OPM takeover by Musk, Federal Civil Servant Firings | DIA (including DCS) now

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gregh1 said:
I've been avoiding political news, pretty much all news. I dipped a toe into a few threads on here on the last 24 hrs, and I heard from a relative employed at CDC how fearful they were. And now I really want to turn it all back off, but I'm afraid I'm going to miss signal to prep for something bad.

ignorance is bliss but that's what got us to this point.
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The signal to prep for something bad was election night. 99.999% of America missed it. I'd say everyone needs to start furiously catching up. The murderers are in the house and people are arguing over what locks to install. We are 100% in the sustained insurrection period and the more people who realize that, the better off the country will be, but it's for sure too late to prevent it. It's now about wearing it down, if that can even be done. Odds are it's over, at least for a few generations.
 
altmin said:
The signal to prep for something bad was election night. 99.999% of America missed it. I'd say everyone needs to start furiously catching up. The murderers are in the house and people are arguing over what locks to install. We are 100% in the sustained insurrection period and the more people who realize that, the better off the country will be, but it's for sure too late to prevent it. It's now about wearing it down, if that can even be done. Odds are it's over, at least for a few generations.
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I didn't mean mentally prep. I meant prep like stockpiling MREs, buying gold instead of stocks, working on my canning skills...
 
gregh1 said:
I didn't mean mentally prep. I meant prep like stockpiling MREs, buying gold instead of stocks, working on my canning skills...
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So did I. The moment is here.

Groups who seize power tend not to give it up willingly. The only question is how far does it slide. Is it a slow boiling of the frog like Hungary, or a tectonic plate shift like the 1930s. I would say the former, BUT Hungary didn't have President Musk controlling things. Orbon whittled away, Musk is taking a chainsaw to the structure of the government.

The question won't be resolved for a while, but at that point it is too late in my opinion to gather things. Things happen slowly till they very suddenly don't.
 
altmin said:
So did I. The moment is here.

Groups who seize power tend not to give it up willingly. The only question is how far does it slide. Is it a slow boiling of the frog like Hungary, or a tectonic plate shift like the 1930s. I would say the former, BUT Hungary didn't have President Musk controlling things. Orbon whittled away, Musk is taking a chainsaw to the structure of the government.

The question won't be resolved for a while, but at that point it is too late in my opinion to gather things. Things happen slowly till they very suddenly don't.
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I knocked on doors in the week leading up the election. Otherwise I don't know what i can do. We're beyond "call your senator", not that i'd call Tedd Budd or Tillis for anything, but if Dem senate and congress aren't appalled now they never will be.
 
gregh1 said:
I knocked on doors in the week leading up the election. Otherwise I don't know what i can do. We're beyond "call your senator", not that i'd call Tedd Budd or Tillis for anything, but if Dem senate and congress aren't appalled now they never will be.
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I hear you.
 
While Elon Musk continues his role as the evil henchman to the wicked St. Donald of Mar-a-Lago, I would take it as a personal favor if they would reframe from dismantling the IRS until after I get my tax refund.
 
The response of Democrats - not just Congressional Democrats but even the Democratic base - has been far more muted and quiet to start Trump's second term than it was in his first. In his first term there was a great deal more open and vocal opposition and defiance. This time I think many average Democrats are just numb that the American people actually wanted this guy for a second time and have either given up or just withdrawn or walked away from politics. I know a number who have taken the latter route. They may still vote in 2026 and 2028 and all that but they're done trying to convince people or having any hope that they can stop MAGA Nation from pretty much doing whatever the hell it wants to do, no matter how crazy or cruel or damaging to the nation. As for DC Democrats, I think most of them - especially older ones like Schumer - are just stumped by Trump and simply don't know how to effectively respond, and they're also still living in this illusion that the political rules and "norms" have not drastically changed under Trump. Some younger Congressional Dems like AOC get it and seem to realize what is really happening, but they're mostly not in positions of authority or power to do much more than speak out on social media or in committee hearings and press conferences.
 
Mulberry Heel said:
This time I think many average Democrats are just numb that the American people actually wanted this guy for a second time and have either given up or just withdrawn or walked away from politics. I know a number who have taken the latter route.
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05C40 said:
While Elon Musk continues his role as the evil henchman to the wicked St. Donald of Mar-a-Lago, I would take it as a personal favor if they would reframe from dismantling the IRS until after I get my tax refund.
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Might want to reverse those roles. Trump does not appear to be calling the shots for the most part.
 
Its interesting that Trump started with the foreign aid agency from a populism point of view. Politico noted yesterday that Democrats have to be careful of walking into a trap on this one. It's easy to demonize foreign aid so that may be why he started with that agency in particular. So that he can beat Dems up when they come after him on it.

Dems need to counterattack on this one of course, but it may be better to point out most of what he is cutting there is what Republicans approved for decades. And do it with a smile. At this point, why bother if its true or not. I haven't looked it up but I bet most of that spending had Republican buy in.
 
Mulberry Heel said:
The response of Democrats - not just Congressional Democrats but even the Democratic base - has been far more muted and quiet to start Trump's second term than it was in his first. In his first term there was a great deal more open and vocal opposition and defiance. This time I think many average Democrats are just numb that the American people actually wanted this guy for a second time and have either given up or just withdrawn or walked away from politics. I know a number who have taken the latter route. They may still vote in 2026 and 2028 and all that but they're done trying to convince people or having any hope that they can stop MAGA Nation from pretty much doing whatever the hell it wants to do, no matter how crazy or cruel or damaging to the nation. As for DC Democrats, I think most of them - especially older ones like Schumer - are just stumped by Trump and simply don't know how to effectively respond, and they're also still living in this illusion that the political rules and "norms" have not drastically changed under Trump. Some younger Congressional Dems like AOC get it and seem to realize what is really happening, but they're mostly not in positions of authority or power to do much more than speak out on social media or in committee hearings and press conferences.
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Agreed. And it is weird to say that a few weeks ago I think many were okay with saying "fine, let it all burn down under Trump".
But if the EPA, Public Healthcare, Military/Intelligence, etc, etc are a) in disarray, b) led by white-nationalists, christian nationalists, fascists techBros, grifting control freaks, or "useful idiots", then it becomes apparent that this outcome will actually really, really, suck.
 
