151 Mitch going out in a blaze of glory and his votes are unsurprising.
Do we have a good GOP challenger for his seat?

Love Schumer something about we are cutting programs that actually work. Name one.

Posted by: Paisley at February 13, 2025 11:27 AM (ny1NG)

152 The files in a mine is not as ridiculous as the billions of lbs of cheese in a mine. Yes, that’s a real thing. We have a strategic cheese reserve.

Posted by: sniffybigtoe at February 13, 2025 11:25 AM (REy3e)

-------------

Nobody tell Lt. Col. Alexander "Cheese Danish" Vindman!

Posted by: ShainS -- It's A Sorry State of Affairs When It's The Judges Who Need Hanging at February 13, 2025 11:27 AM (vAHT7)

153 "
In normal times the government filtering millions of dollars to media organizations to push the establishment narratives would be the story of the year. Now it's just another day."

Don't be silly Jack. It would be a story today if only one or two of the FNM groups had gotten the payola; but since they were all getting it, you can't expect them to advertise the fact.

Posted by: PaleRider at February 13, 2025 11:27 AM (CKOCg)

154 Rfk Jr confirmed. No idea what McConnell's up to.

Posted by: Alteria Pilgram

He's voting with his new party.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at February 13, 2025 11:27 AM (lTGtQ)

155 I just keeping thinking of Japan "needing" to attack Pearl Harbor because they "needed" more energy resources because they "needed" to keep expanding their empire.

None of these needs were actual needs. And it led to the destruction of the empire.
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, watching B-movies with Roger Corman at February 13, 2025 11:21 AM (GBKbO)

Sure. But like Japan in your example, it's extremely difficult to turn the ship when you have the buy in of so many people.

I'm sure there's some ego at play too, but the mere logistics of unwinding 50+ years of corruption, grift, debts owed to unsavory characters, etc. etc. is mind blowing.

Look at the Biden family for example. If Joe Biden had to turn off the corruption, his entire family and most of his hangers on would be homeless. There's an entire entourage of people living off that grift. And that's just one politician and his family. Multiple that by everyone in DC, plus all of the legacies, plus all of the non-elected Deep Staters and their families...

Posted by: Harry Paratestes at February 13, 2025 11:28 AM (uCjyK)

156 When I was a teenage programmer making a nuisance of myself on the school's computers, I chose the avatar ... Footlong. Hey, I was like 13 and thought it was funny! The school computer manager was not amused, and made me change it.

Posted by: Definitely Not Elric The Blade at February 13, 2025 11:28 AM (iFTx/)

157 Chili con carne>Judy Carne > Art Carney > syphilitic carnie > Jay Carney

But no fucking carrots.

Posted by: Rodrigo Borgia at February 13, 2025 11:25 AM (W5ArC)

Chili with Carrots >> Mitch McConnell

Posted by: Hour of the Wolf at February 13, 2025 11:28 AM (VNX3d)

158 Good news Sponge.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at February 13, 2025 11:28 AM (bss/y)

159 The files in a mine is not as ridiculous as the billions of lbs of cheese in a mine. Yes, that’s a real thing. We have a strategic cheese reserve.

I think it's a Gouda thing that we do.

Posted by: Archimedes at February 13, 2025 11:28 AM (xCA6C)

160 Sponge, tears in my eyes. God Bless!
Posted by: Diogenes at February 13, 2025 11:26 AM (W/lyH)

Thank you. We feel and incredible debt of gratitude to The Horde for all their thoughts and prayers over the last several months.

The road is not over, but she feels a tremendous weight lifted. God is great. And so are you.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at February 13, 2025 11:28 AM (+sD5M)

161 I have actually been to a government facility that was "underground." In PA no less. Not sure if it's the one being discussed, but the one I went to was were the Feds were storing a shit ton of "stuff" in case there was some sort of national/world wide disaster. Or so I presume.

I was delivering some computer gear that remained boxed up, wrapped in plastic, and shoved into an alcove.

No questions. Just do it.
Posted by: Martini Farmer

Been to one in Denton, Tx. FEMA antenna farm. Underground nuke bunker.

Posted by: rickb223 at February 13, 2025 11:28 AM (ASVsW)

162 Did Whitehouse vote for RFK?

He was supposed to be a good friend, you know like Bernie sanders was to Tulsi after all the good she did for him

Posted by: The Unvaxed and Unmasked Ranger at February 13, 2025 11:28 AM (9/nXo)

163 In the mines
In the mines
Where the sun don't ever shine.

Posted by: Boss Moss at February 13, 2025 11:28 AM (yF8T2)

164 Amazing how it makes a Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer look tiny.
-----------
Not a plane I'd care to fly over water in.

---
The Maryland Aviation Museum was trying to bring her back to Maryland where she was made. It would have been nice to have her in driving distance, but I'm glad she's in America.

Posted by: Josephistan at February 13, 2025 11:28 AM (lO6Ut)

165 Sponge, thank you for the good news update

Posted by: kallisto at February 13, 2025 11:28 AM (zX78/)

166 Trump just fired EVERY federal prosecutor appointed under Biden. No exceptions.

Now if he'll just do the same with any flag officer who made rank under Biden or Obama...

Posted by: Rodrigo Borgia at February 13, 2025 11:28 AM (W5ArC)

167 91 Chili con carnie > Judy Carne > Art Carney > syphilitic carnie > Jay Carney

not certain whether typo for "carne" or advocating for treating the local carnies to some chili.

Posted by: anachronda at February 13, 2025 11:28 AM (oY6Yp)

168 DOGE claims to have found $2.7 TRILLION (with a "t") in improper Medicare and Medicaid payments to overseas entities.

Posted by: Archie and Edith at February 13, 2025 11:19 AM (W5ArC)

What's really going to bake your noodle is that that is only the beginning.

Posted by: ... at February 13, 2025 11:28 AM (Tqr2v)

169 Actually, in this wonderful digital age where a Presidential candidate can wipe out a server with a cloth; having hardcopy is an excellent idea.

Posted by: Anna Puma at February 13, 2025 11:29 AM (TpJej)

170 58 If the idea is to reduce the size of the fed roster, why not keep the offer open? Is it to impress upon folks "when I say X, I don't mean X + even a tiny, little bit extra"?
Posted by: SFGoth at February 13, 2025 11:17 AM (KAi1n)

Yes.

Which is also better for future legal fights.

Posted by: Nova Local at February 13, 2025 11:29 AM (exHjb)

171 Rule of thumb from my own personal observations when dealing with federal government money is that at a minimum 25% is wasted, stolen or misappropriated. And that is just the starting numbers, it can and does go up quick from there.

Posted by: Mister Scott (Formerly GWS) at February 13, 2025 11:29 AM (Rcnd3)

172 So, Fetterman voted against former Democrat RFK Jr. for a cabinet post in a Republican cabinet, huh?

So independent.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, watching B-movies with Roger Corman at February 13, 2025 11:29 AM (GBKbO)

173 126 When did the phrase "close enough for govt. work" originate?...I'm betting at least Civil War era.
Posted by: BignJames at February 13, 2025 11:24 AM (Yj6Os)

Athens

Posted by: Just Lily at February 13, 2025 11:29 AM (y3de1)

174 >> I'll take a pimply-faced, big-balled 20-something with a work ethic and superb skills…

What kind of “superb skills” are we talking here?

Posted by: Sandra Fluke at February 13, 2025 11:29 AM (Y1sOo)

175 Chili with Carrots >> Mitch McConnell
Posted by: Hour of the Wolf at February 13, 2025 11:28 AM (VNX3d)

Meat. Spices. Onions. 'Perhaps' beans. You can add other shit and it might be even tasty- but it is no longer 'chili.'

So, I dunno.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at February 13, 2025 11:29 AM (bss/y)

176 Average salary, what, 100K? After they're finally paid off in September, that'll save, what, 7.5 mil next year? A good start.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 13, 2025 11:15 AM (J2vNu)

And now the firings can begin which'll be paid off in February.

Posted by: I used to have a different nic at February 13, 2025 11:30 AM (ExV1e)

177 140 When did the phrase "close enough for govt. work" originate?...I'm betting at least Civil War era.
Posted by: BignJames at February 13, 2025 11:24 AM (Yj6Os)
-----------
The phrase "red tape" goes back at least to the ACW.
Posted by: Captain Obvious
========
Government documents used to use red ribbons to bind them including pension documents. I have a slice of one in lucite that used to grace someone's pension application. Came from the National Archives gift shop from my wife who was in DC at the time.

Posted by: whig at February 13, 2025 11:30 AM (ctrM5)

178 Been to one in Denton, Tx. FEMA antenna farm. Underground nuke bunker.
Posted by: rickb223 at February 13, 2025 11:28 AM (ASVsW)

Right up the street from the worst DMV on the planet.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at February 13, 2025 11:30 AM (+sD5M)

179 In the mines
In the mines
Where the sun don't ever shine.

We file the whole night through.

Posted by: Archimedes at February 13, 2025 11:30 AM (xCA6C)

180 But I'm really worried about having some rich unelected official running the government! He could be corrupt!

-The people who just had Hunter Biden as president for four years

Posted by: ... at February 13, 2025 11:30 AM (Tqr2v)

181 Empty the strategic cheese reserve.

Posted by: Boss Moss at February 13, 2025 11:30 AM (yF8T2)

182 We went to her favorite Mexican food place where she actually had her first swirl margarita in 7 months.

Slept like a baby last night and I'm told, feels well rested this morning.

Praise God.
Posted by: Sponge

That's awesome! Congratulations!

Posted by: rickb223 at February 13, 2025 11:30 AM (ASVsW)

183 When you learn that the Treasury Payment system does NOT record a category for the payments and does NOT include a text description-- things you would do with Quick books software for $99 per
month -- you gotta think this is intentional.

Huge loophole, difficult to audit.

Posted by: JM in Illinois at February 13, 2025 11:30 AM (rkWBz)

184 I think the battle this post is addressing has already been lost.Taxpayers don't want to hear it.

Posted by: From about That Time at February 13, 2025 11:30 AM (4780s)

185 Yesterday, instead of retreating into lawfare defense mode as everyone expected, the Trump Team unleashed the most devastating assault yet, the Deep State’s D-Day. Nobody’s covering it, but it is inescapable. You may have heard about some of the parts, but just wait till you see the big picture.

https://is.gd/QUis5x

There was also this, which on any other day, would have been huge.

Lee Zeldin Just Discovered $20 Billion Laundered by the Biden Admin

https://is.gd/ajLz8K
Posted by: Archimedes at February 13, 2025 11:21 AM (xCA6C)

Good read! TWO SHOOTERS?

Posted by: LASue at February 13, 2025 11:30 AM (lCppi)

186 Vote4America@Vote4America24
Replying to @Vote4America24
Is waste, fraud, and abuse a serious problem inside the US Gov?
82% of people believe it is

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Covfefe Today, Covfefe Tomorrow, Covfefe Forever! at February 13, 2025 11:30 AM (L/fGl)

187 >>Actually a cheese reserve makes more sense than a paper document reserves in a digital age.

What amazes me is at my first job out of college (30+ years ago), my corporate employer hired a company, Iron Mountain, to digitize all its paper customer contracts for service. And now I learn that not only is there a real iron mountain run by Iron Mountain, but that they specifically DON'T digitize paper records.

Is this all just a simulation. . . ?

Posted by: Lizzy at February 13, 2025 11:30 AM (Cki93)

188 155 Sure. But like Japan in your example, it's extremely difficult to turn the ship when you have the buy in of so many people.

I'm sure there's some ego at play too, but the mere logistics of unwinding 50+ years of corruption, grift, debts owed to unsavory characters, etc. etc. is mind blowing.

Look at the Biden family for example. If Joe Biden had to turn off the corruption, his entire family and most of his hangers on would be homeless. There's an entire entourage of people living off that grift. And that's just one politician and his family. Multiple that by everyone in DC, plus all of the legacies, plus all of the non-elected Deep Staters and their families...
Posted by: Harry Paratestes at February 13, 2025 11:28 AM (uCjyK)

=====

You are 100% right.

It would take tremendous will to turn this around. Individuals would have to rebel against established order to do it.

But it's still a choice they CAN make. They choose to not make it. They choose to feed their own destruction.

I feel no pity for them and the challenges they are bringing down upon their own heads.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, watching B-movies with Roger Corman at February 13, 2025 11:30 AM (GBKbO)

189 Liberal conversation hearts for Valentine's Day-cartoon:

https://tinyurl.com/5cfmye7c

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at February 13, 2025 11:31 AM (42Vb+)

190 Right up the street from the worst DMV on the planet.
Posted by: Sponge

👍🏻

Posted by: rickb223 at February 13, 2025 11:31 AM (ASVsW)

191 not certain whether typo for "carne" or advocating for treating the local carnies to some chili.
Posted by: anachronda at February 13, 2025 11:28 AM (oY6Yp)

They need to keep their strength up. That untreated syphilis is a killer.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at February 13, 2025 11:31 AM (bss/y)

192 I have actually been to a government facility that was "underground." In PA no less. Not sure if it's the one being discussed, but the one I went to was were the Feds were storing a shit ton of "stuff" in case there was some sort of national/world wide disaster. Or so I presume.

-

There are videos on X of truck drivers making deliveries to massive underground areas. Essentially cities.

