*** “The point is you can’t be too greedy.” [ Donald J. Trump: “The Art of the Deal” ]

This post provides some excerpts from: “The Department of Government Efficiency Is a Lie – And It Might Destroy Us All” [ Thom Hartmann; The Progressive populist; 5/15/25 ]

1]. “America is under siege, but not by foreign armies or rogue terrorists, the threat is coming from inside the house: unelected billionaires who are quietly hijacking our democratic institutions from within.”…..
“This isn’t cheap or even ordinary corruption: †his is the sort of thing that happens in Third World countries….It’s the sort of corruption that destroys democracies from the inside out.”…..

2]. “And make no mistake: this is not some crackpot theory. Shortly after DOGE operatives created accounts inside the NLRB system, a login attempt came from a Russian IP address using one of those accounts..”…..

3] “What’s being looted here isn’t just random bureaucratic files. We’re talking about the private information of whistleblowers, union organizers, witnesses in federal cases, proprietary corporate data, and labor rights enforcement strategies. Including complaints and complainants against Elon Musk’s companies.”

*** “Behind every great fortune lies a great crime.” [. Honore de Balzac ]

4] “In other words, the raw materials for dismantling organized labor in America – and for targeting, harassing, or discrediting anyone trying to stand up to corporate power, including Elon Musk’s multiple efforts to stop or break unionization attempts in his own companies.”
“This isn’t a conspiracy theory. It’s the naked truth, verified by a growing number of insiders and corroborated by NPR, which reports that at least 11 government officials and staffers have confirmed their fears about DOGE’s data exfiltration campaign.”

5]. “Here’s the conflict of interest that should make every American’s hair stand on end: Elon Musk’s companies – Tesla, SpaceX and X – were themselves under investigation by the NLRB for alleged labor violations. At least until musk’s underlings fired the people investigating him and his companies.”

*** “There is nothing wrong with men possessing riches. the wrong comes when riches possess men.” [Billy Graham]

6]. “And if the information DOGE extracted gets used in court – or even leaked selectively – it could permanently tilt the scales of justice in favor of Musk and his corporate cronies

7]. “But it gets worse. Much worse. According to longtime employees within the Department of Labor and other agencies, the DOGE teams aren’t seasoned experts or trained cybersecurity professionals. They’re “new arrivals,” many of them with no vetting, no security clearance, and no relevant experience. Some have even worked with criminal hackers, and another reportedly runs a website based in Russia.”
“Yet they were granted sweeping access to some of the most sensitive data systems in the federal government. It’s a digital coup executed not by hackers, but by political loyalists and tech-bro mercenaries handed the keys to the kingdom by billionaire benefactors.”

*** “Of all forms of tyranny the least attractive and the most vulgar is the tyranny of mere wealth, the tyranny of plutocracy.” [ Theodore Roosevelt ]

8]. “This is how authoritarianism functions in the 21st century. It doesn’t need a dictator in a military uniform when it has billionaires in boardrooms, access to surveillance technology, and cronies embedded deep within the machinery of government. It replaces accountability with loyalty. It replaces oversight with secrecy.

9] “This isn’t just about controlling government agencies and the courts, it’s about creating a culture of fear so pervasive that no one dares to challenge power. Workers won’t organize. Regulators won’t enforce. Whistleblowers won’t come forward. Democracy withers not with a bang, but with a whimper of silence and complicity.”

***** “Social control is best managed through fear.” [ Michael Crichton ]

***** “If you want to control someone, all you have to do is make them feel afraid.” [ Paulo Coelho ]

!!!!! STOP !!!!! – Before going further – ask YOURSELF – what are the government functions that DOGE
did. NOT. investigate – Defense Department?, Going to Mars?, corporate subsidies,
subsidies to rich farmers – some living in cities!!! – versus real “Mom & Pop” farmers?,
interests that benefit Trump donors?……………

***. “Government is a trust, and the officers of the government are trustees, and both the trust and
the trustees are created for the benefit of the people.” [ Henry Clay, 5/16/1829 ]

1] “DOGE promotes..purported savings on an “Agency Deregulation Leadersboard…But many of those regulatory reversals will actually pile more costs on to individual Americans in the form of higher bank fees, electric and water bills, and health insurance payments, according to experts and government analyses.” [NOTE: average American households saved $576 on water and gas bills due to appliance efficiency standards in 2024]

2] “But several experts, upon reviewing the DOGE website and the notices in the Federal Register that it links to, said many of DOGE’s numbers appeared to be plucked from nowhere.” [!!! – ‘plucked from nowhere” !!!!! ]

3] “An earlier Times analysis of DOGE’s related “Wall of Receipts” – which shows purported savings to federal spending through staff reductions, lease cancellations and terminated contracts – found that the math that could back up those checks is marred with accounting errors, incorrect assumptions, outdated data and other mistakes.” [NOTE: thus revealing that “our” so-called “efficiency experts” are themselves INCOMPETENT !!!!!!!!!!]

4]. “The misleading claims come as the Trump administration has begun a push for mass deregulation of the American economy, with plans to rapidly undo hundreds of rules on clean air and water, food safety, labor protections, finance, health care, telecommunications and more.” [NOTE: – read this again – how will this “..promote the general Welfare..”??? – do YOU benefit from this or – do Trump’s rich business donors ?????]