Mulberry Heel said:
As for DC Democrats, I think most of them - especially older ones like Schumer - are just stumped by Trump and simply don't know how to effectively respond, and they're also still living in this illusion that the political rules and "norms" have not drastically changed under Trump.
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I do not think anyone is under any illusion that rules and norms are the same, or even relevant any more.

The problem is the effective response. We've now learned that active, virulent racism is now the driving force on the right. If the majority of Americans a) agree with pro-cruelty policies; and/or b) never hear about them or are told that all reporting on them are hoaxes, what are we to do?

That's why I started the thought experiment thread. Under what circumstances should more radical actions be taken; by whom; and how.
 
Dems tried to subpoena Musk to appear before the oversight committee today. Pubs blocked it.
 
dukeman92 said:
Dems tried to subpoena Musk to appear before the oversight committee today. Pubs blocked it.
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There will be no resistance from Congress for at least the next two years. That much is clear. Trump and fElon have carte blanche.
 
Healing said:
I don’t think such things should be a normed discussion, here. The extremity of one’s opposition leads to extreme counter ideation, and this is not the appropriate venue.
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If you're not even going to contemplate alternatives to capitulation to the fascists, then at least have the decency to stop bitching about it.

There are all sorts of civil disobedience actions that could be taken. Protests ain't gonna cut it. Maybe we need a general strike. Maybe we need to think about what the consequences should be for these people. We tried rule of law and look what happened. We need to think about whether any of Trump's pardons should be honored in the future. We need to think about removing the Supreme Court justices.

If you won't think about anything, then the result will be a bloodbath when and if the pot boils and there's no plan.
 
Monday I called for "hitting the streets" in protest and I understand that today there was a 50 state capital protest. Great to see.

Protests are more effective, the more allies you get. Perhaps we need a thread for keeping up with allies in surprising places.

Being originally from a farming area, I think my farming friends and relatives are beginning to find out they are being screwed by Trump. Everything from billions in foreign aid purchases of farming products going away, tariff war with China screwing cotton, soybean and pecan markets, and fertilizer or potash coming from Canada being threatened. Couldn't help but notice Senator Chuck Grassely's post on that. Bet he was getting phone calls.

Point is to accumulate allies that Republicans are really sensitive to. Farmers certainly have clout, because they are everywhere in red states.
 
BlueSmoke said:
Monday I called for "hitting the streets" in protest and I understand that today there was a 50 state capital protest. Great to see.

Protests are more effective, the more allies you get. Perhaps we need a thread for keeping up with allies in surprising places.

Being originally from a farming area, I think my farming friends and relatives are beginning to find out they are being screwed by Trump. Everything from billions in foreign aid purchases of farming products going away, tariff war with China screwing cotton, soybean and pecan markets, and fertilizer or potash coming from Canada being threatened. Couldn't help but notice Senator Chuck Grassely's post on that. Bet he was getting phone calls.

Point is to accumulate allies that Republicans are really sensitive to. Farmers certainly have clout, because they are everywhere in red states.
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My son participated in the one in SC. He said there were probably 200 people there.
 

Trump administration expected to put EPA environmental justice and civil rights workers on administrative leave​



“… At an all-staff meeting Wednesday with employees from the EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, agency leadership told employees that it will be enforcing President Donald Trump’s executive order on diversity, equity and inclusion in the division. The executive order calls for the termination of “environmental justice offices and positions.”

Agency leadership told employees the order would be implemented much like it was in the agency’s DEI office, two sources with direct knowledge of the meeting told CNN. That office was shuttered and the employees placed on paid administrative leave two weeks ago.

Employees in the environmental justice and civil rights office expect to receive formal written notification of paid leave in the coming days, according to the sources.

It is unclear exactly how many individuals would be impacted. Roughly 200 federal employees work in this division of the EPA. …”
 

More Than 40,000 Federal Workers Have Resigned So Far, Short of Target​

Uncertainty about whether they will get paid not to work through September is deterring employees who face a Thursday deadline for taking a buyout​



“… When it offered the deal last week, the White House said it expected between 5% and 10% of federal employees to accept, leading to about $100 billion in savings annually, without providing information on how the estimate was reached.

Officials haven’t translated the percentage range into a specific target for the number of employees it hopes will resign. There are about two million Americans working for the federal government in civilian jobs, though some positions are exempted from the offer. …”
 
“… Hanging over the buyout offer is the possibility that workers who opt to keep their jobs could be targeted for layoffs later, OPM has said. Employees have been unnerved by signs of increasing pressure to push out government workers. On the OPM call Wednesday, officials discussed having agencies submit lists of employees in their probationary period who have served less than one year, or two years for “excepted service,” according to a person familiar with the matter. The Peace Corps and TSA, for instance, have high percentages of such workers.

Some federal workers are creating “virtual go bags” with their employment records for fear that they won’t be able to access those files in the future.

… “This is a rare, generous opportunity—one that was thoroughly vetted and intentionally designed to support employees through restructuring,” said McLaurine Pinover, a spokeswoman for OPM….”

 
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