Posted by: Boron Cobbie - Nacho taco chimichanga at February 13, 2025 11:31 AM (sG4Li)

193
That's awesome! Congratulations!
Posted by: rickb223 at February 13, 2025 11:30 AM (ASVsW)

Thank you, sir.

You've got mail, by the way.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at February 13, 2025 11:31 AM (+sD5M)

194 The way I understood what DataRepublican was saying in that interview, they're not even writing new code to organize the data. They're tweaking pre-written AI to do it. Or at least that's what I understood she was saying (through the ASL interpreter).
Posted by: Definitely Not Elric The Blade at February 13, 2025 11:25 AM (iFTx/)

=======

For some reason, I feel an absence in our comment section.

Where did Elric the Blade go?
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, watching B-movies with Roger Corman at February 13, 2025 11:26 AM (GBKbO)
______

Forgot to change it back after a comment I made at the tail end of the last post ....

Posted by: Definitely Elric The Blade at February 13, 2025 11:31 AM (iFTx/)

195 The road is not over, but she feels a tremendous weight lifted. God is great. And so are you.
Posted by: Sponge
----
Glad to hear the happy news Sponge. May your wife and you be blessed.

Posted by: whig at February 13, 2025 11:31 AM (ctrM5)

196 141 Actually a cheese reserve makes more sense than a paper document reserves in a digital age.

*electromagnetic pulse has entered the chat*

Posted by: anachronda at February 13, 2025 11:32 AM (oY6Yp)

197 140 The term shoddy goes back to the CW. Less than honest uniform providers would take the sweepings from under looms, add water and compress it into yard goods for uniforms that would fall apart in the first rain.

Posted by: bill in arkansas, not gonna comply with nuttin, waiting for the 0300 knock on the door at February 13, 2025 11:32 AM (gm9Sb)

198 126 When did the phrase "close enough for govt. work" originate?...I'm betting at least Civil War era.
Posted by: BignJames at February 13, 2025 11:24 AM (Yj6Os)
----
BBC Goon Show from 50-60s. Episode "The Mummified Priest". They are in a tunnel and are tapping the walls. At one point Peter Sellers as Bloodnock exclaims "It sounds hollow! It must be a government job."

Posted by: Ciampino - Si Ispettore, ho qui la licenza per la scimmia at February 13, 2025 11:32 AM (KjLnc)

199 Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at February 13, 2025 11:23 AM (+sD5M)

Congrats, that's great news

Posted by: Harry Paratestes at February 13, 2025 11:32 AM (uCjyK)

200 194 Forgot to change it back after a comment I made at the tail end of the last post ....
Posted by: Definitely Elric The Blade at February 13, 2025 11:31 AM (iFTx/)

======

Oh my gosh!

Elric!

Where did you come from!

There was a dude here who looked just like you, though. It was weird. You have a doppelganger out there.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, watching B-movies with Roger Corman at February 13, 2025 11:32 AM (GBKbO)

201 Trump has put together quite the wrecking crew.

Posted by: steevy at February 13, 2025 11:32 AM (KQk9m)

202 184 I think the battle this post is addressing has already been lost.Taxpayers don't want to hear it.
Posted by: From about That Time at February 13, 2025 11:30 AM (4780s)

*slides MP4's black jelly beans away from FaTT*

Posted by: Aetius451AD at February 13, 2025 11:32 AM (bss/y)

203 Lee Zeldin finds $20 Billion the Biden admin tried to hide:

https://tinyurl.com/mrxym7zu

Posted by: Tom Servo at February 13, 2025 11:33 AM (wyMQY)

204 Sharon get out, if so that is awesome

Posted by: Skip at February 13, 2025 11:33 AM (fwDg9)

205 The only power the fuckstains in washington dc have is the power of the purse. Even a five dollar crack whore ain't sucking no dick unless she gets paid. With the purse strings gone, washington dc will be just another broke, backwater democrat shithole city overrun by illegal drug use, rampant crime and sexual deviants.

Posted by: Zombie Jack Kent Cook at February 13, 2025 11:33 AM (y7KuV)

206 >>Replying to @Vote4America24
Is waste, fraud, and abuse a serious problem inside the US Gov?
82% of people believe it is

A. When have 82% of Americans agreed on anything?
B. What % of American public are government and/or government contracted NGO employees -- is it 18%?

Posted by: Lizzy at February 13, 2025 11:33 AM (Cki93)

207
It sounds like once the waste is stopped, we'll be very, very rich!

Posted by: LASue at February 13, 2025 11:33 AM (lCppi)

208 Did Whitehouse vote for RFK?

He was supposed to be a good friend, you know like Bernie sanders was to Tulsi after all the good she did for him

Posted by: The Unvaxed

Of course not. Every democrat voted along party lines, including McConnell.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at February 13, 2025 11:33 AM (lTGtQ)

209 Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at February 13, 2025 11:23 AM (+sD5M)

That is EXCELLENT news. Pisser about the port but I get it. Poor girl.

Been a hard road but she is now getting there. Very happy for you both.

Posted by: ... at February 13, 2025 11:33 AM (Tqr2v)

210 105
‘ his entry should be accompanied by the AC/DC tune of that name.’

“I’ve got the biggest balls of them all!”

Posted by: Dr. Claw at February 13, 2025 11:33 AM (jbnUc)

211 I have actually been to a government facility that was "underground." In PA no less. Not sure if it's the one being discussed, but the one I went to was were the Feds were storing a shit ton of "stuff" in case there was some sort of national/world wide disaster. Or so I presume.

-

There are videos on X of truck drivers making deliveries to massive underground areas. Essentially cities.
Posted by: Boron Cobbie - Nacho taco chimichanga at February 13, 2025 11:31 AM (sG4Li)
__________

"Yea, we know ...."

-- Guys who came up with ending scene in Raiders of Lost Ark

Posted by: Definitely Elric The Blade at February 13, 2025 11:33 AM (iFTx/)

212 I don't think Thune would have brought RFK Jr vote to the floor without the votes because Vance is in Europe so a tie would fail

Posted by: Smell the Glove at February 13, 2025 11:19 AM (KXtU1)

------------

Good point.

Posted by: ShainS -- It's A Sorry State of Affairs When It's The Judges Who Need Hanging at February 13, 2025 11:34 AM (vAHT7)

213 206 A. When have 82% of Americans agreed on anything?
B. What % of American public are government and/or government contracted NGO employees -- is it 18%?
Posted by: Lizzy at February 13, 2025 11:33 AM (Cki93)

======

Keeping waste, fraud, and abuse in the news through the next election while actively sabotaging the left's funding organization is going to lead to interesting results.

But...2026 will still just follow normal midterm patterns, I'm sure.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, watching B-movies with Roger Corman at February 13, 2025 11:34 AM (GBKbO)

214 Body slam off the ropes!

Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist@DeAngelisCorey
Linda McMahon: "Fund education freedom, not government-run systems.
Listen to parents, not politicians."
This is the way, @Linda_McMahon.
Fund students, not systems.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Covfefe Today, Covfefe Tomorrow, Covfefe Forever! at February 13, 2025 11:34 AM (L/fGl)

215 @138

>>For some reason, I feel an absence in our comment section.
Where did Elric the Blade go?

What the DOGE boys are doing is fairly straight forward, they are collecting data and feeding it into an off the shelf and tweaked AI LLM, and then feeding it queries along the lines of, how many payments are tied to over seas entities, how many payments are duplicates, how many and to whom are the same amount's dispersed, and put it all in a downloadable pdf or some such.

I do the same things they are doing with my AI when it comes to proposals, it can spit out a tailored report from a 1000 page proposals in less than 5 minutes.

This is how they are churning and burning through the data.

AI is what's making this possible to do in at reasonable, human time scale with a small ragtag group of Psychopathic Wizards.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at February 13, 2025 11:34 AM (XV/Pl)

216 Sponge, congratulations on the good news!

Posted by: NR Pax at February 13, 2025 11:34 AM (BpO1e)

217 Elon Musk has denied that the U.S. government will purchase $400m worth of Tesla Cybertrucks.

The billionaire jumped on X to deny the allegations, as it was widely reported on Wednesday that the Trump administration intended to spend $400m on “armored” Tesla electric vehicles in one of the State Department’s biggest contracts of 2025.

Posted by: SMOD at February 13, 2025 11:34 AM (RHGPo)

218 Brain, "Pinky, we are going to take over the US cheese reserve!"

Pinky, "But Brain, where we going to get a loaf of bread big enough?"

Posted by: Anna Puma at February 13, 2025 11:34 AM (TpJej)

219 When you learn that the Treasury Payment system does NOT record a category for the payments and does NOT include a text description-- things you would do with Quick books software for $99 per
month -- you gotta think this is intentional.

Huge loophole, difficult to audit.
Posted by: JM in Illinois

-

And the exact moment that you say "Bosses? You're all fired and under investigation, and there's a complete freeze on spending for the next 48 hours until the people under you show us where the money is going. If, after 48 hours, they can't show us then they're fired and under investigation, too, and after that we just take the entire thing over and start fresh. We don't want to have to do this, but y'all gave us no choice."

Posted by: Boron Cobbie - Nacho taco chimichanga at February 13, 2025 11:34 AM (sG4Li)

220 Chip Bok conservative cartoon and rage of the left:

https://www.gocomics.com/chipbok/2025/02/12

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at February 13, 2025 11:35 AM (42Vb+)

221 Screeching communist dragged out of McMahon SecEd hearing.

I'm guessing some kind of Muzzie from her appearance.

Posted by: Rodrigo Borgia at February 13, 2025 11:35 AM (W5ArC)

222 There's one of those underground facilities here in Arkansas, North Central in the Ozarks IIRC.

Posted by: bill in arkansas, not gonna comply with nuttin, waiting for the 0300 knock on the door at February 13, 2025 11:35 AM (gm9Sb)

223 >>We went to her favorite Mexican food place where she actually had her first swirl margarita in 7 months.

Woohoo, Sponge!
Bell has been rung

Posted by: Lizzy at February 13, 2025 11:35 AM (Cki93)

224 Average salary, what, 100K? After they're finally paid off in September, that'll save, what, 7.5 mil next year? A good start.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 13, 2025 11:15 AM (J2vNu)
*
I get $7.5 Billion.
But then again...maths!!!!
Posted by: Diogenes at February 13, 2025

***
You're right; I must have missed a zero somewhere. Excel gives me 7.5 billion. Okay then!

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 13, 2025 11:35 AM (J2vNu)

225 Is there any news in the judicial insurrection?
Any sign that the Supreme Court is getting off their asses?

Posted by: Dr. Claw at February 13, 2025 11:35 AM (jbnUc)

226 BTW Horde, do not get fooled by the "vetting" bullsh*t the dems are spewing. Musk is vetted and has a security clearance. He got that under Biden. His team are all vetted as well as every soldier entering the military. Also, you can bet that each one has one or two government folks looking over their shoulders. This isn't a bunch of pocket protector nerds running amok on the 'puters.

Posted by: Diogenes at February 13, 2025 11:35 AM (W/lyH)

227 179 In the mines
In the mines
Where the sun don't ever shine.

We file the whole night through.

gotta go to work
work all night
search for ~~underpants~~ retirement files, hey!
we won't stop 'til we find ~~underpants~~ retirement files
rum tum tummy tum, hey!

Posted by: your tax dollars at work at February 13, 2025 11:35 AM (oY6Yp)

228 113 75k workers took the buyout before the window closed.

Out of 2.4 million Federal (and non-USPS) workers, 75,000 feel they have what it takes to survive in the real world.

Hire those people back and fire those parasites who cannot unlatch from their host (which is us) for fear of dying.
Posted by: t-bird at February 13, 2025 11:23 AM (eST6G)

No, don't hire them back - a certain amount are true f ups who knew they were gone when Trump started talking about getting rid of bad performers 1st...

Posted by: Nova Local at February 13, 2025 11:35 AM (exHjb)

229 Replying to @Vote4America24
Is waste, fraud, and abuse a serious problem inside the US Gov?
82% of people believe it is

A. When have 82% of Americans agreed on anything?
B. What % of American public are government and/or government contracted NGO employees -- is it 18%?

I know we're all accustomed to the Dems being stupid, but this is galactic level stupidity.

Dem political consultant: "The people are really angry about all the government WFA. I know, let's defend it and call the people stupid!".

Posted by: Archimedes at February 13, 2025 11:36 AM (xCA6C)

230 It sounds like once the waste is stopped, we'll be very, very rich!

Posted by: LASue at February 13, 2025 11:33 AM (lCppi)

--------------

REBATE CHECKS FOR ALL TRUMP VOTERS!

/With likely over $300 trillion (including unfunded liabilities) of National Debt ... maybe not.

Posted by: ShainS -- It's A Sorry State of Affairs When It's The Judges Who Need Hanging at February 13, 2025 11:36 AM (vAHT7)

231 Dean Wormer would have something to say about that.

Put Neidermeyer on it. He's a sneaky little shit, just like you, right?

Posted by: I used to have a different nic at February 13, 2025 11:36 AM (ExV1e)

232 Each government department has vast herds of auditors and compliance "experts" and supposedly ironclad systems to prevent fraud, misuse, and abuse

What the hell were all the "inspector generals" doing?