5]. “Mrs. Dudley, the former regulatory chief of the George W. Bush administration, said she tasked one of her graduate students at the George Washington University Regulatory Studies Center to spend days trying to decipher how DOGE came up with the $1.9 billion figure, but the student came up empty-handed.”

“I don’t understand how anyone thinking this through could account for that claim of savings…They’re not doing their homework, and they’re not showing their work.” [ items 1-5 from: Coral Davenport, Stacy Cowley: “Costs for Americans Rise Despite Claims by DOGE”; New York Times; 6/1/2025 ]

***. “Anybody who doesn’t take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either.”
[ Albert Einstein ]

6]. “About 40% of DOGE contract cuts save nothing…Government’s own data show a lot of the money has already been spent”. [ Ryan foley; Associated Press; 2/26/25 ]

7]. “Musk offers no proof for sweeping claims” [ Maggie Haberman, Theodore Schleifer, Zolan Kanno-Youngs; New York Times; 2/12/25 ]: Musk: “We are actually trying to be as transparent as possible…I don’t know of a case where an organization has been more transparent than the DOGE organization.” “In reality, Musk’s team is operating in deep secrecy, surprising federal employees by descending upon agencies and accessing sensitive data systems.”

8]. “DOGE’s only public ledger is riddled with mistakes”. [ Aatishi Bhatia, Emily Badger, David Fahrenthold, Josh Katz; New York Times; 2/23/25 ]: “But the math that could back up these checks is marred with accounting errors, incorrect assumptions, outdated data and other mistakes…its slapdash accounting adds to a pattern of recklessness by the group…” [NOTE: in one case, DOGE claimed $232 million in savings, actual savings were $560,000 !!!!! ]

9]. DOGE Savings Could Be Offset By Firing Costs”. [ Elizabeth Williamson; New York Times; 4/27/25 ]: The Partnership for Public Service said: “..firings, re-hirings, lost productivity, and paid leave of thousands of workers will cost over $135 billion in 2025.” Then there is the cost of defending 200 lawsuits and appeals related to Trump’s agenda. “Not only is Musk vastly over inflating the money he has saved, he is not accounting for the exponentially larger waste that he is creating..”

10]. “DOGE can’t find Social Security fraud… In recent years, less than 1% of payments deemed improper”. [ Todd Frankel, Hannah Natanson; Washington Post; 3/25/25 ]: Musk claimed 20 million Americans over age 100 receive Social Security checks – the agency found 1,294 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

11] !!!!! Read “DOGE falls far short of budget goal”. [ David Fahrenthold, Jeremy Singer-Vine; New York Times; 4/14/25 ] – for. LAUGHTER !!!!!!!!!!!!! at the unbelievable. INCOMPETENCE. of DOGE – claiming savings for a contract canceled when Biden was president; claiming saved $1.75 billion for. $0 savings; claiming savings for a “contract that did not exist.” !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And more !

*** “Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain – and most do.” [ Dale Carnegie ]

[ NOTE: no laughing matter – the cost of all this craziness, damage, chaos, error, incompetence – Americans like YOU will suffer, and many will die. We will soon post here what the Trump-Musk DICTATORSHIP is doing to cripple and dismantle American health care – in the name of “saving money.”

Keep in mind one simple thing: all this is being done to save money for billionaires and others in the top 1-3%. Defunding the IRS gives the game away – because an underfunded IRS can’t enforce tax laws – as the IRS has ALREADY testified. – it can’t get the $1 trillion a year in evaded taxes. – most of which will be by the top 1-3% and the corporations they own or control. Speak up or YOU will continue to get hurt.

*** Billionaire Leona Helmsley: “We don’t pay taxes, only the little people pay taxes.”

1] “Trump’s taxes illustrate how the game is rigged” [ Jared Berstein; Washington Post; 10/4/2016 ]

2] “Top 1% of wealthy held more assets than entire middle class.” [Alex Tanzi, Mike Dorning; Bloomberg News; 10/11/21]

***. “Corruption comes by degrees.” [ Juvenal ]

3]. Some details – Corrupt Republican 2025 Tax Bill:
– “GOP tax bill mainly benefits wealthy, analyses find” [ Tony Romm; New York Times; 5/18/25 ]
– “Tax bill adds $2.4 T to the national debt..To offset the cost, the measure would slash spending on social safety net programs by more than $1 trillion..” [Jacob Gage, Marianna Sotomayor, Matthew Choi; Washington Post; 5/23/25]
– “All kinds of perverse incentives in this tax bill” – “..even seven moths into fiscal year 2025..[the 119th Congress}.. will grab the prize as most fiscally irresponsible Congress ever.” [ Edward Lotterman; St.Paul Pioneer Press; 5/18/25 ]

4] Some other details about Trump-Musk economic INCOMPETENCE:
– “Sliding U.S. dollar is a fiscal headache” [Allegra Catelli, Michael Msika; Bloomberg News; 5/15/25]
– “Growth becoming harder to achieve” [ Evan Ramstad; Minnesota Star Tribune; 4/27/25 ]
– “U.S. Credit Rating Is Downgraded by Moody’s” [ Tony Romm, Andrew Duehren, Joe Rennison; New York Times; 5/18/25]

[ NOTE: Let’s be honest: virtually ALL of the Trump-Musk economic actions have been motivated by one thing: CUT TAXES ON THE RICH. PERIOD. The 2025 tax bill does that. Musk’s crazy government-slashing DOGE does that. Eviscerating the I.R.S. does that. Gutting environmental protections does that. Crippling consumer-friendly investigating agencies does that. Ending subsidies for EV vehicles does that. And, MUCH more………….]

