Having read Project 2025, I know that everyone who isn't wealthy is going to suffer, and it won't get better it will get worse. Still, there are groups that are targeted for the most misery first, and once they are dealt with the misery will be spread. So, this is what Andrea Pitzer is saying to expect and how to be safer and resist. https://substack.com/home/post/p-151702504
If their leadership leaves too, and Tulsi Gabbard fills the IC with Russian agents, will the DOD go along, or if their leaders stay will they hold out for the constitution?
I know how several hundred billions can be pared from the DoD budget without endangering military preparedness and also reducing the risk of an accidental nuclear war: Zero out spending for the Sentinel ICBM program. The Physicists Coalition for Nuclear Threat Reduction, the Arms Control Association and the Union of Concerned Scientists (I belong to all three) have been working unsuccessfully for years to do this, but we are opposed at ratio of hundreds to one by industry lobbyists, not to mention the profound ignorance of the politicians and the general public.
I`ve devoted several of my own Substack posts to the topic.
Stephen, I’m a physicist myself; wrote a term paper in 1979 on nuclear disarmament, even. Member of UCS and Back From the Brink today. Yes, everything you say is true. What a colossal waste of taxpayer money it is for the US to upgrade weapons systems that can never be—never should be—used. And, to make matters worse, the only “advantage” of the upgraded capability is for first-strike use, which VASTLY increases the chances of an accident; most likely human error (e.g., more likely that an adversary will adopt a “launch-on-warning” policy). It’s total insanity. And, on a much more mundane level, isn’t having a healthy, well-educated populace also good for the economy and, therefore, national security? Of course it is. It’s astounding the power of these lobbyists squandering taxpayers’ dollars for useless—and dangerous—new weapons. Will we ever learn? Well, we just re-elected an adjudicated rapist, felon, and life-long grifter, so there’s your answer. But, we won’t give up. What’s the alternative? I’m with you.
Don't give up. It's an absolute tragedy and national scandal to have all this obscene wastage while people go hungry and can't access basic healthcare.
Thanks for the encouragement, James. This is such an important issue to me that I have decided to make my archived posts, including those related to Sentinel available to everyone.
Definitely the best place to cut the budget is the DOD. They are a waste of money that could fund the fight against poverty and homelessness the world over. But, of course, the corporations that fleece the taxpayers would not like that and we know how Trump loves taking money from the taxpayers.
The DoD budget could be cut in half with no impact on national security. It would have a severe negative impact on the job security of most of Congress because of the evil genius displayed by the war profiteering companies that place a facility or two in each and every congressional district. As mentioned by someone below, it is a huge jobs program. And it gives us planes that can't fly in the rain, tanks that go from the factory to being mothballed in the desert, MRAPs that go to local police departments, etc.
The outlook is bleak with how well any future administration will handle any budget. But, we know that Trump has always relied on bankruptcy, and then outright gifts from billionaires for his expenses (legal and campaign). With the call out for High IQ revolutionaries, we have Pete Hegseth and Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr. to malfunction in any responsibility they are handed. [I assume that Matt Gaetz will never be approved.] I'm sure that Peter Theil can be enrolled to efficiently do away with government run Social Security and Medicare.
We know that Boeing can no longer function now that their top 5 (?) heads no longer have training as engineers. I remember my good friend (Chem Engineer trained at MIT) being fired by Raytheon in time to cut him out of a good pension. Not that the DOD is supposed to be humane or have a moral compass...!
A family member was cut right after BIG defense contracts were granted a few years back. They were a senior member of their team with tons of institutional knowledge. Cut out so some investor can game a few more nickles out of the system.
The on the ground jobs impact of these proposed efficiencies could be the shock treatment needed to get the working population to appreciate the Democratic Party’s policies more. Even appreciate progressive policies like the social safety net. The defense contractors who employ them will cut jobs immediately if spending is cut the way they say they will. If we examine this whole proposed group of cabinet members and their individual pet ideas I think we can take some comfort in the possibility that they will not only contradict the MAGA line but also contradict each other. EFFICIENCIES IN COMPLEX SYSTEMS WHEN TAKEN TO THIS EXTREME ARE EXTREMELY VULNERABLE TO CAHOS
The view from 80,000 feet hasn’t changed. He didn’t really win the popular vote but ....
He continues to plan the appointment of unqualified dangerous people.
His buddy the richest man is concerned that we spend too much money.
States remain gerrymandered
The electoral college remains the hard point of manipulation that prevents democracy from working in our country.
Pundits on both sides are engaged in telling their audiences either lies or truths wth no guard rails.
Liberals continue to think of them selves as a purposed group of patriots even while they have essentially no clear unifying factor.
Conservatives warm up to enforce their control of us all.