Posted by: The ARC of History! at February 13, 2025 11:36 AM (uxCna)

233 Now Denver schools are suing ICE to say they can't enforce immigration laws on schools grounds.

And there are a bunch of churches doing the same.

You all really, really should have shut up and done nothing.
But, they 'tarded and can't help themselves.

Because the outcome is 100% going to be "federal law trumps feelings."

Also of note, the Denver superintendent laments that, after the announcement the Biden no-go policy was rescinded, one classroom had barely 20% of students.
Meaning, 80% of the students are illegals.
AYFKM?
When normal folks can't afford eggs, you're going to find the Chalice of Sympathy is as empty as the Field of Fucks---none to give.

Posted by: People's Hippo Voice at February 13, 2025 11:36 AM (uyRWq)

234 But it's still a choice they CAN make. They choose to not make it. They choose to feed their own destruction.

I feel no pity for them and the challenges they are bringing down upon their own heads.
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, watching B-movies with Roger Corman at February 13, 2025 11:30 AM (GBKbO)

Oh, I don't either. At least with the mafia crime families, most of their money was given to them willingly (gambling, prostitution, drugs, etc.)

With the DC crime families, they stole our money for themselves and spent decades calling us all retards to our faces while laughing behind our backs at how we were actually retards because they fooled everyone and were able to get away with it for so long.

Posted by: Harry Paratestes at February 13, 2025 11:36 AM (uCjyK)

235 > When you learn that the Treasury Payment system does NOT record a category for the payments and does NOT include a text description-- things you would do with Quick books software for $99 per
month -- you gotta think this is intentional.
---------
The SSN was, at one time, used as a "key" for financial transactions done at Treasury. Meaning that a financial transaction had to include a SSN to be processed.

At some point in time the SSN was removed as a "key" in various Treasury databases.

Find out when, and who instructed that to occur.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at February 13, 2025 11:36 AM (Q4IgG)

236 Patel voted out of committee. Floor vote next week.

Posted by: Smell the Glove at February 13, 2025 11:36 AM (KXtU1)

237 188 155 Sure. But like Japan in your example, it's extremely difficult to turn the ship when you have the buy in of so many people.

I'm sure there's some ego at play too, but the mere logistics of unwinding 50+ years of corruption, grift, debts owed to unsavory characters, etc. etc. is mind blowing.
Posted by: Harry Paratestes at February 13, 2025 11:28 AM (uCjyK)

=====

You are 100% right.

It would take tremendous will to turn this around. Individuals would have to rebel against established order to do it.

But it's still a choice they CAN make. They choose to not make it. They choose to feed their own destruction.

I feel no pity for them and the challenges they are bringing down upon their own heads.
Posted by: TheJamesMadison
======
Extinction level was coming anyway due to 2 trillion deficit out of 7 trillion and interest payments now over 1 trillion and rising.

Trump is doing a timed implosion of the budget rather than a rapid unprepared collapse.

Posted by: whig at February 13, 2025 11:37 AM (ctrM5)

238 Sponge, miracles do happen.
Hugs to both of you.

Posted by: sharon(willow's apprentice) at February 13, 2025 11:37 AM (t/2Uw)

239 229 I know we're all accustomed to the Dems being stupid, but this is galactic level stupidity.

Dem political consultant: "The people are really angry about all the government WFA. I know, let's defend it and call the people stupid!".
Posted by: Archimedes at February 13, 2025 11:36 AM (xCA6C)

======

It only makes sense if their ability to retain power is entirely driven by the maintenance of federal funds to NGOs.

Which is nonsense.

They just get majority support because of the popularity of their policies that they have to lie about all the time.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, watching B-movies with Roger Corman at February 13, 2025 11:37 AM (GBKbO)

240 That $20 billion the EPA threw out was designated to got to NGOs who would then decide how it was to be further distributed to left wing asshats. The EPA didn’t care.

Several of those NGOs didn’t even exist 2 years ago. They were created specifically for this purpose.

Posted by: sniffybigtoe at February 13, 2025 11:37 AM (REy3e)

241 BTW Horde, do not get fooled by the "vetting" bullsh*t the dems are spewing.

-

People who place Maxine Waters and AOC as heads of committees are upset that the smartest man in the world hasn't been a House representative before.

Posted by: Boron Cobbie - Nacho taco chimichanga at February 13, 2025 11:37 AM (sG4Li)

242 But it's still a choice they CAN make. They choose to not make it. They choose to feed their own destruction.

I feel no pity for them and the challenges they are bringing down upon their own heads.
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, watching B-movies with Roger Corman at February 13, 2025 11:30 AM (GBKbO

It reminds me of when Joe Manchin voted for that ridiculous green energy bill (called anti inflation or something ridiculous) when we were all talking about how this would end his career. He thought it would be fine, and next election, his political career was over. Idiot.

Posted by: Tom Servo at February 13, 2025 11:37 AM (wyMQY)

243 Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at February 13, 2025 11:23 AM (+sD5M)

Amen; Thanks for letting us know. Glad you had a nice meal and drink out. Prayers continue.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at February 13, 2025 11:37 AM (42Vb+)

244 Sponge great news! Please give her my best and hope all continues on an upward path!

Posted by: Jukin the Deplorable at February 13, 2025 11:37 AM (17s+e)

245 111
‘ Slept like a baby last night and I'm told, feels well rested this morning.’

That must be such a relief. I’m so happy for you two.

Posted by: Dr. Claw at February 13, 2025 11:38 AM (jbnUc)

246 218 Brain, "Pinky, we are going to take over the US cheese reserve!"

Pinky, "But Brain, where we going to get a loaf of bread big enough?"

crackers, gromit! we've forgotten the crackers!

Posted by: wallace at February 13, 2025 11:38 AM (oY6Yp)

247 I know we're all accustomed to the Dems being stupid, but this is galactic level stupidity.

Dem political consultant: "The people are really angry about all the government WFA. I know, let's defend it and call the people stupid!".

Posted by: Archimedes at February 13, 2025 11:36 AM (xCA6C)

---------------

Next you'll be telling me that they're quadrupling down on child mutilation, sexualization, & rape as well as the DEI / Tranny Insanity.

Posted by: ShainS -- It's A Sorry State of Affairs When It's The Judges Who Need Hanging at February 13, 2025 11:38 AM (vAHT7)

248 Sponge, so very happy for you and the first lady!!!

Posted by: Debby Doberman Schultz at February 13, 2025 11:38 AM (Sgq8y)

249 Posted by: Lizzy at February 13, 2025 11:33 AM (Cki93)

About 30% of the country is Marxist or useful idiot. Shows up in every single poll and you definitely see the "30%" a lot.

About 15% (half of the 30) are the Marxist ideologues that aren't the useful idiots, or at least not as idiotic. They know what they want. They are for it all.

They would vote for you to be incinerate. No real loyalty to anything but themselves. They are attracted to Leftism because it's a natural fit for angry nihilist bastards.

The other 3% (as shown in this poll) are the ones directly benefiting from the graft.

Posted by: ... at February 13, 2025 11:38 AM (Tqr2v)

250 Congratulations Sponge and Mrs. Sponge!!

God is good ! And may He continue to bless you abundantly!!

Posted by: Just Lily at February 13, 2025 11:38 AM (y3de1)

251 I do the same things they are doing with my AI when it comes to proposals, it can spit out a tailored report from a 1000 page proposals in less than 5 minutes.

This is how they are churning and burning through the data.

I've been wondering if AI was really good for anything. It sounds like you think it is.

Posted by: Archimedes at February 13, 2025 11:38 AM (xCA6C)

252 Also of note, the Denver superintendent laments that, after the announcement the Biden no-go policy was rescinded, one classroom had barely 20% of students.
Meaning, 80% of the students are illegals.
AYFKM?
When normal folks can't afford eggs, you're going to find the Chalice of Sympathy is as empty as the Field of Fucks---none to give.
Posted by: People's Hippo Voice at February 13, 2025 11:36 AM (uyRWq)

It's happening in NYC schools too. Friend's wife is an English as a Second Language Teacher, she says only about half of her class has been showing up the last few weeks.

Oddly, a bunch of her students moved with their families to different states. NC seems to be popular for some reason.

Either the migrants are idiots and don't realize NC is part of the US, or they're trying to get off the radar after living on the radar and on the dole for the past several years in hotels in NYC.

Posted by: Harry Paratestes at February 13, 2025 11:38 AM (uCjyK)

253 176 Average salary, what, 100K? After they're finally paid off in September, that'll save, what, 7.5 mil next year? A good start.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 13, 2025 11:15 AM (J2vNu)

And now the firings can begin which'll be paid off in February.
Posted by: I used to have a different nic at February 13, 2025 11:30 AM (ExV1e)

Actually, RIFs are layoffs, and most are required to have severance...for most folks, it's 1 week for your 1st 10 years, 2 weeks for your 2nd ten, etc...so paying most til Sept 30 as well...

Posted by: Nova Local at February 13, 2025 11:38 AM (exHjb)

254 Average salary, what, 100K? After they're finally paid off in September, that'll save, what, 7.5 mil next year? A good start.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 13, 2025 11:15 AM (J2vNu)
*
I get $7.5 Billion.
But then again...maths!!!!
Posted by: Diogenes at February 13, 2025

***
You're right; I must have missed a zero somewhere. Excel gives me 7.5 billion. Okay then!
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 13, 2025 11:35 AM (J

Its relevant every day-
the difference between one million and one billion:
1 Million seconds= 11 days.
1 Billion seconds = 31 years.

Posted by: LASue at February 13, 2025 11:38 AM (lCppi)

255 According to Business Insider, Sen. Cassidy of LA was reluctant to confirm RFK Jr. until they had several intense conversations together and received assurance from Bob Jr. that they would be woking closely together.
So I guess Cassidy is now co -HHS Sec in his own mind.

Posted by: kallisto at February 13, 2025 11:38 AM (zX78/)

256 242 It reminds me of when Joe Manchin voted for that ridiculous green energy bill (called anti inflation or something ridiculous) when we were all talking about how this would end his career. He thought it would be fine, and next election, his political career was over. Idiot.
Posted by: Tom Servo at February 13, 2025 11:37 AM (wyMQY)

=======

It always amazes me how many high profile and high powered people in elected positions like Senator can be so actively bad at...politics.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, watching B-movies with Roger Corman at February 13, 2025 11:38 AM (GBKbO)

257 >>DOGE claims to have found $2.7 TRILLION (with a "t") in improper Medicare and Medicaid payments to overseas entities.

>>What's really going to bake your noodle is that that is only the beginning.

Now THIS is what we need.
The list of USAID things for $1 or 2 million here or there can be funny and outrageous, but what we've always needed is to identify and stop the massive fraud like this.

And DOGE has barely started.

WOW!!

Posted by: Lizzy at February 13, 2025 11:38 AM (Cki93)

258
Does anyone here really believe any Epstein files still exist?

Do you, really?

Posted by: Soothsayer learns about Kickapoo at February 13, 2025 11:39 AM (fUF5B)

259 When you learn that the Treasury Payment system does NOT record a category for the payments and does NOT include a text description-- things you would do with Quick books software for $99 per
month -- you gotta think this is intentional.

Huge loophole, difficult to audit.
Posted by: JM in Illinois

I have a better one for you. Just recently learned that the social security IT system doesn't invalidate duplicate ID numbers.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at February 13, 2025 11:39 AM (lTGtQ)

260 When have 82% of Americans agreed on anything?

The Super Bowl half time show sucked?

Posted by: Diogenes at February 13, 2025 11:39 AM (W/lyH)

261 Naomi Wolf, good on Covid, is reeeee-ing at the top of her lungs about Musk and his desire to steal health info and bring about digital currency and ID. Seems he is recreating the "Sack of Rome" although she doesn't say which sack of Rome or whether Musk and his "teens" are the Visigoths or Charles V, or maybe the Vandals. In any event, she's woven in the Trojan horse and fears for her records, conveniently ignoring the huge breaches under Yellen who she appears to have no issue with.

Posted by: Long night... darkness lifted. at February 13, 2025 11:39 AM (2NXcZ)

262 When you learn that the Treasury Payment system does NOT record a category for the payments and does NOT include a text description-- things you would do with Quick books software for $99 per
month -- you gotta think this is intentional.

The Deep State thought that this would be a usual "audit" - they lie and obfuscate, and the "auditors" can only examine a tiny fraction of the payments.

They weren't expecting DOGE taking the the whole Treasury payment system over to see what the government was really spending its money on, and using AI and other tools to spot patterns.

Posted by: The ARC of History! at February 13, 2025 11:39 AM (uxCna)

263 >50% approval means the taxpayers are rapt with attention and very much do want to hear it.

Posted by: Warai-otoko at February 13, 2025 11:39 AM (jKo6M)

264 I doubt any GOPe senator learned a lesson in these votes. Dems are always partisan ( except fellow senator, Rubio), while the Republicans give deference to the Dem president nominees. Fight you nitwits

Posted by: Smell the Glove at February 13, 2025 11:39 AM (KXtU1)

265 233 Now Denver schools are suing ICE to say they can't enforce immigration laws on schools grounds.

because it's a no-gun zone?

Posted by: anachronda at February 13, 2025 11:39 AM (oY6Yp)

266 >>There are videos on X of truck drivers making deliveries to massive underground areas. Essentially cities.