5] Perspective: Mother Jones, March-April, 2011, page 25: “It’s The Inequality, Stupid”
– “A huge share of the nation’s economic growth over the past 30 years has gone to the top one-hundreth of one percent, who now make an average of $27 million per household. the average income for the bottom 90 percent of us? $31,244.”
– Most Americans have a VERY inaccurate view of how wealth is distributed in the U.S. – vastly under estimating how extremely unequal and unfair it really is. Essentially refusing to believe had badly they’re being treated.

6]. SOLUTIONS – are easy, well known – CORRUPTION. prevents them being enacted:
– SOCIAL SECURITY – it’s been known for 40 years that the solution which ENDS any Social Security “crisis” is very simple: eliminate the earnings cap with no changes to benefits. In 2010, this would have solved any shortfall by 116%- yes, more than enough. [ Timothy Taylor; St.Paul Pioneer Press; 11/21/2010 ]
– “a living wage for all is attainable” [Nir Kaissar; Bloomberg Opinion; 7/8/21]: “the most pressing problem for the U.S. remains little acknowledged and unaddressed: Tens of millions of people work full time and can’t afford food, clothes, housing, health care and a proper education for their children” [ the problem: GREED – a simple refusal by large corporations to share their profits with workers.]
– “French Lessons on How to Grow the Middle Class” [Steven Pressman; The Washington Spectator; August 1, 2018]: France reduces financial burdens on families: by paid parental leave, affordable child care, how families with children are taxed. [American governments refuse to do these things sufficiently]

*** “No society can surely be flourishing and happy, if which the greater part of ther members are poor and miserable.”
[ Adam Smith – “Wealth of Nations” ]

7]. “Worker pay stagnates as it soars for CEOs” {Patrick Kennedy; Minneapolis Star Tribune; 9/19/19]: “CEO pay has risen 940.3% over the last four decades…Average worker pay rose just 12 percent since 1978..” [Note: “940.3% is NOT a typo]

8]. “Thousands of military families struggle with food insecurity” [Ashraf Khalil; Assoc. Press; 11/15/21]

9]. “Small Farms Struggle To Survive”. [ Alyssa Schukar; New York Times; 12/12/21 ]

10] Rich and Corporate Tax Cheats – some of many hundreds – details:
– “Tax cheats cost U.S. $1 T a year” [ Alan Rappeport; New York Times; 4/14/21 ]: “the agency lacks the resources to catch tax cheats.” [Note: virtually all of those are complicated returns – of the rich & corporations]
– “At least 55 firms paid no taxes in 2020” [ Patricia Cohen; New York Times; 4/4/21 ]
– “Firms move HQ oversea then exploit tax loophole” [ Steven D. Solomon; New York Times; 2/15/16 ]

11] BUT WE KNEW MOST OF THIS ALREADY !!!!! – Reagan, Bush II, Trump 2017 tax cut failures KNOWN:
– “A tax bill only millionaires could love” [ Bill Press; 1/1/2018 ]
– “Experts: Trump stands to save millions under tax measure” [ Drew Harwell; Washington Post; 12/24/17]
– “Art Of The Steal” [ Mother Jones; March-April, 2018]
– “Reaganomics Redux, but Worse” [Jeff madrick; Washington Spectator; February l, 2018} – “…fraud..”

{NOTE; The U.S. national debt for 1789-1980 America was just under $1 trillion. Reagan tripled it. Bush II doubled that [ and bills forhis immoral Iraq war, his2008 recession still being paid]. Trump’s 2017 tax cut is 25% of current U.S. national debt. Multiple Congresses have failed to pass legislation reducing debt [legal bribery!]. BUT – BOTTOM LINE: the rich refuse to pay taxes – have given legal bribes to Congress so they don’t fix it. The debt will now be used as a club to cut services for ordinary people like YOU – which is graphically done in Trump’s 2025 bill!!!!! Rome fell from corruption – will America???]

12]. Breaking News!!! – 5/24/25 New York Times: “GOP harnessing tax code to punish Trump’s nemeses” [Andrew Duehren]. YOU TELL ME – does this cross “the red line” into. DICTATORSHIP???? – in addition to other authoritarian uses of the tax code to punish ANYONE who dares cross him? YOU. TELL ME……………….

*** “In public affairs, stupidity is more dangerous than knavery.” [Woodrow Wilson]

1]. “Economists: Trump science policies pose long-term risk” {Ben Csselman; New York Times; 4/1/25]
“..ask economists which of the administration’s policies they are most concerned
about, and many point to cuts in federal support for scientific research.”