I had an interesting, uncomfortable experience yesterday. At 9:30 in the morning I got a call from a friend who said he was in jail after a car accident in which the other driver was put in the hospital and might not make it … and would I help to bail him out. I recognized his voice and felt completely certain it was him. He is a good guy and I was shocked by this occurrence that was going to change his life. He was calling from custody so the number was blocked and I wasn’t able to call him back. That made sense. I had two convincing conversations with his attorney and received instructions about how to proceed. My wife and I headed off to the nearest bank, which from where we live, is a 40 min drive. We realized after we left in a hurry that we forgot my wife’s phone that contains the usual Facebook messenger way that we contact these friends. My wife was suspicious but I was completely convinced by my recognition of his voice even after she pointed out it could be an AI. Fake.
To shorten the story it was a scam of course. My friend was with his wife the whole time on their sailboat on their way to the Bahamas.
My point is that even after this resolved. Even after I declined the scamsters calls and they gave up, even after I had a video chat with my friend and long into the evening and night I emotionally still believed this lie; that some thing terrible had happened to my friend.
We hold our first amendment rights to free speech very tightly. Because of this we have allowed and essentially condoning the legality of lying to the public. Lying as a criminal act is only illegal for the result of the lie not the lie itself ( I believe). Politicians recently have elevated this tactic to stratospheric levels fueled and abetted by the most powerful tools to lie that man has ever conceived. And, as individuals we suck up this morass of tainted information with no direct way of knowing what is true and what is not. Our personal experience takes time to be affected by these lies and the process of waking up from one lie is often clouded or covered by subsequent lies designed to be ever more enticing.
My point is this is done on purpose in both the case of my phone call and in the political reality of how our country is run. Sticking to the high ground and behaving respectfully as President Biden has done, succeeding in doing good honest work, doesn’t effectively counter the lies. Even now, as we are about to witness, when the lies all come home to roost the wake up period is long and difficult and not at all certain.
Heather, today quoted Sarah Matthews, saying Trump is “drunk on power right now because he feels like he was given a mandate by winning the popular vote.” This is the first time I have read any words referring to anything that might begin to generate an understanding that the reason for his lies and his success is that he is a power addict.
There is no off ramp in view. Our leaders of the Democratic National Committee who have failed to stop gerrymandering and have done nothing to change the electoral college’s propensity to place someone in office of whom we didn’t approve, proceed slowly and methodically to elect, who, what? Why do we even care?
As you can see my attitude is degrading. Time to take a step back.
“For no pay” isn’t taking into account the scrum of military contractors piling in for some extremely profitable- or guarding profits- back door lobbying.
Where do we sign up to work 80 hours a week for free so Elon can keep milking the government for his contracts and keep being a billionaire who doesn’t pay enough in taxes?
I'm not saying that we should maintain the DOD budget, but you all realize that one of the main reasons why the USA maintains it's world hegemony and we all have this standard of living here is thanks to the gigantic army we have, right? I'm also not saying that there isn't another way to achieve that (of course there is). However, if you're a Republican (who voted for Trump or not), you definitely think that there is no other alternative to a strong military based on how we arm wrestled the world into compliance with the capitalistic empire. Sometimes it truly feels like to bubble realm not talking to each other ...
You are venturing into the heart of what the DOD is all about. The logical absurdities have me thinking of outbidding Russia to enroll North Korea's soldiers to do our dirty work...takes me into the far reaches of how insane we could go under Trump.
What a joke. Everyone is in bed with everyone else and it’s all graft and corruption. Good luck to Musk. He’s another pig at the trough so I actually expect it to get worse not better. They work for the greediest crook of all. This banana republic will put others to shame.
No worries, efficiency and organization expert Pete Hegseth surely has a plan to fix this problem.
The joke of the day!
My thought exactly. What could go wrong?
Yes, especially since he’s soooo experienced running large agencies! 🙄
Having read Project 2025, I know that everyone who isn't wealthy is going to suffer, and it won't get better it will get worse. Still, there are groups that are targeted for the most misery first, and once they are dealt with the misery will be spread. So, this is what Andrea Pitzer is saying to expect and how to be safer and resist. https://substack.com/home/post/p-151702504
Get your passport updated. Since the Intelligence Community leaders just gave notice, watch the DOD to see what they do. https://open.substack.com/pub/spytalk/p/breaking-top-intelligence-igs-resign?r=f0qfn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&comments=true
If their leadership leaves too, and Tulsi Gabbard fills the IC with Russian agents, will the DOD go along, or if their leaders stay will they hold out for the constitution?
You just know he won't wash his hands of it.