Have you ever heard of Iron Mountain, the records storage company? The guy who started it a long time ago bought an old mine and turned it into a records storage facility he named Iron Mountain.

It wasn't all that unusual 50 years ago but like everything in DC including the politicians it's now old and outdated.

Posted by: JackStraw at February 13, 2025 11:39 AM (LkLld)

267 What the hell were all the "inspector generals" doing?
Posted by: The ARC of History!

Looking for jobs now

Posted by: MkY at February 13, 2025 11:40 AM (cPGH3)

268 That $20 billion the EPA threw out was designated to got to NGOs who would then decide how it was to be further distributed to left wing asshats. The EPA didn’t care.

Several of those NGOs didn’t even exist 2 years ago. They were created specifically for this purpose.
Posted by: sniffybigtoe at February 13, 2025 11:37 AM (REy3e)
—/-

Is it two words out one word; CLAW BACK or CLAWBACK?

Posted by: Jukin the Deplorable at February 13, 2025 11:40 AM (17s+e)

269 RFK Jr. Confirmed.

Ban all big pharma advertising.

Let's talk about the jabs....

Posted by: Stateless...39% - mental state clawing up from 10% at February 13, 2025 11:40 AM (jvJvP)

270 It reminds me of when Joe Manchin voted for that ridiculous green energy bill (called anti inflation or something ridiculous) when we were all talking about how this would end his career. He thought it would be fine, and next election, his political career was over. Idiot.

Posted by: Tom Servo at February 13, 2025 11:37 AM (wyMQY)

-------------

Hitherto known as "The Inflation Production Act."

Posted by: ShainS -- It's A Sorry State of Affairs When It's The Judges Who Need Hanging at February 13, 2025 11:40 AM (vAHT7)

271 >>Also of note, the Denver superintendent laments that, after the announcement the Biden no-go policy was rescinded, one classroom had barely 20% of students.
Meaning, 80% of the students are illegals.
AYFKM?

This is completely believable.
Denver schools are so very bad that parents have been fleeing to private schools. Illegals provide the much-needed students to protect school funding and teacher employment.

Posted by: Lizzy at February 13, 2025 11:40 AM (Cki93)

272 House GOP Makes Official Its Plan For Devastating Cuts To Medicaid

It is not entirely clear where the $2 trillion in cuts will come from, rather the House Budget Committee is proposing that various committees find enough savings to hit fixed spending reduction targets.

Posted by: SMOD at February 13, 2025 11:40 AM (RHGPo)

273 DOGE claims to have found $2.7 TRILLION (with a "t") in improper Medicare and Medicaid payments to overseas entities.

But it was over 20 years so no biggie. Keep on as before.

Posted by: I used to have a different nic at February 13, 2025 11:40 AM (ExV1e)

274 Probably government auditors are good at catching the small stuff, like the department copier being used for personal purposes, and are bad at catching actual fraud, because that has been authorized by the higher-ups and they don't want to fight them.

Posted by: PG at February 13, 2025 11:40 AM (uZ2lt)

275 Is it two words out one word; CLAW BACK or CLAWBACK?

Posted by: Jukin the Deplorable at February 13, 2025 11:40 AM (17s+e)

-----------------

When in doubt, my go-to is hyphenation: CLAW-BACK FTW!

Posted by: ShainS -- It's A Sorry State of Affairs When It's The Judges Who Need Hanging at February 13, 2025 11:41 AM (vAHT7)

276 So, McConnell's SiL who ended up drowned in her car, we never heard any more about it. A hit as a warning to the Turtle?

Posted by: Ciampino - cheenee warning? at February 13, 2025 11:41 AM (KjLnc)

277 Either the migrants are idiots and don't realize NC is part of the US, or they're trying to get off the radar after living on the radar and on the dole for the past several years in hotels in NYC.

Maybe headed to Hurricane Helene area, now that homes are being built there? They’re trying to pass themselves off as survivors

Posted by: kallisto at February 13, 2025 11:41 AM (zX78/)

278
Then There Was One: Kash

Posted by: Soothsayer learns about Kickapoo at February 13, 2025 11:41 AM (fUF5B)

279 Several of those NGOs didn’t even exist 2 years ago. They were created specifically for this purpose.

And one got seven billion dollars, and one got six billion dollars. Brand new organizations.

Posted by: The ARC of History! at February 13, 2025 11:41 AM (uxCna)

280 82%

wait until you see the Rotten Tomato scores for Snow White.

Posted by: Anna Puma at February 13, 2025 11:41 AM (TpJej)

281 There's one of those underground facilities here in Arkansas, North Central in the Ozarks IIRC.
Posted by: bill in arkansas, not gonna comply with nuttin, waiting for the 0300 knock on the door at February 13, 2025 11:35 AM (gm9Sb)

Weather report for this evening....rain and possible hail. Will have traces of radioactive Thorium 35 so cover all rain barrels and shelter in place. Cool and clear tomorrow, low in the 70's. Avoid the canned goods until further notice. That is all.

Posted by: The Old Man In The Cave at February 13, 2025 11:41 AM (y7KuV)

282 Breaking! RFK Jr. has been officially confirmed as the HHS Secretary! 51-47

Posted by: SMOD at February 13, 2025 11:42 AM (RHGPo)

283 It is not entirely clear where the $2 trillion in cuts will come from, rather the House Budget Committee is proposing that various committees find enough savings to hit fixed spending reduction targets.
Posted by: SMOD at February 13, 2025 11:40 AM (RHGPo)

You mean they're kicking the illegals off the program. And yes, they're there.

Posted by: Long night... darkness lifted. at February 13, 2025 11:42 AM (2NXcZ)

284 Haven't had coffee or breakfast yet, this night shift is horrible

Posted by: Skip at February 13, 2025 11:42 AM (fwDg9)

285 Chili con carnie
Posted by: Diogenes

***********

Bearded lady, finishing supper: "Hey, whatever happened to Misha, the Bulgarian guy who ran the Tilt-A-Whirl?"

Circus chef: *shifty eyes*

Posted by: muldoon at February 13, 2025 11:42 AM (/iMjX)

286 Dem political consultant: "The people are really angry about all the government WFA. I know, let's defend it and call the people stupid!".
---
I'm enjoying how Trump is breaching their buffer dams they've thrown up to try and stop the flood of anger.

Protests, lawsuits, Congressional site visits, media blitz of coordinated smears, etc.

All being swept away within hours by new waves of the most dangerous substance of all:
Transparency. Actual, real, honest transparency.

Posted by: People's Hippo Voice at February 13, 2025 11:43 AM (uyRWq)

287 @251

>>I've been wondering if AI was really good for anything. It sounds like you think it is.

AI LLM's are good for blasting through data and presenting data in a human readable way in a very short period of time.

As I said, as a PM, I get multi-hundred to thousand page proposals thrown my way, a thousand page proposal can take an entire day to get through, I can feed it into my AI and query the AI about it, and get a summary and the essential information I need from it within minutes.

Which means, I can work on more projects, which means more bonuses for me, potentially.

It's defiantly a game changer.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at February 13, 2025 11:43 AM (XV/Pl)

288 No idea what McConnell's up to.

If I cannot be king then I shall be a kidney stone... but a little one that passes with minimal discomfort. -- Mitch McConnell

Posted by: I used to have a different nic at February 13, 2025 11:43 AM (ExV1e)

289 It only makes sense if their ability to retain power is entirely driven by the maintenance of federal funds to NGOs.

Which is nonsense.

They just get majority support because of the popularity of their policies that they have to lie about all the time.
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, watching B-movies with Roger Corman at February 13, 2025 11:37 AM (GBKbO)

This is one thing I think we keep missing. The whole doge thing is three-fold:
1) Propaganda. 'Look at how they have been stealing.'
2) Practical. Actually cutting waste.
3) Practical. Sabotage their ability to respond effectively.

I am starting to think they have built a LOT of their apparatus around the easy cash flows and boondoggles. Does not mean they can't respond. The enemy gets a vote. But that is where the speed of this comes in. Seize the initiative and make them react to you instead of the other way around. This is the way.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at February 13, 2025 11:43 AM (bss/y)

290 JUST IN: The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12 to 10 to advance Kash Patel's nomination to be FBI director to the Senate floor.

Posted by: SMOD at February 13, 2025 11:43 AM (RHGPo)

291 It always amazes me how many high profile and high powered people in elected positions like Senator can be so actively bad at...politics.
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, watching B-movies with Roger Corman at February 13, 2025 11:38 AM (GBKbO)

I don't think they're bad at politics, I just think that they have different constituents than they pretend to.

Someone wanted the bill passed, and if that means the Senator loses re-election, so be it.

They try to minimize that turn over and let congresscritters vote the way the people they, on paper, represent. But when push comes to shove, the congresscritters will vote how they're told.

Remember TARP?

Posted by: Harry Paratestes at February 13, 2025 11:43 AM (uCjyK)

292 Thank you all.

You truly are the beautiful people. YOU are the elites in society.

We are eternally in your debt.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at February 13, 2025 11:43 AM (+sD5M)

293 265 233 Now Denver schools are suing ICE to say they can't enforce immigration laws on schools grounds.

I foresee the school getting a slew of new bearded Migrant students

Posted by: It's me donna at February 13, 2025 11:43 AM (VE6XX)

294 Posted by: Archimedes at February 13, 2025 11:38 AM (xCA6C)

AI is good for a lot. Yes it has been hyped but it is going to be an integral part of our reality going forward. It's as big a revolution as the web.

Posted by: ... at February 13, 2025 11:43 AM (Tqr2v)

295 The NYTimes is an embarrassment.

"Without Pennies, What Becomes of Penny Loafers?
The fashion world pondered the future of the iconic shoe after learning that a presidential order might eliminate the penny."

https://tinyurl.com/5hc7np88

Posted by: Oglebay at February 13, 2025 11:43 AM (2ap+5)

296 276
I still want his finances and his wife investigated.

Posted by: Ciampino - cheenees warning? at February 13, 2025 11:43 AM (KjLnc)

297 DOGE claims to have found $2.7 TRILLION (with a "t") in improper Medicare and Medicaid payments to overseas entities.

--------------

"Somebody's gotta pay for the retired Ukrainian government workers' health care & pensions, h8rs!"

Posted by: ShainS -- It's A Sorry State of Affairs When It's The Judges Who Need Hanging at February 13, 2025 11:43 AM (vAHT7)

298 This guy is cruising for a bruising.

Scott Jennings@ScottJenningsKY
Well well well. Cable news today should just be a line of people apologizing to Trump.

-
But he forgot to add and bring your checkbooks.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Covfefe Today, Covfefe Tomorrow, Covfefe Forever! at February 13, 2025 11:44 AM (L/fGl)

299 DOGE claims to have found $2.7 TRILLION (with a "t") in improper Medicare and Medicaid payments to overseas entities.

>>What's really going to bake your noodle is that that is only the beginning.

Now THIS is what we need.
The list of USAID things for $1 or 2 million here or there can be funny and outrageous, but what we've always needed is to identify and stop the massive fraud like this.

And DOGE has barely started.

WOW!!

Posted by: Lizzy at February 13, 2025 11:38 AM

It ain't just medicare/medicaid. The VA needs to be audited as well. I personally know a guy who went through inpaitent alcohol rehab treatment at a resort spa in costa rica and the VA paid for it.

Posted by: Mister Scott (Formerly GWS) at February 13, 2025 11:44 AM (Rcnd3)

300 DOGE claims to have found $2.7 TRILLION (with a "t") in improper Medicare and Medicaid payments to overseas entities.

>>What's really going to bake your noodle is that that is only the beginning.

Now THIS is what we need.
The list of USAID things for $1 or 2 million here or there can be funny and outrageous, but what we've always needed is to identify and stop the massive fraud like this.

And DOGE has barely started.

WOW!!
Posted by: Lizzy at February 13, 2025 11:38 AM (Cki93)
***

Ya know...stepping back a bit. At some point this isn't funny anymore. People are going to stop laughing and will start getting angry.
As they should.
That is when the Dems and GOPers need to get really worried.
As they should.

Posted by: Diogenes at February 13, 2025 11:44 AM (W/lyH)

301
This caterwauling by the Democrats is nothing new.

They go ape-shit when ever we mention "means testing" for welfare/entitlements.

They DO NOT want ANYONE looking into recipients of social security or medicare -- they don't want us to know Who is getting checks and Why.

Posted by: Soothsayer learns about Kickapoo at February 13, 2025 11:44 AM (fUF5B)

302 Probably government auditors are good at catching the small stuff, like the department copier being used for personal purposes, and are bad at catching actual fraud, because that has been authorized by the higher-ups and they don't want to fight them.

I once briefly worked for a utility regulatory agency in a big state, and that's exactly what they would do - they would find a bunch of trivial expenditures that the utilities were illegally billing the ratepayers for to protect their phony-baloney jobs, while ignoring the real abuses, since that would upset the apple cart.

Posted by: The ARC of History! at February 13, 2025 11:44 AM (uxCna)

303 We are eternally in your debt.
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at February 13, 2025 11:43 AM (+sD5M)

Ah shucks.. But seriously great news ! Prayers still coming

Posted by: It's me donna at February 13, 2025 11:44 AM (VE6XX)

304 Lizzy, think you might have got it backwards.
Digital used for office access.
Originals (life insurance I'd bet) sent off to Iron Mountain.