[NOTE & REMEMBER: the driving force behind the Musk-Trump KAKISTOCRACY is cutting taxes for billionaires!!!
“We” are slitting our throats so billionaires don’t have to pay [any] taxes.]

“To economists, the policies threaten to undermine U.S. competitiveness in emerging areas such as artificial intelligence, and leave Americans, as a whole, poorer, less healthy, and less productive in the decades ahead.”

*** “Any man is liable to err, but only a fool persists in error.” [Cicero]

“Universities are tremendously important engines of innovation…”This is really killing the goose that lays the golden egg.”

*** “Fools are more dangerous than rogues.” [ George Bernard Shaw ]

“Scientists have warned that the United States risks losing its status as a leader in cutting-edge research and its reputation as a magnet for top scientific minds from around the world.”

*** “What most people don’t seem to realize is that there is just as much money to be made out of the wreckage of a civilization as from the upbuilding of one.” [Margaret Mitchell: “gone With the Wind”]

“Economists across a broad ideological spectrum argue that investments in scientific research..are among the most efficient uses of taxpayer dollars. Research has found that every dollar invested in research and development returns about $5 in economic gains, a figure that probably understates the true return because it doesn’t account for benefits that aren’t captured in measures of gross domestic product, such as longer lives and increased leisure time.”
***!!!***!!! READ THIS AGAIN – for irony! The Musk-Trump DOGE claims to be eliminating “government waste” and promoting government efficiency!!! YOU tell me – how many tax deductions for billionaires “..promote the general Welfare..” on a $1 spent with $5 return!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DOGE STUPIDITY personified!!!!!

“Virtually all of modern medicine relies, to some degree, on research that was supported by federal dollars. So does much of commercial agriculture. Those discoveries, collectively, helped propel the United States rapid economic growth and rising standard of living in the 20th century.”

*** “The modern conservative is engaged in one of man’s oldest exercises in moral philosophy, that is the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” [ John Kenneth Galbraith ]

2] Musk-Trump KAKISTOCRACY policies are – YOU tell me….Are they deliberate sabotage???…..Are they treason [note: dictionary definitions: ‘adhering to its enemies and giving them aid and comfort…the betrayal of trust or confidence; breach of faith….impair the well-being of a state…”

The economists quoted are saying that Trump-Musk policies ARE ‘impair[ing] the well-being of {America]”. When Trump was elected, did or did not Americans bestow upon him a “trust or confidence” that he would “Make America Great Again”?????????
The economists quoted ARE saying Musk-Trump policies ARE sabotaging America’s future, using historic NUMBERS – NOT opinions; FACTS – NOT “beliefs” or “gut instincts.”
Just asking………YOU tell me………………

*** ‘..there is absolutely nothing to be said for government by plutocracy, for government by men very powerful in certain lines and gifted with the “money touch,” but with ideals which in their essence are merely those of so many glorified pawnbrokers.” [ Theodore Roosevelt ]

*** “We can either have democracy in this country or we can have great wealth concentration in the hands of a few. But we can’t have both.” [ Justice Louis Brandeis ]

*** “As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there is a twilight when everything remains seemingly unchanged. And it is in such twilight that we must all be most aware of change in the air – however slight – lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness.” [Supreme Court Justice William Douglas]

1]. History has many examples of government persecuting its own people: 1970s Cambodia, 1970s Chile, 1980s America, 1940s-50s America, Nazi Germany, 2001-09 America…….More on these below.

We are now witnessing a new, radical, attempt to USE government power against ordinary people, and for, a privilege3d few by “state capture.” This is the latest stage in a decades-long scheme, well documented statistically. Read: Kurt Andersen’s “Evil Geniuses,” Nancy MacLean’s. “Democracy In Chains,” Sarah Chayes’ “On Corruption In America,” and Senator Sheldon Whitehouses”s “The Scheme.”

If YOU care about America, then YOU must ask questions about what has occurred January 20, 2025 to today. Is the Musk-Trump KAKISTOCRACY doing ALL the damage to American government by themselves? WHO/WHAT is the POWER behind the “Trump” administration? WHO/WHAT is behind the “DOGE” organization? WHO/WHAT funded work that created ‘PROJECT 2025″?????

WHY is virtually EVERY U.S. government agency witnessing mass firings and defunding one that actually works FOR the lower 95%??? An agency that holds corporations & the rich accountable??? An agency that would collect taxes from the rich and corporations??? WHY do multiple authors of ‘PROJECT 2025″ hold important government positions?

WHY are certain Americans being ‘ERASED”? We’ve seen this before – 1970s Cambodia, 1970s Chile, Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia, Communist China, Putin’s Russia, 1940s-50s America, 1692 Salem Witchcraft Trials, European pograms, European Religious Wars, 120,000 innocent Japanese-Americans imprisoned in WW II, Jim Crow segregation, women denied the vote, anti-homosexual laws……….

