I'm really liking Henry Farrell's description of all this as polycrisis meets omnishambles. Its a weird suspended moment where its all theoretical (except to the people who've been fired) but we're waiting to see which shoe hits the ground first. It might be useful to think that this moment is as good as its going to get for this administration. Consequence free action, until there are consequences.
I think that look on Lil Marco's face is the precise moment he's realizing that he'll be in the dock at the trials for war crimes he's gonna be asked to commit by Trump, and "I vas chust followink orders. " won't work as a defense.
Marco as Eichmann (eventually) in Jerusalem, leaving Lone Skum as Goering, Miller as Himmler, King Toadstool as The Head Guy with One Nut, and VMcVoughtamus as...well, can't be Bormann, 'cause no way does McV have Bormann-level access to cash.
Also, big misunderestimation of how incompetent the 'birthright aristocracy' types are. At everything. Bad at governance, bad at understanding others unlike themselves (ie, +99.9% of everyone else), bad at comprehending complexity. Failing upward in a rigged system really does not equip the incompetent to better themselves in anything but the most superficial of consumption modes.
now that's what I call the concept of an idea! one weird trick, (that no one had ever thought of before Trump came up with it).
and as long as those millions are (were) Trump voters, I'm 100% in favor. alas.
and the YUGE new supply of Soylent Green, to boot!
more seriously, as to Denton avowal about rooting out waste, corruption, and fraud, I don't think anyone doubts that all these things are factors in the workings of government, but ao are they in the private sector. one difference, to me, is that a lot of the inefficiency in government they complain about, is small amounts multiplied by the great number of employees the government uses. they will blindly ignore the very large wastages by big corporations, because campaign donations legal and otherwise.
government is not necessarily in business, so to speak, to make a profit, so that wastage equates, in my mind, to the profit that the private sector regards as its solemn right. in other words, I'd bet that publicly run programs plus waste are roughly equal to privately run programs plus profit.
happy to be corrected by those more intelligent on this blog than I, which is probably all of you. what I want to say is that the overruns in the public sector at least trickle generally downward, while those in the private sector certainly do not.
I am not equipped to comment here except to add that the misguided voters who declare “government should be run like a business” seem willfully blind to the very obvious waste, deception, and law-breaking in business. It is as if every employed American felt fully confident in all decisions made by his or her employer, and none of them are aware that the efficiency they love often means firing Americans, contracting with sweatshops overseas, and letting China steal IP.
I'm really liking Henry Farrell's description of all this as polycrisis meets omnishambles. Its a weird suspended moment where its all theoretical (except to the people who've been fired) but we're waiting to see which shoe hits the ground first. It might be useful to think that this moment is as good as its going to get for this administration. Consequence free action, until there are consequences.
I think that look on Lil Marco's face is the precise moment he's realizing that he'll be in the dock at the trials for war crimes he's gonna be asked to commit by Trump, and "I vas chust followink orders. " won't work as a defense.
Marco as Eichmann (eventually) in Jerusalem, leaving Lone Skum as Goering, Miller as Himmler, King Toadstool as The Head Guy with One Nut, and VMcVoughtamus as...well, can't be Bormann, 'cause no way does McV have Bormann-level access to cash.
I dunno, maybe Lone Skum plays 2 rolls...
Also, big misunderestimation of how incompetent the 'birthright aristocracy' types are. At everything. Bad at governance, bad at understanding others unlike themselves (ie, +99.9% of everyone else), bad at comprehending complexity. Failing upward in a rigged system really does not equip the incompetent to better themselves in anything but the most superficial of consumption modes.
Well just blast our way through and chuck out millions of people.Should go without a hitch—and be very cheap.
now that's what I call the concept of an idea! one weird trick, (that no one had ever thought of before Trump came up with it).
and as long as those millions are (were) Trump voters, I'm 100% in favor. alas.
and the YUGE new supply of Soylent Green, to boot!
more seriously, as to Denton avowal about rooting out waste, corruption, and fraud, I don't think anyone doubts that all these things are factors in the workings of government, but ao are they in the private sector. one difference, to me, is that a lot of the inefficiency in government they complain about, is small amounts multiplied by the great number of employees the government uses. they will blindly ignore the very large wastages by big corporations, because campaign donations legal and otherwise.
government is not necessarily in business, so to speak, to make a profit, so that wastage equates, in my mind, to the profit that the private sector regards as its solemn right. in other words, I'd bet that publicly run programs plus waste are roughly equal to privately run programs plus profit.
happy to be corrected by those more intelligent on this blog than I, which is probably all of you. what I want to say is that the overruns in the public sector at least trickle generally downward, while those in the private sector certainly do not.
I am not equipped to comment here except to add that the misguided voters who declare “government should be run like a business” seem willfully blind to the very obvious waste, deception, and law-breaking in business. It is as if every employed American felt fully confident in all decisions made by his or her employer, and none of them are aware that the efficiency they love often means firing Americans, contracting with sweatshops overseas, and letting China steal IP.
one might almost think they have never made themselves aware of the business record of their golden (plated) idol.
That's really good about trickle down from the public sector
https://youtu.be/MYqkiNEFF2k?si=x2EJCxMBQbfLX6-n
Great recording
Whoopie-Ti-Yi-Yo!