Posted by: From about That Time at February 13, 2025 11:44 AM (4780s)

305 Lets make NGO's non-governmental again

Posted by: SMOD at February 13, 2025 11:44 AM (RHGPo)

306 Not craw!...CRAW!!

Posted by: BignJames at February 13, 2025 11:44 AM (Yj6Os)

307 The NYTimes is an embarrassment.

"Without Pennies, What Becomes of Penny Loafers?
The fashion world pondered the future of the iconic shoe after learning that a presidential order might eliminate the penny."

-------------

"OMG, DOGE is gonna ban the playing of Penny Lane!"

Posted by: ShainS -- It's A Sorry State of Affairs When It's The Judges Who Need Hanging at February 13, 2025 11:45 AM (vAHT7)

308 290 JUST IN: The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12 to 10 to advance Kash Patel's nomination to be FBI director to the Senate floor.

This is the most-important nomination in my opinion.

Posted by: gKWVE at February 13, 2025 11:45 AM (gKWVE)

309 It takes dedicated, arrogant, politicians and bureaucrats to steal that much over the years. America should extract every drop of blood from these greasy turnips.

Posted by: Eromero at February 13, 2025 11:45 AM (jgmnb)

310
Without Pennies, What Becomes of Penny Loafers?

They become Nickelbacks

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) Imprison! Imprison! Imprison! at February 13, 2025 11:45 AM (xG4kz)

311 290 JUST IN: The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12 to 10 to advance Kash Patel's nomination to be FBI director to the Senate floor.
Posted by: SMOD at February 13, 2025 11:43 AM (RHGPo)

Is the vote tomorrow?

Posted by: Long night... darkness lifted. at February 13, 2025 11:45 AM (2NXcZ)

312 Elon Musk stole my SSN and used it to sign me up for Gay OnlyFans.

Posted by: Red-blooded American Male David Hogg at February 13, 2025 11:45 AM (Cw7Lx)

313 The ones who are supposed to be watching for fraud are either pathetically bad or they are complicit criminals? I bet most fall into the category of shirkers who are collecting their paychecks and only doing something if and when their supervisor tells them what to do. They get a good paycheck and great benefits and have a lot of free time. I'm not sure whether that's pathetically bad. I bet some of them would do a good job with closer supervision. I'd call this nonfeasance. Of course, there are quite a few (near the top, I'd guess) who are complicit criminals, but many worker bees are lazy.

Posted by: Al in St. Louis at February 13, 2025 11:45 AM (XU3QZ)

314 Dude I hope they don't, like, ban the Penny Arcade webtoon.

Posted by: some gamer rippin' smoke since 2002 at February 13, 2025 11:45 AM (gKWVE)

315 Maybe headed to Hurricane Helene area, now that homes are being built there? They’re trying to pass themselves off as survivors
Posted by: kallisto at February 13, 2025 11:41 AM (zX78/)

Wouldn't shock me.

Someone is telling them where to go, then helping them get there.

These people have no money, no skills and don't speak english. Very few are even literate in Spanish. So I don't think they're coming up with these plans on their own.

Posted by: Harry Paratestes at February 13, 2025 11:46 AM (uCjyK)

316 289 I am starting to think they have built a LOT of their apparatus around the easy cash flows and boondoggles. Does not mean they can't respond. The enemy gets a vote. But that is where the speed of this comes in. Seize the initiative and make them react to you instead of the other way around. This is the way.
Posted by: Aetius451AD at February 13, 2025 11:43 AM (bss/y)

========

The organizational and institutional left is very likely funded by hundreds of billions, maybe even trillions of dollars from the US treasury on a yearly basis.

Cutting that in half, at a minimum, cripples them. The first to fall will be ancillary movements in other countries, with DC being the last place to see their funding disappear because of how those who run the NGOs will prioritize diminished funds.

But that will extend to how they approach state-level politics in America.

Why send $20 million to, say, NC for a Senate race when your board needs to make mortgage payments with that money? That sort of thinking.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, watching B-movies with Roger Corman at February 13, 2025 11:46 AM (GBKbO)

317 OMG, DOGE is gonna ban the playing of Penny Lane!"
Posted by: ShainS -- It's A Sorry State of Affairs When It's The Judges Who Need Hanging at February 13, 2025 11:45 AM (vAHT7)
From now on it’s Shilling Lane.

Posted by: Eromero at February 13, 2025 11:46 AM (jgmnb)

318 We are eternally in your debt.
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at February 13, 2025 11:43 AM (+sD5M)

I know what you are expressing here - appreciation - but no. Your guys' health and success is what we *want*.

Posted by: ... at February 13, 2025 11:46 AM (Tqr2v)

319 It always amazes me how many high profile and high powered people in elected positions like Senator can be so actively bad at...politics.
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, watching B-movies with Roger Corman at February 13, 2025 11:38 AM (GBKbO)

The leftists who call Trump "Hitler" don't understand him, or politics, at al. Trump is an old school politician, in the model of LaGuardia or Mayor Daley. Those guys could be heavy handed at getting what they wanted, but they also knew how to stay incredibly popular with their constituency. That's what Trump knows.

Posted by: Tom Servo at February 13, 2025 11:47 AM (wyMQY)

320 The song "Pennies from Heaven" may become anachronistic

Oh well.

Posted by: Anna Puma at February 13, 2025 11:47 AM (TpJej)

321 What about all the girls named 'Penny' ... ? Will they be 'Nickel' and 'Dime'-d to death now?

Posted by: Dr_No at February 13, 2025 11:47 AM (ayRl+)

322 It's only a million, it's only a billion....

We'll know we're truly turning a corner when the prevailing attitude is that one single dollar taken from any American and pocketed by a government official is cause for getting out the pitchforks.

Posted by: Warai-otoko at February 13, 2025 11:47 AM (jKo6M)

323 Apparently McConnell is content to see his reputation turn into something even the pigs won't eat.

Posted by: Paco at February 13, 2025 11:47 AM (mADJX)

324 The most corrupt proactice I have seen so far is setting up categorical "banks" wit billions of dollars to loan out to private companies. Lee Zeldin talks about clawing back 20 billion in a bank parked there to fund green energy projects. Some NGO can then farm out billions in loans with little or no oversight. Read about another one today.
In a way, this is how the NGO's work. One gets a big number, takes admin costs off the top, then doles out to others who also take admin off the top and then doles out to othersetc. Very little actually goes for wha the funds were for.

Posted by: sharon(willow's apprentice) at February 13, 2025 11:47 AM (t/2Uw)

325 CBD: You should be ashamed. Our public servants have dedicated their lives, at great personal sacrifice, to deliver their best for the children!

Posted by: Field Marshal Zhukov at February 13, 2025 11:48 AM (wBaIH)

326 320 The song "Pennies from Heaven" may become anachronistic

Oh well.
Posted by: Anna Puma at February 13, 2025 11:47 AM (TpJej

With inflation that song needs to change anyway

Posted by: It's me donna at February 13, 2025 11:48 AM (VE6XX)

327 Also of note, the Denver superintendent laments that, after the announcement the Biden no-go policy was rescinded, one classroom had barely 20% of students.
Meaning, 80% of the students are illegals.
AYFKM?

Two of my neighbors decided to take advantage of the clear weather to get new roofs put on. Monday it was noisy as hell around the 'hood. Tuesday less so. Wednesday they were all gone. Same today.
Rain/snow starts tomorrow.

Posted by: Diogenes at February 13, 2025 11:48 AM (W/lyH)

328 321 What about all the girls named 'Penny' ... ? Will they be 'Nickel' and 'Dime'-d to death now?
Posted by: Dr_No at February 13, 2025 11:47 AM (ayRl+)

Well I'm not calling her Benjamin.

Posted by: Warai-otoko at February 13, 2025 11:48 AM (jKo6M)

329
WAPo, Cheney Slates Closing of 43 Military Bases
Deepest Retrenchment Since World War II, April 13, 1991

BLS dot gov: TED: The Economic Daily
Federal government biggest job loser in 1990s, January 31, 2001.
The Federal government (excluding the Postal Service) lost the most jobs in the 1990s of any industry.
The number of civilian federal employees (other than postal workers) fell from 2,155,400 in 1989 to 1,796,100 in 1999 - a loss of 359,300 jobs. The Department of Defense lost the most: 333,000 civilian workers.
Other industries with large declines in employment in the 1990s including savings institutions and aircraft and parts manufacturing.

1994 Clinton signed a bill that offered federal workers buyouts of up to $25,000, largely for management positions, to "reduce layers of bureaucracy & micromanagement that were typing Government in knots."

"Buys outs" in the Federal government became common after the early 1990's but, with very rare exception, were awarded at managerial levels, (about) GS-13 & above.

Admin. always becomes too top heavy but, even now, bureaus of cabinet level agencies have been padding administrative nos. at great "field' expense.

Posted by: L - No nic, another fine day at February 13, 2025 11:48 AM (NFX2v)

330 So, McConnell's SiL who ended up drowned in her car, we never heard any more about it. A hit as a warning to the Turtle?
Posted by: Ciampino - cheenee warning? at February 13, 2025 11:41 AM

You are too young to be so cynical.

Posted by: Duncanthrax at February 13, 2025 11:48 AM (R+4G8)

331 DOGE claims to have found $2.7 TRILLION (with a "t") in improper Medicare and Medicaid payments to overseas entities.

===

👀

I think we are close to balancing the budget !

Posted by: runner at February 13, 2025 11:48 AM (g47mK)

332 282 Breaking! RFK Jr. has been officially confirmed as the HHS Secretary! 51-47
Posted by: SMOD at February 13, 2025 11:42 AM (RHGPo)

Let's hope he is allowed to make a difference.

MAHA!!

Posted by: Just Lily at February 13, 2025 11:48 AM (y3de1)

333 Praise God.
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at February 13, 2025 11:23 AM (+sD5M)

Indeed. Glad to hear it

Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at February 13, 2025 11:48 AM (0l8OY)

334 Lord High Executioner Elon Musk has a little list.

Posted by: Anna Puma at February 13, 2025 11:48 AM (TpJej)

335 tying

Posted by: L - No nic, another fine day at February 13, 2025 11:48 AM (NFX2v)

336 What will we nickname girls with copper-colored hair?

Posted by: Oglebay at February 13, 2025 11:49 AM (2ap+5)

337 eems he is recreating the "Sack of Rome" although she doesn't say which sack of Rome or whether Musk and his "teens" are the Visigoths or Charles V

Buncha faggits.

Posted by: Brennos of the Senones at February 13, 2025 11:49 AM (gKWVE)

338 Why send $20 million to, say, NC for a Senate race when your board needs to make mortgage payments with that money? That sort of thinking.
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, watching B-movies with Roger Corman at February 13, 2025 11:46 AM (GBKbO)

Heh. Possibly unrelated but I just remembered a retarded thing: 'What if the Dept of Education had all the money it needed and the Dept of Defense had to have bake sales?!'

Posted by: Aetius451AD at February 13, 2025 11:49 AM (bss/y)

339 Oddly, a bunch of her students moved with their families to different states. NC seems to be popular for some reason.

-

NC has been suffering under an infestation of both illegals and locusts for a couple of decades now.

Posted by: Boron Cobbie - Nacho taco chimichanga at February 13, 2025 11:49 AM (sG4Li)

340
Originals (life insurance I'd bet) sent off to Iron Mountain.
Posted by: From about That Time

Iron Mountain's storage caves are in a mountain of limestone.

Ironically, limestone used in refining iron ore is converted to slag, a very low grade and opaque manmade form of glass.

Iron Mountain, my ass.

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) Imprison! Imprison! Imprison! at February 13, 2025 11:49 AM (xG4kz)

341 It ain't just medicare/medicaid. The VA needs to be audited as well. I personally know a guy who went through inpaitent alcohol rehab treatment at a resort spa in costa rica and the VA paid for it.
Posted by: Mister Scott (Formerly GWS)
——

Did you go to the Pacific or Atlantic die of CR?

Posted by: Jukin the Deplorable at February 13, 2025 11:49 AM (17s+e)

342 @311 vote is next week. Some senators are going to Europe starting tomorrow so probably Tuesday

Posted by: Smell the Glove at February 13, 2025 11:49 AM (KXtU1)

343 339 Oddly, a bunch of her students moved with their families to different states. NC seems to be popular for some reason.

Dem Governor

Posted by: It's me donna at February 13, 2025 11:49 AM (VE6XX)

344 Who do the "government auditors" work for? Now you understand what they are there to find.

Just enough for plausible deniability.

Like how every now and again a Congressman gets busted for corruption. You need one every three or four years so the rest can get on with the *real* business of corruption.

Posted by: ... at February 13, 2025 11:49 AM (Tqr2v)

345 Cutting that in half, at a minimum, cripples them. The first to fall will be ancillary movements in other countries, with DC being the last place to see their funding disappear because of how those who run the NGOs will prioritize diminished funds."

It's been noted that a couple days after USAID shut down, the unpopular WEF aligned President of Romania resigned.

Posted by: Tom Servo at February 13, 2025 11:49 AM (wyMQY)

346 Willowed: Thanks for the note on INTC, whig!

Posted by: Preparing gp For Lazy Loading at February 13, 2025 11:50 AM (DSSlM)

347 I just had a thought.

The last few weeks remind me of glasnost and perestroika.

Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at February 13, 2025 11:50 AM (0l8OY)

348 290 JUST IN: The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12 to 10 to advance Kash Patel's nomination to be FBI director to the Senate floor.
Posted by: SMOD at February 13, 2025 11:43 AM (RHGPo)

Valentine's junkets, or some other grand waste?

Posted by: Long night... darkness lifted. at February 13, 2025 11:50 AM (2NXcZ)

349 Does anyone here really believe any Epstein files still exist?

Posted by: Soothsayer learns about Kickapoo

Yes. My hypothesis is that Ghislaine Maxwell's transfer to a cushy federal pen was based on her saying "I have several people holding onto those files, they don't know each other and they have instructions that if I die of anything other than old age, they get sent to Wikileaks."

Posted by: NR Pax at February 13, 2025 11:50 AM (BpO1e)

350 Thank you, sir.

You've got mail, by the way.
Posted by: Sponge

Replied. 😁

Posted by: rickb223 at February 13, 2025 11:50 AM (ASVsW)

351 Ya know...stepping back a bit. At some point this isn't funny anymore. People are going to stop laughing and will start getting angry.
As they should.
That is when the Dems and GOPers need to get really worried.
As they should.
Posted by: Diogenes at February 13, 2025 11:44 AM (W/lyH)

I'm somewhere between exasperated and angry.

I understand that most people don't really care about politics and have a very surface level understanding of what goes on in DC.

I understand that the media is truly government propaganda.

What frustrates me is that it is, and has become even more increasingly clear that the leaches in our "elite classes" are a bunch of low-IQ nepo babies who have been bleeding every single one of us dry, while also doing everything their power to destroy the middle class in this country. For decades. And people just don't seem to really care. Or care to the level I think they should.

If what I believe about our government and how it operates is correct (and I'm pretty convinced it is), then we need to take some pretty drastic measures as a society. Things might still be fixable, but we need to have some pep in our step here.

Posted by: Harry Paratestes at February 13, 2025 11:50 AM (uCjyK)

352 328 321 What about all the girls named 'Penny' ... ? Will they be 'Nickel' and 'Dime'-d to death now?
Posted by: Dr_No at February 13, 2025 11:47 AM (ayRl+)

Well I'm not calling her Benjamin.
Posted by: Warai-otoko at February 13, 2025 11:48 AM (jKo6M)

I will call her George. I will hug her and squeeze her and love her.

Posted by: Hour of the Wolf at February 13, 2025 11:50 AM (VNX3d)

353 The Donks posting their Ws.

https://is.gd/pYr9X9

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Covfefe Today, Covfefe Tomorrow, Covfefe Forever! at February 13, 2025 11:51 AM (L/fGl)

354 I found it hilarious the federal retirement system would grind to a halt because a mine shaft elevator broke.
Posted by: sniffybigtoe at February 13, 2025 11:16 AM (REy3e)

Spoiler: they usually have more than one.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at February 13, 2025 11:51 AM (8zz6B)

355 I want to know more about these alleged TRILLION DOLLAR payments to overseas entities, like WHERE??

Posted by: runner at February 13, 2025 11:51 AM (g47mK)

356 The leftists who call Trump "Hitler" don't understand him, or politics, at al. Trump is an old school politician, in the model of LaGuardia or Mayor Daley. Those guys could be heavy handed at getting what they wanted, but they also knew how to stay incredibly popular with their constituency. That's what Trump knows.
Posted by: Tom Servo
=======
Good call on that observation.

Posted by: whig at February 13, 2025 11:51 AM (ctrM5)

357 334 Lord High Executioner Elon Musk has a little list.
Posted by: Anna Puma at February 13, 2025 11:48 AM (TpJej)

+++++

The rep from California who the VP he disgusts

Posted by: Oglebay at February 13, 2025 11:51 AM (2ap+5)

358 @ 328 321 What about all the girls named 'Penny' ... ? Will they be 'Nickel' and 'Dime'-d to death now?
Posted by: Dr_No at February 13, 2025 11:47 AM (ayRl+)

Well I'm not calling her Benjamin.
____________________________________

There's always 'Benny' ...

Posted by: Dr_No at February 13, 2025 11:51 AM (ayRl+)

359 Also of note, the Denver superintendent laments that, after the announcement the Biden no-go policy was rescinded, one classroom had barely 20% of students.
Meaning, 80% of the students are illegals.

-

Man, imagine the budget and attention to individual students once the kids who couldn't speak or understand English were no longer dragging the normal kids down.

Black families should be celebrating the heck out of this type of thing.

Posted by: Boron Cobbie - Nacho taco chimichanga at February 13, 2025 11:51 AM (sG4Li)

360 The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12 to 10

==

one of the donkeys switched sides? which one ?

Posted by: runner at February 13, 2025 11:52 AM (g47mK)

361 Girls called Penny?

Call them Penelope

Posted by: Anna Puma at February 13, 2025 11:52 AM (TpJej)

362 Steven King will have to change the name of Pennywise

Posted by: Smell the Glove at February 13, 2025 11:52 AM (KXtU1)

363 MAHA? AHA.

nyuck

Posted by: JackStraw at February 13, 2025 11:52 AM (LkLld)

364 I want to know more about these alleged TRILLION DOLLAR payments to overseas entities, like WHERE??
Posted by: runner at February 13, 2025 11:51 AM (g47mK)

Hey don't look at me.

Posted by: Doodad Pro at February 13, 2025 11:52 AM (Tqr2v)

365 AI LLM's are good for blasting through data and presenting data in a human readable way in a very short period of time.

As I said, as a PM, I get multi-hundred to thousand page proposals thrown my way, a thousand page proposal can take an entire day to get through, I can feed it into my AI and query the AI about it, and get a summary and the essential information I need from it within minutes.

Which means, I can work on more projects, which means more bonuses for me, potentially.

It's defiantly a game changer.

Back when I was writing proposals, it was made very clear to us by management that you had to include certain buzzwords to avoid round filing in the early filtering. Nanotechnology and machine learning were particular favorites.

Is it possible that the AI is doing the same thing, i.e. ignoring the real worth of the proposal in favor of the buzzwords?

Posted by: Archimedes at February 13, 2025 11:52 AM (xCA6C)

366 337 eems he is recreating the "Sack of Rome" although she doesn't say which sack of Rome or whether Musk and his "teens" are the Visigoths or Charles V

Buncha faggits.
Posted by: Brennos of the Senones at February 13, 2025 11:49 AM (gKWVE)

Nice. Brennos did get there first. Considering the ancient world, it is amazing that Rome did not even get threatened by a foreign invader for something like 800+ years.

You all forgot poor Alaric and the Goths. He got Galla Placidia out of that deal.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at February 13, 2025 11:52 AM (bss/y)

367 Influence Watch, in part -

NACo is a member of the “Big Seven,” an informal group of national nonprofits that advocate for local and state governments. The other six members are: the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Council of State Governments, the National League of Cities, the United States Conference of Mayors, the International City/County Management Association, and the International Municipal Lawyers Association.

Posted by: L - No nic, another fine day at February 13, 2025 11:52 AM (NFX2v)

368 Slept like a baby last night and I'm told, feels well rested this morning.

Praise God.
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at February 13, 2025 11:23 AM (+sD5M)

Praise God, indeed!! God is good, all the time. This is great news. Keeping you two in my prayers.

Posted by: Our Country is Screwed at February 13, 2025 11:52 AM (N39Ws)

369 Yes. My hypothesis is that Ghislaine Maxwell's transfer to a cushy federal pen was based on her saying "I have several people holding onto those files, they don't know each other and they have instructions that if I die of anything other than old age, they get sent to Wikileaks."
Posted by: NR Pax

We thought Epstein had a dead man's switch also.
😢

Posted by: rickb223 at February 13, 2025 11:53 AM (ASVsW)

370 they get sent to Wikileaks
-

You know, we as Americans probably need to have a serious conversation about that guy at some point in the near future.

Posted by: Boron Cobbie - Nacho taco chimichanga at February 13, 2025 11:53 AM (sG4Li)

371 Kennedy and Gabbard confirmed - outstanding! And it looks like Patel will go though next week. We lament the lawfare that's going on - but Trump is winning all of his battles in the Senate, and the Judges are doubling down on a losing hand.

Posted by: Tom Servo at February 13, 2025 11:53 AM (wyMQY)

372 What frustrates me is that it is, and has become even more increasingly clear that the leaches in our "elite classes" are a bunch of low-IQ nepo babies who have been bleeding every single one of us dry, while also doing everything their power to destroy the middle class in this country. For decades. And people just don't seem to really care. Or care to the level I think they should.

If what I believe about our government and how it operates is correct (and I'm pretty convinced it is), then we need to take some pretty drastic measures as a society. Things might still be fixable, but we need to have some pep in our step here.
Posted by: Harry Paratestes
=======
Collective action problem--everyone was waiting for someone else to go first.

That is why a transformational leader can pickup support from people to start a crusade. The latent support was there all the time, it just needed a credible leader.

Posted by: whig at February 13, 2025 11:53 AM (ctrM5)

373 When I was a teenage programmer making a nuisance of myself on the school's computers, I chose the avatar ... Footlong. Hey, I was like 13 and thought it was funny! The school computer manager was not amused, and made me change it.
Posted by: Definitely Not Elric The Blade at February 13, 2025 11:28 AM (iFTx/)

Did you change it to MassiveCock? Cuz, if not, you missed an opportunity.

Posted by: I used to have a different nic at February 13, 2025 11:53 AM (ExV1e)

374 I am starting to think they have built a LOT of their apparatus around the easy cash flows and boondoggles
---
As has been noted here, starting with Obama, the Democrats increasingly ignored the voters.
It wasn't just conservatives, either.
They pushed policies that even moderates opposed.
And, they even frequently insulted their own base.

It was all odd, watching it. "These are the voters you need to win." Yet, they kept winning.
And it was kinda explained as, "well, they are delivering wins for their base and are being rewarded.

But now, it's clear--that was a fraud. They were only winning because they were getting massive amounts of public money, easy money with no effort. To them and all their allies.
Enough to effortlessly overwhelm any opposition.
That's why they were winning and didn't care about what the public wanted.

Posted by: People's Hippo Voice at February 13, 2025 11:54 AM (uyRWq)

375 The wit and wisdom of Maxine Waters.

https://is.gd/lHbYpp

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Covfefe Today, Covfefe Tomorrow, Covfefe Forever! at February 13, 2025 11:54 AM (L/fGl)

376 Spoiler: they usually have more than one.
Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at February 13, 2025 11:51 AM (8zz6B)

Wasn't that part of the story? The system has already ground to a halt in the past, because there is only one elevator, and it broke?

Posted by: Warai-otoko at February 13, 2025 11:54 AM (jKo6M)

377 347 I just had a thought.

The last few weeks remind me of glasnost and perestroika.
Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at February 13, 2025 11:50 AM (0l8OY)

Huh. Suddenly and all at once. That mix of hope, uncertainty and chaos.

That did not turn out too great.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at February 13, 2025 11:54 AM (bss/y)

378 311 290 JUST IN: The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12 to 10 to advance Kash Patel's nomination to be FBI director to the Senate floor.
Posted by: SMOD at February 13, 2025 11:43 AM (RHGPo)

Is the vote tomorrow?
Posted by: Long night... darkness lifted.
——

Senate don’t work on Fridays!

Posted by: Jukin the Deplorable at February 13, 2025 11:54 AM (17s+e)

379 @344

>>Just enough for plausible deniability.

The government auditors job is simply to make sure that the money congress appropriated for this or that, gets spent, they don't care who it goes to.

That's why 32T in debt, no one in charge or control of anything has ever cared or been made to care until Trump and his merry band of Psychopathic Wizards showed up on the scene.

The Deep State is going to rue the day they f**ked Donald Trump out of a 2nd term in 2020.

And their folly may be our fortune just yet.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at February 13, 2025 11:54 AM (XV/Pl)

380 Cutting that in half, at a minimum, cripples them. The first to fall will be ancillary movements in other countries, with DC being the last place to see their funding disappear because of how those who run the NGOs will prioritize diminished funds."

It's been noted that a couple days after USAID shut down, the unpopular WEF aligned President of Romania resigned.
Posted by: Tom Servo at February 13, 2025 11:49 AM (wyMQY)

That may just be the most obvious "No money, no work" flounce in history.

Posted by: naturalfake at February 13, 2025 11:54 AM (iJfKG)

381 371 Kennedy and Gabbard confirmed - outstanding! And it looks like Patel will go though next week. We lament the lawfare that's going on - but Trump is winning all of his battles in the Senate, and the Judges are doubling down on a losing hand.
Posted by: Tom Servo at February 13, 2025 11:53 AM (wyMQY)

=======

The lawfare is tepid, at best.

Incomprehensible TRO orders that essentially order the administration to break federal laws which, if they somehow become injunctions, have to face a SCOTUS that has shown increasing frustration with injunctions from lower courts for years.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, watching B-movies with Roger Corman at February 13, 2025 11:54 AM (GBKbO)

382 Brooke Rollins confirmed as Secretary of Agriculture.

Posted by: Rodrigo Borgia at February 13, 2025 11:54 AM (W5ArC)

383 The wit and wisdom of Maxine Waters.

https://is.gd/lHbYpp

-

(dons giant pink foam cowboy hat, clicks link)

Posted by: Boron Cobbie - Nacho taco chimichanga at February 13, 2025 11:55 AM (sG4Li)

384 Given the billions of dollars stolen from the taxpayers and funnelled to members of congress, it becomes clear why democrats vote in lockstep and many GOP members have to be forced into certain votes.