***. “I have always tried to treat white-collar criminals like other criminals. It still bothers me that Richard Nixon escaped that equal treatment….If Nixon had had the character of President Eisenhower, or any other honest president, this scandal [Watergate]. would never have happened….I hope no political party will ever stoop so low as to embrace the likes of Richard Nixon.” Judger John J. Sirica}

2] ‘…You cannot remove photographs related to Women’s History Month without also removing the women. The Defense Department’s DEI initiative does not merely eliminate programs. It erases people. .. the purge extends well beyond the Pentagon…The New York Times published an extensive list of words that various federal agencies have instructed their staff to limit or avoid…The way we tell stories about America’s past is the way we shape the story of America’s present..” [Monica Hesse: “The DEI purge has gotten weird.”; Washington Post Weekly; 3/16/25]

*** “If all records told the same tale – then the lie passed into history and became truth. “Who controls the past,” ran the Party slogan, “controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.”…”Reality control,” they called it..”
[George Orwell, “1984”]

3] Below SOME examples of Trump-Musk KAKISTOCRACY cruelty and destructiveness against Americans:
– “Trump’s shutdown of CDC information imperils nation’s health” [2/20/25]
– “Scientists worry about global air monitoring shutdown”. [3/6/26]
– “Mass Firing of Federal Staff May Imperil Food Supply, Cattle, and Pets”. [3/2/25]
– “The Great Dismantling: Trump’s Coming Attack on America’s Economic Backbone”. [12/1/24]
– “Neutering the CFPB: A Banker Speaks Out” [3/15/25]: “..sow chaos..only helps predatory lenders..”
– “Another 1,000 weather jobs to be cut” [3/12/25]: “…agency eradication”
– “Undoing years of Climate Policy in a few weeks”. [3/2/25]
– “Erosion of IRS puts its mission in peril”. [3/11/25]
– “White House firing FAA radar, navigation workers”. [2/18/25]
“Report: Trump would drain Social Security”. [10/27/24]
– “Trump Policies Threaten To Drive Up Inflation”. [2/6/25]

***. “Totalitarianism in power invariably replaces all first-rate talents, regardless of their sympathies, with those crackpots and fools whose lack of intelligence and creativity is still the best guarantee of their loyalty.”

[Hannah Arendt}

4] A review of past examples of where the Musk-Trump KAKISTOCRACY could be dragging America:
– 1970s Cambodia: Khmer Rouge “true believers” murdered about 3 million in their “re-education” program. Watching “The Killing fields” may help.
– 1940-50s America: the HUAC- Joe McCarthy era: tens of thousands accused of being “communists”; friends and colleagues asked to inform on “traitors”; “loyalty” tests. Watch “Trumbo.”
– 1970s Chile: a military junta took power; imprisoned opponents; restricted media; banned political parties; tens of thousands were “disappeared.”
– 1980s America: the “Iran-Contra Affair” could have led to impeachment; Poindexter & North interpreted the Constitution to carry out secret operations in defiance of law. “Kill the Messenger” details how far Reagan “true believers” were willing to go to suppress truth.
– 1930s-40s Nazi Germany: cult-like faith in Der Fuhrer; media controlled; non-Aryan group blamed for ALL troubles; language bent [Jews were “collected”]. Watch “Alone in Berlin.” Read “Seduced by Hitler, “In The Garden of Beasts,” “The Nightmare Years.”
– 2001-09 America: “Our ” government lied America into a war, tripled national debt, lax regulation of financial “geniuses” led to 2008 Crash. Multiple books written about lies of “our” president. Watch “Fair Game” to see how far Bush “true believers” were willing to go. Read “Robbing Us Blind” [Brouwer]

*** “People may start out with an initial prejudice against tyrants, b ut when tyrants or would-be tyrants teat them to adrenaline-releasing propaganda about the wickedness of their enemies – particularly of enemies weak enough to be persecuted – they are ready to follow [the tyrants] with enthusiasm.” [Aldous Huxley]

5] The Musk-Trump KAKISTOCRACY’s “DOGE” is a FRAUD. Its basic premises either wrong or twisted. YOUR federal government is UNDERSTAFFED. The IRS is woefully understaffed so much it can’t audit billionaire’s tax returns to recover the $1 trillion a year in certified taxes. Republican tax cuts, 1981-2017, have driven a national debt that was LESS than $1 trillion for 1789-1980 America to over $30 trillion.
The 2017 Trump tax cut is responsible for 25% of YOUR national debt. IF Musk-Trump really want to “save taxpayer money – THE #1 target should be ending the 2017 trump tax cuts!!!!!!!!! #2 is ending ALL the current loopholes benefiting the rich. We now have a record number of billionaires
As reported on 2/17/25 PBS “Newshour” – the U.S. population has increased by 68% in the last 50 years – your federal workforce is roughly at the same levels of thre 1970s in relation to that population increase!

HOW GULLIBLE AND MISINFORMED ARE YOU?????

6]. The issue is very simple: cut billionaire taxes. [already too low]. – OR. – maintain current benefits and services to people like YOU. That is the bottom line. Period.

