Summary

Elon Musk sparked controversy by falsely claiming entitlement programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid have “$700 billion” in fraud annually, vastly exaggerating the actual figure (~$10 billion/year).

Musk labeled Social Security a “Ponzi scheme” and spread conspiracies about immigrants exploiting the system.

Critics argue Musk’s ignorance and conspiracy-mongering threaten essential public programs and data privacy, while his inflammatory rhetoric—such as calling Senator Mark Kelly, a former astronaut and combat veteran, a “traitor”—reinforces demands for his immediate removal from government.

  • DarkFuture@lemmy.world
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    20 days ago

    Social Security is a non-partisan red line.

    If this chode killed it his chances of survival would plummet.

    • InvertedParallax@lemm.ee
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      20 days ago

      I really hope he fucks with it.

      I would buy all the popcorn to watch 2 million boomers walk up Pennsylvania Avenue to Gaddafi his ass for days.

  • numlok@lemmy.world
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    20 days ago

    before his slash-and-burn nonsense and warped views of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid cause a spike in the sale of pitchforks.

    Ha. I’d argue the time for pitchforks is already here.

  • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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    20 days ago

    He needs to be able to steal that money, you guyzzzzz!

    Enriching fElon is about “efficiency”, at least according to MOE - the Ministry of Efficiency, where up is down, black is white.

    • barneypiccolo@lemm.ee
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      20 days ago

      At the first missed payment, they’ll start burning down Social Security offices.

      You don’t want to piss off the old people. For many of them, its all they have. If you take that away, they’ll have nothing left to lose, and lot of them are armed. That’s a bad combination.

  • werefreeatlast@lemmy.world
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    20 days ago

    Republicans are doing a great job on both sides…social security in case your luck fucks out, and the market in case your thought you could get away:

    Who said retirement? That’s illegal! You and I will be working for elon until we both end up 6’ under. (By that I mean fucking dead like a month Python parrot)

  • aceshigh@lemmy.world
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    20 days ago

    He’ll be replaced with another billionaire. Why are people focused on musk instead of at the root of the problem?

  • conditional_soup@lemm.ee
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    20 days ago

    No. I’m sick of ratcheting right, of normalizing the former Republican president’s regime by half, of promising that maybe, eventually, long after my kids have died of old age, we’ll get around to fixing what’s broken. A return to normalcy will only legitimize this fucking bullshit. The climate is collapsing, there’s microplastics in my brain and balls, the wealthy are actively trying to re-establish feudalism, and the level best the democrats can do is hold up signs and give me downvotes when I say they’re not doing enough. There’s evidence coming out that microplastics inhibit photosynthesis and cause crop failures, the shit’s everywhere, and lol and fucking behold the UN can’t even talk about it without getting drowned in a tsunami of lobbyists. Yes, hello, my name is Timothy Thompson, I’m with United Plastics, and I’m here to tell you about how single use plastics are good actually; can I offer you $5,000? I’ve recently come around to the idea that there’s only around 10,000 very specific enormously wealthy, influential, or both people that we’d need to persuade to make the world a better, more livable place for everyone on the planet now and in the future, and right now, they aren’t being effectively persuaded.

    Friendship ended with centrist democrats. I am now friends with accelerationism.

  • jsomae@lemmy.ml
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    20 days ago

    I do not understand why the fact that Musk is “unelected” matters so much to everyone. Is the Secretary of Defence elected? The Attorney General?

    • Doctor_Satan@lemmy.world
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      20 days ago

      Is the Secretary of Defence elected? The Attorney General?

      Those are real positions that are appointed by every President. “DOGE” is a complete bullshit position/department pulled out of thin air to avoid any kind of confirmation and/or security clearance.

      It is incredibly dangerous for a President to be allowed to invent whole government departments and appoint whoever he wants to them without any checks and balances.

      • jsomae@lemmy.ml
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        20 days ago

        oh I fully agree. But you didn’t address the issue of electedness at all.

        • Katana314@lemmy.world
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          20 days ago

          It is in fact common for presidents to make up new advisory positions. If Trump wanted to make up an “Advisor of Best-Tasting Coffee”, there’s no problems there - they can help him make decisions with executive orders, or inform Congress about best steps forward for certain initiatives, etc. So just “making up a role” isn’t an issue in itself.

          BUT, even the attorney general or SoD would not have powers to fire people at will all over the administration. In many court cases it’s been found even Trump himself wouldn’t have that power.

          • jsomae@lemmy.ml
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            20 days ago

            so it’s a lot of power that he has, too much power. I think we agree here – but nothing you’re saying seems to be related to electedness. If Trump, who was elected, shouldn’t have the power, and yet Musk does, then “unelected” doesn’t seem remotely relevant to the problem.

    • sporkler@lemmy.world
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      20 days ago

      I think it’s just to point out another layer of legitimacy he doesn’t have to do what he’s doing.

      • jsomae@lemmy.ml
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        20 days ago

        You don’t hear this criticism levelled at other malfunctioning government officials though. Perhaps one would if they went as off-the-rails as Musk. Still, I wish people would use accurate critiques of their opponents, such as as @Doctor_Satan mentions, that he is wholly without cheques or balances.

        • sporkler@lemmy.world
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          20 days ago

          And he’s not a government official, even though he’s impersonating one, and that the administration tells the public he’s in charge of a government agency but tells the courts he’s not.

          While all of these things are true, I find it disingenuous to imply that his not having been elected is somehow less accurate than any other criticism levelled against him.

          • jsomae@lemmy.ml
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            20 days ago

            okay, so he’s not a government official. I think that “not a government official” would be a great description, still better than “unelected” which in my opinion is not relevant – he was appointed directly by an elected official, just like actual government officials. I don’t see why it’s disingenuous.

  • RabbitBBQ@lemmy.world
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    20 days ago

    He may not be elected but he paid the guy who got elected a ton of money, so that’s basically the same as being elected… Right? Right?!?