Their salary is a tiny fraction of their actual financial benefit.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at February 13, 2025 11:55 AM (lTGtQ)

385 @311 vote is next week. Some senators are going to Europe starting tomorrow so probably Tuesday
Posted by: Smell the Glove at February 13, 2025 11:49 AM (KXtU1)

I hope Trump cancels the plane.
I hate that junket shit. Its a huge pain in the ass and is nothing more than a taxpayer paid vacation for the pols.

Posted by: Diogenes at February 13, 2025 11:55 AM (W/lyH)

386 Thank you. We feel and incredible debt of gratitude to The Horde for all their thoughts and prayers over the last several months.

The road is not over, but she feels a tremendous weight lifted. God is great. And so are you.
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at February 13, 2025 11:28 AM (+sD5M)

Talk to your radiation person about how to deal with the burn. Wife got told "no aloe" but that turned out to be the only thing that helped her.

Posted by: I used to have a different nic at February 13, 2025 11:55 AM (ExV1e)

387 369 ... We thought Epstein had a dead man's switch also. 😢
----------------

Maybe he did. Alot of people think he is still alive and living the good live on the down low...

Posted by: Wardo at February 13, 2025 11:55 AM (CP2il)

388 That did not turn out too great.

Luckily Trump is no Boris Yeltsin.

Posted by: Anna Puma at February 13, 2025 11:55 AM (TpJej)

389 AI is good for a lot. Yes it has been hyped but it is going to be an integral part of our reality going forward. It's as big a revolution as the web.

I use it to create marketing images. The results have been mixed. From hideous to whimsical/charming to WTAF

Thank goodness I have actual drawing/painting skills to fall back on

Posted by: kallisto at February 13, 2025 11:55 AM (zX78/)

390 Chinless Mitch is clearly a Democrat. Why doesn't he make it official.

Posted by: Shy lurker aka Northernlurker at February 13, 2025 11:55 AM (kTd/k)

391 Ya know...stepping back a bit. At some point this isn't funny anymore. People are going to stop laughing and will start getting angry.
As they should.
That is when the

shooting should start.

Posted by: rickb223 at February 13, 2025 11:55 AM (ASVsW)

392 359 Also of note, the Denver superintendent laments that, after the announcement the Biden no-go policy was rescinded, one classroom had barely 20% of students.
Meaning, 80% of the students are illegals.

-

Man, imagine the budget and attention to individual students once the kids who couldn't speak or understand English were no longer dragging the normal kids down.

Black families should be celebrating the heck out of this type of thing.
Posted by: Boron Cobbie

Not only black, but Hispanic, poor whites, etc. have been ill served by this 'compassion' mandated by Scotus. Bad decision in the 70's, catastrophic today.

Posted by: whig at February 13, 2025 11:55 AM (ctrM5)

393 The wit and wisdom of Maxine Waters.
—-

I count two lies in that one short sentence.

Posted by: Jukin the Deplorable at February 13, 2025 11:56 AM (17s+e)

394 Don't drag us into this...

Posted by: Giant pink foam cowboy hats at February 13, 2025 11:56 AM (DobEs)

395 DepAg is another Fed agency we don't need. I hope the DOGE strips that department to a couple of cows they can graze on the Mall.

Posted by: gKWVE at February 13, 2025 11:56 AM (gKWVE)

396 But now, it's clear--that was a fraud. They were only winning because they were getting massive amounts of public money, easy money with no effort. To them and all their allies.
Enough to effortlessly overwhelm any opposition.
That's why they were winning and didn't care about what the public wanted.
Posted by: People's Hippo Voice at February 13, 2025 11:54 AM (uyRWq)

It's pretty obvious now where the billion or two in "donations" that went to the Kamala campaign came from.

Posted by: Tom Servo at February 13, 2025 11:56 AM (wyMQY)

397 I hope Trump cancels the plane.
I hate that junket shit. Its a huge pain in the ass and is nothing more than a taxpayer paid vacation for the pols.
Posted by: Diogenes
========
There is always the possibility that some of those old geezers fall down steps abroad. Thins the herd.

Posted by: whig at February 13, 2025 11:57 AM (ctrM5)

398 There are a lot of chronically unhappy Karen's out there that have spent the last week or so thinking about the size of some 19 year old kids balls. And they don't know whether to sh!+ or go blind

KAR3N THOUGHT BUBBLE: Do they dangle, how hairy are they, are the too big to fit in. ....errrgg stop thinking about teenaged balls.

Posted by: It's funny because it's true at February 13, 2025 11:57 AM (66ReQ)

399 You know, we as Americans probably need to have a serious conversation about that guy at some point in the near future.
Posted by: Boron Cobbie - Nacho taco chimichanga at February 13, 2025 11:53 AM (sG4Li)

Yeah, it's turned in to a meme.

The real story is likely a story of horrific depravity and corruption.

Epstein was working with the CIA and/or Mossad to traffic young girls so that he could blackmail prominent people in politics, academia, etc. from at least the US and the UK, if not around the world. And he was protected at every step of the way, and likely killed (or disappeared and someone else died in his place) to protect his secrets.

And it's like a meme'able joke now. But the implications of that being true should make everyone very scared and very very angry.

Posted by: Harry Paratestes at February 13, 2025 11:57 AM (uCjyK)

400 Started snowing here, we only get it once a year usually in the valley here. tiny flakes, getting larger as the temperature climbs to 28

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at February 13, 2025 11:57 AM (2VST1)

401 Does anyone here really believe any Epstein files still exist?

Do you, really?

Posted by: Soothsayer learns about Kickapoo at February 13, 2025 11:39 AM (fUF5B)

------------

I suspect backups/copies were made for future leverage, but yeah: I won't be surprised if on Day One we find out Kash has ordered their release to the public -- but they "got lost and can't be found."

Posted by: ShainS -- It's A Sorry State of Affairs When It's The Judges Who Need Hanging at February 13, 2025 11:57 AM (vAHT7)

402 369 ... We thought Epstein had a dead man's switch also.

Maybe, maybe not. Perhaps he didn't because he never believed he'd ever face a judge over his perversions. Maxwell may have been a bit smarter and set things up without him knowing.

Just my hypothesis, nothing more.

Posted by: NR Pax at February 13, 2025 11:57 AM (BpO1e)

403 Collective action problem--everyone was waiting for someone else to go first.

That is why a transformational leader can pickup support from people to start a crusade. The latent support was there all the time, it just needed a credible leader.
Posted by: whig at February 13, 2025 11:53 AM (ctrM5)

Yeah. I hope you're right and this is the beginning of a sea shift. I do have a lot more optimism today than I did a few months ago, that's for sure.

Posted by: Harry Paratestes at February 13, 2025 11:58 AM (uCjyK)

404 X really did change everything.
Some NGO tried to claim that the Trump payment freeze caused a woman to be denied oxygen and so she died. Immediately X show that the CEO of the NGO makes over a million dollars in salary and that they have 98 million dollars in investments and USAID is only 10% of their budget and they couldn't manage to pay for one woman's oxygen?

Posted by: sharon(willow's apprentice) at February 13, 2025 11:58 AM (t/2Uw)

405 390 Chinless Mitch is clearly a Democrat. Why doesn't he make it official.
Posted by: Shy lurker
========
He is a creature of habit.

Posted by: whig at February 13, 2025 11:58 AM (ctrM5)

406 "MegaDittos", CBD. Indeed. Fat, over-pensioned, lazy-asses need to find another job and quit forcefully stealing my money.

Posted by: Danimal28 at February 13, 2025 11:58 AM (1E4GV)

407 403 Yeah. I hope you're right and this is the beginning of a sea shift. I do have a lot more optimism today than I did a few months ago, that's for sure.
Posted by: Harry Paratestes at February 13, 2025 11:58 AM (uCjyK)

======

I'm feeling straight up whiplash from my previous positions.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, watching B-movies with Roger Corman at February 13, 2025 11:58 AM (GBKbO)

408 Today's wit and wisdom from Mitch McConnell......

Uh

Posted by: Smell the Glove at February 13, 2025 11:58 AM (KXtU1)

409 Mitch McConnell is the only Republican to vote against Making America Healthy Again. ...from his nurse-assisted wheelchair with a sippy cup-holder.

Posted by: t-bird at February 13, 2025 11:59 AM (KtPtl)

410 Posted by: kallisto at February 13, 2025 11:55 AM (zX78/)

We are only at the beginning. Think 16 bit video games and 56k modems.

And I am no latecomer to this, I have been predicting AI as the next "boom" since probably around 2012. And what's more I also predicted the speed of the boom once it hit.

I'm not so much bragging as saying I am occasionally good for something.

Posted by: ... at February 13, 2025 11:59 AM (Tqr2v)

411 > vote is next week. Some senators are going to Europe starting tomorrow so probably Tuesday
--------
Yea, the security conference in Germany. The one Tulsi's going to. As the US representative. Trump oughta tell the clowns angling for another tax-payer paid freebie to park their fat asses in the Capitol and confirm the last of his appointees.

Or don't bother coming back.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at February 13, 2025 11:59 AM (Q4IgG)

412 AI is good for a lot. Yes it has been hyped but it is going to be an integral part of our reality going forward. It's as big a revolution as the web.

I use it to create marketing images. The results have been mixed. From hideous to whimsical/charming to WTAF

Thank goodness I have actual drawing/painting skills to fall back on
Posted by: kallisto

--

This is possibly the best AI generated image I'm aware of, and both patriotic and timely:

WTF IS A KILOMETER

https://tinyurl.com/3tnj6keu

Posted by: Boron Cobbie - Nacho taco chimichanga at February 13, 2025 11:59 AM (sG4Li)

413 @365

>>Is it possible that the AI is doing the same thing, i.e. ignoring the real worth of the proposal in favor of the buzzwords?

It could do that, but that's what training the AI is for.

As I feed it more proposals and as I feed it more queries, it essentially learns what a Broadcast Integration/Construction Project entails, it understands what the requirements are, it understands what the essential data is.

And it's better than me at discerning the wheat form the chaff at this point.

Plus, it can do it in a couple of minutes.

Which leaves me more free time, to do other tasks.

As I said, it's a real game changer.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at February 13, 2025 11:59 AM (XV/Pl)

414 This bring data mining to a whole new level.

Posted by: Boss Moss at February 13, 2025 11:59 AM (yF8T2)

415 I'm feeling straight up whiplash from my previous positions.

You may be eligible for compensation, call 1-800-shy-ster and talk to Dewey Cheatem and Howe!

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at February 13, 2025 11:59 AM (2VST1)

416 Yeah, they need to stay home.

"A bipartisan group of senators are visiting Poland and Germany this weekend to meet with NATO partners and military officials over the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, marking the second trip that lawmakers have made to Poland in recent weeks.

“This strong, bipartisan delegation proves the Senate stands united in its support for Ukraine,” the 10 senators said in a joint statement on Thursday. "During our time in Poland and Germany, we will have the opportunity to gain greater insight on the U.S. and NATO response through engagements with top military leaders. We will return with better insight on how Congress can and should continue to support the Ukrainian people and our NATO allies, and see firsthand the heartbreaking humanitarian impact of Putin’s war of aggression.”

The senators heading to the two countries include Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Angus King (I-Maine), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) and Jerry Moran (R-Kansas).

Ernst is leading the trip, according to a press release from her office."

Posted by: runner at February 13, 2025 12:00 PM (g47mK)

417 Is it possible that the AI is doing the same thing, i.e. ignoring the real worth of the proposal in favor of the buzzwords?
--------
Don't forget that story we had a week or so ago (or maybe it was at Instapundit?) about the New York law firm that used AI to help with its work and was facing sanctions because AI created 8 legal citations that simply didn't exist at all! The attorneys didn't proofread what AI spit out.

Posted by: Crusader at February 13, 2025 12:00 PM (TN0g+)

418 Second trip in recent weeks. They need to stop undermining Trump's foreign policy.

Posted by: runner at February 13, 2025 12:00 PM (g47mK)

419 Internet likes this Hulk as a poster boy.

https://tinyurl.com/zh2prhmb

Posted by: Ciampino - Poster Boy at February 13, 2025 12:01 PM (KjLnc)

420 Eric Daugherty@EricLDaugh
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) should run for president in 2028.
She represents the Democratic brand perfectly.

-
Well, he’s not wrong.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Covfefe Today, Covfefe Tomorrow, Covfefe Forever! at February 13, 2025 12:01 PM (L/fGl)

421 Yes. The Epstein Files are blackmail files or subsidiaries thereof and it was integral to operation.

Posted by: ... at February 13, 2025 12:02 PM (Tqr2v)

422 The senators heading to the two countries include Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Angus King (I-Maine), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) and Jerry Moran (R-Kansas).
--------------
Have fun and enjoy your trip. Trump won't need your help in negotiating the final terms with Putin, and the 10 of you preening for the cameras won't affect the outcome.