***. “We can either have democracy in this country or we can have great wealth concentration in the hands of a few. But we can’t have both.” [U.S, Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis]

*** “The governments of the past could be fairly characterized as devices for maintaining in perpetuity the place and position of certain privileges classes, without any ultimate protection for the rights of the people. The government of the United States is a device for maintaining in perpetuity the rights of the people, with the ultimate extinction of all privileged classes.” [ Republican President Calvin Coolidge, 1924 ]

1] “”We the People,” summons forth the still radically democratic idea that the government of the United States exists to serve the people, not the people serve the government. That is fundamental to the Framers’ original intent, as is the related idea that the government of the United states cannot tell us what to think or believe about politics, religion, science, literature, or anything else.” [Pulitzer Prize winning constitutional law scholar Leonard W. Levy: “Original Intent and The Framer’s Constitution” ]

SO – “government exists to serve the people” – as in education, regulating business, protecting the environment, public health, national parks, highways, infrastructure, scientific research, legal & judicial systems, law enforcement & public safety, protecting civil rights, protecting worker’s rights, social safety net, providing accurate information, programs for children……………..

SO – YOU tell me: what has the Musk-Trump KAKISTOCRACY done to carry out these duties and obligations? They CLAIM they’re promoting “government efficiency” – SO what, if anything they’ve done IN REALITY makes “our” government a better servant of the American people ???

SO – YOU tell me, how does mass firings and defundings of many of the above government services make YOUR life better? How does mass firings of national parks workers make YOUR next trip to one of “our” national parks better and safer/

SO- YOU tell me, how does mass firings and cuts in medical research, halting global health programs, decimating the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention make the health of YOU and YOUR children better?

SO – do YOU care if Trump-Musk KAKISTOCRACY privatizes access to accurate weather reports – meaning YOU will pay for what used to be free government weather reports?

SO – do YOU care if Musk-Trump privatize Social Security, totally privatize Medicare? SO, maybe YOUR retirement savings could be lost [like happened in the 2008 Crash]. SO, there’ll be NO restraints on prescription drug costs, hospital visits, doctor’s services????????????

SO – do YOU want to be 100% at the mercy of BIG BUSINESS??? That the U.S. government will do NOTHING to restrain their greed??? If Trump-Musk gut federal government powers, YOU WILL BE ROBBED.

SO – are YOU concerned about YOUR environment – as in pollution-free air; as in the cost of YOUR property insurance doubling, tripling, N.A.; as in clean water; as in toxic dumps??? If Musk-Trump reward their corporate donors/silent partners by gutting the EPA and other government agencies – YOUR future life, that of YOUR children will NOT be pleasant.

2] “…injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere..” [ Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – 1964 Nobel Peace Prize winner: “for his non-violent struggle for civil rights” }

SO – YOU tell me – should “our” government be protecting YOUR civil rights? YOUR civil rights that began with thew 1791 “Bill of Rights”? YOUR civil right to “be left alone”???

SO – YOU tell me – should “our” government be protecting YOUR rights as an employee? Or, should YOU be totally at the mercy of YOUR employer?????

SO – YOU’RE a white male – what do YOU care if women or people of color are mistreated??? YOU’RE a “Christian” – what do YOU care if other religions, or people not in any church, get persecuted???

3] “There can be no equal justice where the kind of trial a man gets depends on the amount of money he has.” { supreme Court Justice Hugo Black ]

SO – what do YOU care if some rich guy gets off scott-free? If 1,500 rioters trying to help a coup against YOUR government ALL get pardons? A corporation avoids punishment? If the federal courts are stacked with “true believers” who RE-WRITE the Constitution and other laws for favored people and groups?

4]. “Of all the costs imposed on our society by the top 1%, perhaps the greatest is this: the erosion of our sense of identity in which fair play, equality of opportunity, and a sense of community are so important….our democracy is being put at peril.” [ Nobel Prize winner Joe Stiglitz ]

SO – YOU tell me – how is the Trump-Musk KAKISTOCRACY doing in increasing YOUR sense of fair play, equal opportunity, and a sense of “we’re all in this together”??? Do YOU think there is ANY chance that YOU and YOUR children will be one of the “winners” from ANYTHING the Musk-trump KAKISTOCRACY is doing?

SO – YOU tell me – do YOU really believe Musk-Trump are doing all this chain-sawing of “our” government to benefit YOU? Are they doing what the Constitution’s Preamble REQUIRES: ‘..promote the general Welfare..”? Do YOU really trust what they’re doing? Are YOU aware DOGE is covering up their mistakes, refusing to provide details of their “big savings”?

***. “There is no more dangerous menace to civilization than a government of incompetent, corrupt, or vile men.” [Ludwig von Mises ]

Consider three recent headlines:
1]. “The Real Reason Trump Pushes Tariffs”. [Kimberly Clausing; New York Times; 2/23/25]: “The goal behind the policy: tax breaks for the wealthy.” [upcoming post VIII]
2]. “Biggest Donors Expect Returns On Investment” [Eric Lipton; New York Times; 11/17/24]: “Moguls Look to Lifting of Regulations.”
3]. “House passes Trump budget plan” [Catie Edmondson, Andrew Duehren; New York Times; 2/26/25]: “Greatest benefits go to richest Americans.”

Now – more details – but the common theme from “our” “transactional” president – helping those most LOYAL to him. You’ve seen it in the pardons, the 2017 tax cuts, letting an unelected rogue billionaire recklessly cut the ability of YOUR government to function, and MUCH MORE. Now YOU begin to get some explicit NUMBERS – showing YOU who the real winners are in Trump’s. “PROJECT 2025” world.