I know how several hundred billions can be pared from the DoD budget without endangering military preparedness and also reducing the risk of an accidental nuclear war: Zero out spending for the Sentinel ICBM program. The Physicists Coalition for Nuclear Threat Reduction, the Arms Control Association and the Union of Concerned Scientists (I belong to all three) have been working unsuccessfully for years to do this, but we are opposed at ratio of hundreds to one by industry lobbyists, not to mention the profound ignorance of the politicians and the general public.
I`ve devoted several of my own Substack posts to the topic.
Stephen, I’m a physicist myself; wrote a term paper in 1979 on nuclear disarmament, even. Member of UCS and Back From the Brink today. Yes, everything you say is true. What a colossal waste of taxpayer money it is for the US to upgrade weapons systems that can never be—never should be—used. And, to make matters worse, the only “advantage” of the upgraded capability is for first-strike use, which VASTLY increases the chances of an accident; most likely human error (e.g., more likely that an adversary will adopt a “launch-on-warning” policy). It’s total insanity. And, on a much more mundane level, isn’t having a healthy, well-educated populace also good for the economy and, therefore, national security? Of course it is. It’s astounding the power of these lobbyists squandering taxpayers’ dollars for useless—and dangerous—new weapons. Will we ever learn? Well, we just re-elected an adjudicated rapist, felon, and life-long grifter, so there’s your answer. But, we won’t give up. What’s the alternative? I’m with you.
Thanks, David. I think we are in the process of resolving the Fermi Paradox.
Good luck Stephen!
Don't give up. It's an absolute tragedy and national scandal to have all this obscene wastage while people go hungry and can't access basic healthcare.
Thanks for the encouragement, James. This is such an important issue to me that I have decided to make my archived posts, including those related to Sentinel available to everyone.
Definitely the best place to cut the budget is the DOD. They are a waste of money that could fund the fight against poverty and homelessness the world over. But, of course, the corporations that fleece the taxpayers would not like that and we know how Trump loves taking money from the taxpayers.
Margaret - except RICH taxpayers
The DoD budget could be cut in half with no impact on national security. It would have a severe negative impact on the job security of most of Congress because of the evil genius displayed by the war profiteering companies that place a facility or two in each and every congressional district. As mentioned by someone below, it is a huge jobs program. And it gives us planes that can't fly in the rain, tanks that go from the factory to being mothballed in the desert, MRAPs that go to local police departments, etc.
I think Scott Galloway said it best. You need two department heads for a budget of efficiency?
DOD spending is never going to slow. It's a kind of middle class welfare for thousands.
I'd say more like a bonus for the wealthy!
Failed Nation, def: military budget swamps all other spending & no one knows where the money goes.
The outlook is bleak with how well any future administration will handle any budget. But, we know that Trump has always relied on bankruptcy, and then outright gifts from billionaires for his expenses (legal and campaign). With the call out for High IQ revolutionaries, we have Pete Hegseth and Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr. to malfunction in any responsibility they are handed. [I assume that Matt Gaetz will never be approved.] I'm sure that Peter Theil can be enrolled to efficiently do away with government run Social Security and Medicare.
We know that Boeing can no longer function now that their top 5 (?) heads no longer have training as engineers. I remember my good friend (Chem Engineer trained at MIT) being fired by Raytheon in time to cut him out of a good pension. Not that the DOD is supposed to be humane or have a moral compass...!
First, we fire all the MBAs.
A family member was cut right after BIG defense contracts were granted a few years back. They were a senior member of their team with tons of institutional knowledge. Cut out so some investor can game a few more nickles out of the system.
The on the ground jobs impact of these proposed efficiencies could be the shock treatment needed to get the working population to appreciate the Democratic Party’s policies more. Even appreciate progressive policies like the social safety net. The defense contractors who employ them will cut jobs immediately if spending is cut the way they say they will. If we examine this whole proposed group of cabinet members and their individual pet ideas I think we can take some comfort in the possibility that they will not only contradict the MAGA line but also contradict each other. EFFICIENCIES IN COMPLEX SYSTEMS WHEN TAKEN TO THIS EXTREME ARE EXTREMELY VULNERABLE TO CAHOS
The view from 80,000 feet hasn’t changed. He didn’t really win the popular vote but ....
He continues to plan the appointment of unqualified dangerous people.
His buddy the richest man is concerned that we spend too much money.
States remain gerrymandered
The electoral college remains the hard point of manipulation that prevents democracy from working in our country.
Pundits on both sides are engaged in telling their audiences either lies or truths wth no guard rails.
Liberals continue to think of them selves as a purposed group of patriots even while they have essentially no clear unifying factor.
Conservatives warm up to enforce their control of us all.