Posted by: Crusader at February 13, 2025 12:02 PM (TN0g+)

423 Jasmine Crockett?

So how much USAID money went to making her superhero comic book?

Posted by: Anna Puma at February 13, 2025 12:02 PM (TpJej)

424 I hope Trump cancels the plane.

Remember when Trump cancelled Pelosi's junket as they were heading to the airport?

Posted by: The ARC of History! at February 13, 2025 12:02 PM (uxCna)

425 Ya know...stepping back a bit. At some point this isn't funny anymore. People are going to stop laughing and will start getting angry.
As they should.
That is when the

shooting should start.
Posted by: rickb223 at February 13, 2025 11:55 AM (ASVsW)
***

It just might.

Posted by: Diogenes at February 13, 2025 12:02 PM (W/lyH)

426 Remember Tiger Woods ex-wife?

I did not know that Pam Bondi was married to Tiger Woods.

Posted by: Oglebay at February 13, 2025 12:03 PM (2ap+5)

427 Yeah. I hope you're right and this is the beginning of a sea shift. I do have a lot more optimism today than I did a few months ago, that's for sure.
Posted by: Harry Paratestes
=======
During the past twenty years, we have sailed off the charts of normality in politics in this country and actually throughout the West. It is the crisis that the overfed elites in power have essentially done everything to ordinary citizens that they could to impoverish, disempower, and make their lives miserable day to day.

The question is who are the puppetmasters for this horrendous situation? or does it require the removal and permanent political exile of most of our elite class and their institutions?

I don't have those answers as it is possible the cure is worse than the disease.

Posted by: whig at February 13, 2025 12:03 PM (ctrM5)

428 More good news

Lee Zeldin
@epaleezeldin
🚨I just cancelled a $50 MILLION Biden-era environmental justice grant to the Climate Justice Alliance, which believes “climate justice travels through a Free Palestine”.

Posted by: sharon(willow's apprentice) at February 13, 2025 12:03 PM (t/2Uw)

429 It hasn't gotten much attention, but I really like the renaming of military bases back to their original names, but not for Confederate generals. They are honoring soldiers who, in many cases, made the ultimate sacrifice for the country. That's what should ALWAYS have been done.

Posted by: Archimedes at February 13, 2025 12:03 PM (xCA6C)

430 [Per DOGE.gov:]

U.S. Department of Education
@usedgov

Instead of improving outcomes for students, here’s where taxpayer dollars were going:

- $4.6M contract to coordinate zoom and in-person meetings
- $3.0M contract to write a report that showed that prior reports were not utilized by schools
- $1.4M contract to physically observe mailing and clerical operations

What would we do without those TPS Reports concerning TPS Reports?

Posted by: ShainS -- It's A Sorry State of Affairs When It's The Judges Who Need Hanging at February 13, 2025 12:03 PM (vAHT7)

431 More good news

Lee Zeldin
@epaleezeldin
🚨I just cancelled a $50 MILLION Biden-era environmental justice grant to the Climate Justice Alliance, which believes “climate justice travels through a Free Palestine”.
-----------
If it keeps on raining the levee's going to break....

Posted by: Crusader at February 13, 2025 12:04 PM (TN0g+)

432 I'm feeling straight up whiplash from my previous positions.
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, watching B-movies with Roger Corman at February 13, 2025 11:58 AM (GBKbO)
---------
That's why it's safest to keep the blog locked in the full upright position.

Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea, Radioactive Knight, Concertina Czar at February 13, 2025 12:04 PM (6K6Eu)

433 Are those trillions annual or ocer many years?

Posted by: Boss Moss at February 13, 2025 12:04 PM (yF8T2)

434 @428

>>I just cancelled a $50 MILLION Biden-era environmental justice grant to the Climate Justice Alliance, which believes “climate justice travels through a Free Palestine”.

50 Million can buy a lot of bricks and UHaul Truck Rentals, IYKWIMAITYD.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at February 13, 2025 12:04 PM (XV/Pl)

435 DepAg is another Fed agency we don't need.

There's the old joke where a Department of Agriculture bureaucrat was upset because his farmer died.

Posted by: The ARC of History! at February 13, 2025 12:04 PM (uxCna)

436 And those government functionaries who are crying to the heavens that they and only they are the appropriate custodians of the people's information are the very same hacks who act contrary to both the spirit and the letter of the law with respect to spending our money.

This is an aspect of the weird credintialits fetish the left has. And they have a circle argument here - only the people currently spending these funds are allowed to process them because only them have the credentials. And it can't be fraud because the people that approved the spending are also the people with the credentials for that.

Now, I saw it is a weird fetish but the answer is more straight forward, the left controls most of the credentialing system and police it in a draconian manner to get rid of people that might disagree with them politically.

Posted by: 18-1 at February 13, 2025 12:04 PM (t0Rmr)

437 I wonder if the UKraine delegation is coming for their last round of cash?

Posted by: Long night... darkness lifted. at February 13, 2025 12:04 PM (2NXcZ)

438 347
‘ The last few weeks remind me of glasnost and perestroika.’

It reminds of the time when the Warsaw Pact countries started overthrowing their Communist governments followed by the collapse of the USSR.
The whole time I just couldn’t believe it.

Posted by: Dr. Claw at February 13, 2025 12:04 PM (jbnUc)

439 nood, maha

Posted by: Harry Paratestes at February 13, 2025 12:04 PM (uCjyK)

440 We are only at the beginning. Think 16 bit video games and 56k modems.

And I am no latecomer to this, I have been predicting AI as the next "boom" since probably around 2012. And what's more I also predicted the speed of the boom once it hit.

I'm not so much bragging as saying I am occasionally good for something.
Posted by: ...

Can it do voice to text without misspelling words or even getting phrases wrong? Because Siri can't when you speak into the microphone. I'd hate WWIII to start because Andy AI fucked something up.

Posted by: rickb223 at February 13, 2025 12:05 PM (ASVsW)

441 Internet likes this Hulk as a poster boy.

https://tinyurl.com/zh2prhmb
Posted by: Ciampino - Poster Boy

Yeah? Well, Austin could run with Bearclaw!

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Covfefe Today, Covfefe Tomorrow, Covfefe Forever! at February 13, 2025 12:05 PM (L/fGl)

442 260 When have 82% of Americans agreed on anything?
--
The Super Bowl half time show sucked?
----------
Snort.

Posted by: Pudinhead at February 13, 2025 12:05 PM (Wg6v7)

443 Eliminate the Dept. Agriculture?

Well there goes the cover for Project Wildfire.

Posted by: Anna Puma at February 13, 2025 12:05 PM (TpJej)

444 More good news

Lee Zeldin
@epaleezeldin
🚨I just cancelled a $50 MILLION Biden-era environmental justice grant to the Climate Justice Alliance, which believes “climate justice travels through a Free Palestine”.

Posted by: sharon(willow's apprentice) at February 13, 2025 12:03 PM (t/2Uw)

--------------

"From the overflowing river to the overflowing sea ...
Climate Justice Travel will be free!"

Posted by: ShainS -- It's A Sorry State of Affairs When It's The Judges Who Need Hanging at February 13, 2025 12:05 PM (vAHT7)

445 154 Rfk Jr confirmed. No idea what McConnell's up to.

Posted by: Alteria Pilgram
He's voting with his new party.

No he's just openly voting with the the party his heart has been with all along. He's a commie bastard. (I'm from KY - we all hate him)

Posted by: Esperman at February 13, 2025 12:06 PM (UZ7aH)

446 What would we do without those TPS Reports concerning TPS Reports?

The old joke is that the bureaucracy exists to push papers but...its not actually a joke unfortunately.

If you spend money resolving problems they and the spending might go away. If you spend money describing the problems though you can always use that to ask for more money

Posted by: 18-1 at February 13, 2025 12:06 PM (t0Rmr)

447 Swamp Apocalypse
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
C&C News
Yesterday was a terrible, no-good, very bad day for the Swamp. Trump struck back in a coordinated assault on all fronts. He's not waiting for the courts to do the right thing - nor is he defying them.
Jeff Childers
https://shorturl.at/5t30k
Coffee & Covid

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at February 13, 2025 12:06 PM (Vqx30)

448 Nood.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at February 13, 2025 12:06 PM (bss/y)

449 49 I found it hilarious the federal retirement system would grind to a halt because a mine shaft elevator broke.
Posted by: sniffybigtoe

On OPMs behalf, thank heavens it exists to process federal retirements and benefits. Its procedures are imperfect but the people working there have been more committed to thoroughness, timeliness & response to 'customers' than any other governmental department, bureau, agency touching employees' employment and benefit records.
(A large majority of their administrative staffs and agency human resources departments are NOT to be trusted, especially re: the thoroughness & accuracy of personnel records maintained.)

OPM has been particularly responsive to helping those who've lost loved ones on federal retirement and/or filling out applications to become Payee Representatives for their relatives in need. (Hopefully, all of that still stands.)

Posted by: L - No nic, another fine day at February 13, 2025 12:06 PM (NFX2v)

450 As I feed it more proposals and as I feed it more queries, it essentially learns what a Broadcast Integration/Construction Project entails, it understands what the requirements are, it understands what the essential data is.

And it's better than me at discerning the wheat form the chaff at this point.

Plus, it can do it in a couple of minutes.

Which leaves me more free time, to do other tasks.

As I said, it's a real game changer.
Posted by: Thomas Bender
======
I would go to the tech thread with Pixy and ask questions about your application. One of the issues that happens over time with LLM AI models so far is that as they get more and more new data replacing the original inferences from the training set, they go insane-hallucinations introducing fake data, etc.

It is not a settled field by any means.

Posted by: whig at February 13, 2025 12:06 PM (ctrM5)

451 It's pretty obvious now where the billion or two in "donations" that went to the Kamala campaign came from.
---
And the "why" to explain, no matter the race, no matter the importance, no matter the state--the Democrats always, always, always "raised" more money than the Republican.
E.g., Beto, how the F did he "raise" so much money?

And the DU types would cheer about how it was because they had so many billionaires and all the "good" people on their side.

Yeah, that and billions of embezzled government funds....

Posted by: People's Hippo Voice at February 13, 2025 12:06 PM (uyRWq)

452 The senators heading to the two countries include Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Angus King (I-Maine), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) and Jerry Moran (R-Kansas).
--------------
Have fun and enjoy your trip. Trump won't need your help in negotiating the final terms with Putin, and the 10 of you preening for the cameras won't affect the outcome.
Posted by: Crusader at February 13, 2025 12:02 PM (TN0g+)

Yes, exactly.

Buuuuuut, this is probably their last chance to grab some of that sweet sweet graft due to their rapidly vanishing influence.

I suppose I'd be willing to give Zelinsky an extra five spot or so if he were to kick Cornyn in the nads.

But, that's just a dream. A beautiful, beautiful dream.

Posted by: naturalfake at February 13, 2025 12:06 PM (iJfKG)

453 GUYS! Mia culpa, mia culpa, mia maxima....that was from 2022. Although I bet that the current set of characters is Identical. When I find it , I will let y'all know.

Posted by: runner at February 13, 2025 12:06 PM (g47mK)

454 NOOD

MAHA MFers!!!

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at February 13, 2025 12:07 PM (Vqx30)

455 climate justice travels through a Free Palestine, comrade

Posted by: Commissar of Plenty and Lysenkoism in Solidarity with the Struggle for festive little hats at February 13, 2025 12:07 PM (dOnec)

456 435 DepAg is another Fed agency we don't need.

There's the old joke where a Department of Agriculture bureaucrat was upset because his farmer died.
Posted by: The ARC of History! at February 13, 2025 12:04 PM (uxCna)

Dep Ag should be under Interior...

Posted by: Nova Local at February 13, 2025 12:08 PM (exHjb)

457 1DOGE Comics might be an idea. Big Balls, Crusher, Sliderule, and Pocketprotector set out from the Halls of Cheetos, directed by Master Elon, to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse faster than a speeding Tesla.

Don't forget Scoobie!

Posted by: stu-mick-o-sucks at February 13, 2025 12:09 PM (9mphV)

458 Lee Zeldin
@epaleezeldin
🚨I just cancelled a $50 MILLION Biden-era environmental justice grant to the Climate Justice Alliance, which believes “climate justice travels through a Free Palestine”.

Posted by: sharon

And drops 80% of the money on the ground there.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at February 13, 2025 12:10 PM (lTGtQ)

459 What about all the girls named 'Penny' ... ? Will they be 'Nickel' and 'Dime'-d to death now?
Posted by: Dr_No at February 13, 2025 11:47 AM (ayRl+)
----
You'll take my cat Penny from my cold, dead hands!

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at February 13, 2025 12:10 PM (7fElN)

460 Can it do voice to text without misspelling words or even getting phrases wrong? Because Siri can't when you speak into the microphone. I'd hate WWIII to start because Andy AI fucked something up.
Posted by: rickb223 at February 13, 2025 12:05 PM (ASVsW)

It will eventually.

Posted by: ... at February 13, 2025 12:20 PM (Tqr2v)

461 every search the DOGE kids have done was a search any auditor could have done ... nobody WANTED to do the searches ...

Posted by: The Dark Lord at February 13, 2025 12:24 PM (DBAaD)

462 You'd think he'd be too busy misusing all that private info he has with PayPal to get to the rest of us.

Posted by: Ben at February 13, 2025 03:21 PM (34Egb)

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