1] “Biggest Donors Expect Returns On Investment”: “Limit the reach of federal regulations on artificial intelligence. Make room for cryptocurrencies to thrive. Ease the antitrust crackdown on big tech companies. Buy more military drones. And don’t raise taxes on billionaires. The to-do list for President-elect Donald J. Trump from Marc Andreessen, the venture capital billionaire…is long, but quite specific. Now, after donating big money to Mr. Trump, Mr. Andreessen is eager to see his candidate work through the list.”….
“Mr. Andreessen’ excitement is a hint of just how broadly the victory by Mr. Trump has resonated with business executives who invested millions of dollars in his candidacy and now stand to profit from his policies.”
***[NOTE: read this again “..to-do list”…invested millions of dollars…now stand to profit”… What does common sense tell YOU?????? }

2] “House passes Trump budget plan”. “..a Republican budget resolution that calls for $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and a $2 trillion reduction in federal spending over a decade…teed u a bitter fight within the GOP over which federal programs to slash to FINANCE A HUGE TAX CUT THAT WOULD PROVIDE ITRS BIGGEST BENEFITS TO RICH AMERICANS.”

3]. Consider these headlines from this same day [2/26/25]: “Trump Policies Threaten To Drive Up Inflation” [Colby Smith, Ben Casselman; New York Times]. “About 40% of DOGE contract cuts save nothing” [Ryan Foley; Assoc. Press] “DOGE staffers resign over Musk’s actions” [Brian Slodysko, Byron Tau; Assoc. Press]. “Consumer confidence tumbling” {Matt Ott; Assoc. Press]. Also – consider recent news stories of Congress critters confronted in their local town hall meetings over CONSEQUENCES for people from Trump-Musk Republican policies.

4]. “DOGE staffers resign over Musk’s actions”: “More than 20 civil service employees resigned Tuesday from billionaire Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency,” saying theyvwere refusing to use their technical expertise to “dismantle critical public services.”
*****[NOTE: READ THIS ENTIRE ARTICLE – what are these patriotic insiders telling YOU????????]

***** sign at a 2/25/25 protest rally: DOGE’ means. “Department of Government Evil”

***** Go tomYOUR local community leaders – ask them WHICH federal government services are going to be cut, or have already been cut. Have they cut YOUR local parks and forest services??? Have they damaged YOUR local schools???? We KNOW funding to church food shelves has been cut. Is all this what YOU think America has stood for??? Did YOU vote to cut billionaires taxes????? Why is a billionaire cutting services for ordinary people like YOU????

Democracy is fragile. Democracy depends on “the rule of law,” NOT “rule BY law.” Democracy depends on norms, restraints, toleration, decency, respect for others, and as the U. s. Constitution’s Preamble says: American government was created to “..establish Justice…promote the general Welfare.” “Promote the general Welfare”. means that U.S. government policies, rhetoric MUST benefit ALL 330 million citizens – not just a select few.

The Founders established a government of separation of powers. No one branch was to control everything. The Trump-Musk KAKISTOCRACY intends to control EVERYTHING. Their latest move: “Trump plans to control U.S. Postal Service,” is discussed in today’s newspaper, 2/21/2025 thus: “President Donald Trump is preparing to dissolve the leadership of the U.S. Postal Service and absorb the INDEPENDENT mail agency into his administration..” [Jacob Bogage; Washington Post]

******* Is it sinking in now????? The governing document for the United States is no longer the Constitution.
it is now “PROJECT 2025”. – a 900 page FAR RIGHT plan to change YOUR “democracy”
into a. PLUTOCRATIC THEOCRACY. The first mechanism is run by a billionaire!!!!!!!

Now, here is Part II – of the Trump-Musk Dictatorship: THE. PATTERN, II:

5] Destroy The Government’s Ability To Function
“The Great Dismantling: Trump’s Coming Attack on America’s Economic Backbone” [Thom Hartmann; the Progressive Populist; 12/1/24]: “By torching the regulatory state, Trump and Musk pave the way for America’s elite to plunder…having a strong administrative stat is essential to a high-functioning economy…A strong administrative state is also the only thing that can protect the environment from those who destroy it for their own profits…A strong administrative state i the only thing that protects entrepreneurs and small businesses from being squashed..by monopolistic behemoths and small businesses are our nation’s main growth engine.”

“They [Trump & Musk] don’t care if the government delivers food or comes in and rescues your town from a flood or teaches poor kids in the inner city because they don’t have to live through any of those things themselves,” said..Trump biographer Tim O’Brien. “They’re rich and powerful, so they’re insulated from consequences of their actins.” [“Playing DOGE ball”; Maureen Dowd; New York Times; 2/9/25]

*** “Government is a trust, and the officers of the government are trustees; and both the trust and the trustees are
“..acreated for the benefits of the people.” [Senator Henry Clay, 1829]

6] Access Sensitive, Classified, Private Data
“Treasury was warned of DOGE risk”. [J.Menn, J.Stein, E.Nakashima; Washington Post; 2/8/25]: “..was warned in a confidential assessment that U.S. DOGE Service access to a sensitive payment network represented an “unprecedented insider threat risk,”…said the DOGE’s access to the payment network should be “immediately suspended”…urged Treasury to scour payments systems for any changes approved by affiliations of DOGE…The memo highlights the degree of concern among government officials and cybersecurity experts…with implications for tens of millions of Americans…”There are reasons we don’t let just anyone peer into the fiscal machinery. Our adversaries would love to get to the headwaters of the money flow…[so] they csan trace out who is receiving payments.”