I had an interesting, uncomfortable experience yesterday. At 9:30 in the morning I got a call from a friend who said he was in jail after a car accident in which the other driver was put in the hospital and might not make it … and would I help to bail him out. I recognized his voice and felt completely certain it was him. He is a good guy and I was shocked by this occurrence that was going to change his life. He was calling from custody so the number was blocked and I wasn’t able to call him back. That made sense. I had two convincing conversations with his attorney and received instructions about how to proceed. My wife and I headed off to the nearest bank, which from where we live, is a 40 min drive. We realized after we left in a hurry that we forgot my wife’s phone that contains the usual Facebook messenger way that we contact these friends. My wife was suspicious but I was completely convinced by my recognition of his voice even after she pointed out it could be an AI. Fake.
To shorten the story it was a scam of course. My friend was with his wife the whole time on their sailboat on their way to the Bahamas.
My point is that even after this resolved. Even after I declined the scamsters calls and they gave up, even after I had a video chat with my friend and long into the evening and night I emotionally still believed this lie; that some thing terrible had happened to my friend.
We hold our first amendment rights to free speech very tightly. Because of this we have allowed and essentially condoning the legality of lying to the public. Lying as a criminal act is only illegal for the result of the lie not the lie itself ( I believe). Politicians recently have elevated this tactic to stratospheric levels fueled and abetted by the most powerful tools to lie that man has ever conceived. And, as individuals we suck up this morass of tainted information with no direct way of knowing what is true and what is not. Our personal experience takes time to be affected by these lies and the process of waking up from one lie is often clouded or covered by subsequent lies designed to be ever more enticing.
My point is this is done on purpose in both the case of my phone call and in the political reality of how our country is run. Sticking to the high ground and behaving respectfully as President Biden has done, succeeding in doing good honest work, doesn’t effectively counter the lies. Even now, as we are about to witness, when the lies all come home to roost the wake up period is long and difficult and not at all certain.
Heather, today quoted Sarah Matthews, saying Trump is “drunk on power right now because he feels like he was given a mandate by winning the popular vote.” This is the first time I have read any words referring to anything that might begin to generate an understanding that the reason for his lies and his success is that he is a power addict.
There is no off ramp in view. Our leaders of the Democratic National Committee who have failed to stop gerrymandering and have done nothing to change the electoral college’s propensity to place someone in office of whom we didn’t approve, proceed slowly and methodically to elect, who, what? Why do we even care?
As you can see my attitude is degrading. Time to take a step back.
Why is it the job of the DNC to solve the gerrymandering? Gerrymandering is more prevalent in states controlled by Republicans!
Yes, "Gerrymandering is more prevalent in states controlled by Republicans!"
Precisely. Therein lies the heart of the issue. Why in the world would republicans do anything about the status quo?
80-hour weeks for no pay? Sounds like a tough sell.
“For no pay” isn’t taking into account the scrum of military contractors piling in for some extremely profitable- or guarding profits- back door lobbying.
Don’t forget the high I Q requirement- a non starter for sure, unless it comes with future offers or current madness.
Where do we sign up to work 80 hours a week for free so Elon can keep milking the government for his contracts and keep being a billionaire who doesn’t pay enough in taxes?
80-hour weeks for no pay? Imagine how much we will save when Musk et al mandate that for federal employees and military personnel.
Thanks PI!
Typical Moron Musk, has to get other people to come up with the ideas that he can steal and claim as his own.
I'm not saying that we should maintain the DOD budget, but you all realize that one of the main reasons why the USA maintains it's world hegemony and we all have this standard of living here is thanks to the gigantic army we have, right? I'm also not saying that there isn't another way to achieve that (of course there is). However, if you're a Republican (who voted for Trump or not), you definitely think that there is no other alternative to a strong military based on how we arm wrestled the world into compliance with the capitalistic empire. Sometimes it truly feels like to bubble realm not talking to each other ...
A huge army that's about to become much smaller as soldiers and sailors head for the exits rather than serve under a slime bucket like Hegseth.
Not to mention the deterioration in readiness resulting from the replacement of professionals by political hacks.
You are venturing into the heart of what the DOD is all about. The logical absurdities have me thinking of outbidding Russia to enroll North Korea's soldiers to do our dirty work...takes me into the far reaches of how insane we could go under Trump.
U.S. hegemony is immoral and counterproductive, Kills millions in other nations and grievously wounds our soldiers physically and mentally.
“So if someone had a report card that is half good and half not good, I don’t know that you call the student or the report card a failure,”
If a kid has 5 Cs and Ds and 5 uncompleted, that student definitely failed.
What a joke. Everyone is in bed with everyone else and it’s all graft and corruption. Good luck to Musk. He’s another pig at the trough so I actually expect it to get worse not better. They work for the greediest crook of all. This banana republic will put others to shame.