So now DOGE has removed all these costs, will Americans not have to pay any taxes anymore? That’s the conservative claim right? That taxes paid for all this stuff and Liberals were taxing everyone super high for it…
…so now taxes drop to zero for EVERYONE? Right?
oh, they’ll still have to raise taxes on the lower half of earners, strip essential services bare–if they continue to exist at all, and pile on trillions to the national debt for that.
adding debt is ‘free money’ to them. not like they gotta pay it back…
They are planning on replacing income tax with a sales tax via tariffs. I wish I were kidding.
“They” are also pushing for a cashless society. Having an RFID chip in your hand will get you all your necessities and non participation won’t. Mark my words. If someone told me this a few years ago I would have laughed.
Yeah seriously what the fuck am I paying taxes for if there’s no government anymore?
I like taxes like I like my Costco membership. I get a better deal if I go in with others and buy in bulk. Even if I don’t use all the same goods and services as others.
Getting rid of corruption and grifters siphoning value out of a system is a much better goal than “saving money”
Only for those willing to risk violating tax law, and by extension mostly people who feel like they can afford enough accountant and lawyer time to evade consequences if they come.
IRS also publicly said they would only be doing easy enforcement, i.e. only doing audits on lower income people who can’t drag it out and make it expensive.
So basically giving a green light for the rich and only the rich to keep the money they owe…
What are the odds that they saved the US money and kept it a total secret rather than to brag about it.
So low that I think this is a smoking gun that they failed to do so. We now know it didn’t work out because they are quiet.
@fake_meows @Polderviking they cut loads of things that are a small (comparative) expense that bring in, or save, a lot of money, or support the economy. Like the national parks and USAID, and *all science*. Those new expenses won’t be realised for a while but in the mean time they’re paying off sacked staff left and right, paying the DOGE team, and fighting legal rulings. It’s a ridiculous way of going about anything.
All of the receipts on the stupid DGE website so far have been lacking any and all context, which makes their “savings” worthless without more accounting. Okay, so they cut $1bn from one program by cancelling it, but what if that $1bn that was being spent was generating a return of investment down the road? Then they cut a service that actually ended up costing the taxpayers less than the alternative, which then needs to be recouped somehow.
I compare it to a mayor slashing the police budget because crime is at an all time low - completely ignoring that the cause of the crime being low was a well-funded police force. Shortsighted idiots should never be in charge of money.
Yeah, its a circular economy. So for example, all your federal workers spend, save, invest and pay taxes in the country.
I think this a good small example: https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/new-report-shows-nasas-75-6-billion-boost-to-us-economy/
NASA budget is about $25B
That money (which is respent in the national economy) adds $75B to GDP. 3:1 multiplier effect.
So by finding NASA by $25B you get most of it back again in taxes AND you get all the jobs, services, technology etc. Its a huge list of benefits that is basically paying for itself. That’s 300,000+ jobs and $10B in more downstream taxes…that counts against the $25B budget…it is really a net $15B tax spend to bring in $75B in GDP increase.
If you cut this program, you shrink the overall economy, drop.GDP AND lower future tax revenues. So when the money these programs spends is multiplied out through the economy in a circular way, the high price tag is a useless / pointless way to analyze the value of the return. You need to have the full systemic analysis or you’re just doing damage…
This is every government program. My own small business I can track higher sales when SSI checks go out. The grocery store lines are longer and all the seniors are lining up to get groceries when the checks arrive…
And even if you “save money”, what would you turnaround and do with it if not fund NASA and social security? Do they have a better idea? What else do we need that money for?
Why would you say “half” when you could say “500”?
500 Billion Dollars.
Doesn’t half a trillion sound like more than 500 billion? Even though 500 billion is already a lot?
No, “half” sounds like half. 500 of something sounds like more than half of something. (Yes, trillion > billion, we’re not debating the actual facts - which are the same either way - just the way it’s perceived in a headline)
Half of dinners. 500 meals. Half a car. 500 auto parts. Half of all dealerships. 500 independent dealers. etc.
The old quarter pounder Burger is bigger than a 1/3rd lbs because 4 is bigger than 3! Lol never change America.
none of your examples make sense. “trillion” has more gravity than “billion” in headlines. simple as that.
A trillion is larger than a billion, so half a trillion is a more rage bait headline.
Humans can’t fathom the vast distances of space. How are we going to fathom a trillion dollars?
at least, in part.
I think it’s the opposite. We’re all used to “a billion” now, even thought we can’t really concieve of it the way we can, say $100. But a trillion is just space money. Just make it a gazillion.
500 Billion has real competitive traction - people are billionaires, this is more than them, etc. A trillion is something you have nanoparticles of, something very small.
“Billion”, sadly, is a term that nowadays conjures an individual human or corporate level figure.
“Trillion” is an economy level figure and suitably conjures an idea of how fucked up you all are.
IMHO.
IN A MONTH.
4 years of months left to go.
Maybe next time people can get off their fat fucking asses and vote. Or, if you did vote, maybe vote more intelligently next go around.