“DOE targets U.S. health agencies, gains access to payment systems” [D.Diamond, H.Knowles, J.Stein, L.Sun, L.Kaori Gurley; Washington Post; 2/6/25]: “..alarming some government workers with requests to access sensitive records…federal personnel who access those systems are required to undergo specialized training to comply with privacy protections…It was not immediately clear if DOGE officials have undergone that training.”
[NOTE: and WHAT are they going TO DO WITH THAT INFO??? Will we know if Musk’s businesses have it???]

7] CORRUPTING. LAWS {ALL dictatorships corrupt laws]

***** As an American citizen, YOU need to know an essential truth:
the governing document for the United States of America is
no longer the Constitution.
It is now. PROJECT. 2025″
This and two more posts will BEGIN to reveal
THE. PATTERN
of how this is being done to YOU.

*** “The best way to take control over people and control them utterly is to take a little of their freedom at a time, to erode rights by a thousand tiny and almost imperceptible reductions. In this way, people will not see these rights and freedoms being removed until past the point at which these changes cannot be reversed.” [Adolf Hitler]

The Trump-Musk KAKISTOCRACY is doing this; the big difference is they’re doing so much damage immediately and rapidly. Note how many people, especially Republicans, are accepting this damage.

*** Notice two pieces of advice from Lenin that Trump-Musk follow faithfully: “A lie told often enough becomes truth.” and: “Truth is the most precious thing. That’s why we should ration it.”

Here we begin with various parts of the Trump-Musk KAKISTOCRACY’s PATTERN
1]. “He who saves his Country does not violate any Laws.” [Donald J. Trump: 2/15/2025]

***. “Never let yourself be persuaded that any one Great Man, any one leader, is necessary to the salvation of America. When America consists of one leader and 155 million followers, it will no longer be America.” [Dwight Eisenhower]

2] “Monetizing Assets”. and Monetizing the Presidency
A high-ranking Trump official said they’d take U.S. government assets and sell them off [“monetize them”] like YOUR national forests, YOUR mineral and oil rights, YOUR hydroelectric dams. etc. Guess who’d likely be at the front of the line of possible buyers? Elon Musk and 28 other billionaires who kicked in $1 million or more to help Trump!!!!

Monetizing the Presidency? – Trump DID this, 2017-2021; did it 2021-2025 out of office; has plans to continue: “Trump’s Family Business Is Preparing to Profit” [E.Lipton, B.Protess, D.Yaffe-Bellany; New York Times; 12/6/24]; “Trump’s crypto venture raises ethics issues-billions” [Tony Romm; Washington Post; 1/23/25]. For perspective: “On Corruption In America” [Sarah Chayes]; “Corruption In America” [Zephyr Teachout]

***. “The point is you can’t be too greedy.” [Donald Trump: “The Art of the Deal”]
*** “The love of money is the root of all evil.” [1 Timothy. 6:10]

3] Defund The I.R.S.
“Another $20B is stripped from the IRS” [J.Bogage, S.Najmabadi; Washington Post]: “..the additional cuts would add $140 billion to the national debt..by hamstringing the agency’s ability to audit wealthy individuals and corporations….years-long assault by Republicans on the Internal Revenue Service….Bush II hired private contractors, who “..ended up costing the federal government money.”

Republicans then “slashed 20% of the IRS’s budget and 22% of its staff from 2010-2018. For people making more than $1 million, the number of tax audits dropped by 72% – and the money the IRS collects from audits fell by 40%…Biden’s new IRS commissioner told Congress the agency is leaving on the table $1 trillion a year in uncollected taxes because it doesn’t have enough staff.” [Washington Monthly; July-August, 2021]

***. “The citizens of every state ought to contribute towards the support of the government, as nearly as possible, in proportion to their respective abilities.” [Adam Smith]

4]. PURGE. THE FBI, INSPECTORS GENERAL, “DISLOYAL CIVIL SERVANTS”
“Massive FBI agent purge looms” [A.Goldman, D.Barrett, G.Thrush; New York Times; 2/1/25]. “Trump cuts back election monitors”. [C.Itkowitz, Y.Wingett Sanchez, S.Ellison; Washington Post; 2/9/25]. “Hegseth strips Milley of security protections”. [Tara Copp; Assoc. Press; 1/30/25]. “The friends and foes of Trump and Co.” [Aaron Blake; Washington Post Weekly; 2/16/25]: “The self-serving pattern of the president’s norm-shattering early actions is unmistakable.”

***. “If the laws are to be so trampled upon with impunity, and a minority..is to dictate to the majority, there is an end put, at one stroke, to Republican government.” [George Washington]