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Comment by WalterBright

1 day ago

> the man was basically an unelected official

Only the President and Congress were elected. The rest are all appointed.

> laid off thousands of government workers

He did at the direction of the President, who was elected. Government service is not a jobs program.

> the second order effects of that will affect millions

speculation

> All while he also toys with Ukraine and lives are lost so that he appeases an autocrat?

Decisions about Ukraine go through Trump. Musk is in a delicate position - it is illegal for him, as a private businessman, to be a combatant, but he seems thrust into that position.

Yeah, and even with all the qualifications here, the man is still an absolute asshole.

All you need to do is see how frequently he posts on Twitter to know he's broken and trying to fill the hole with money and attention.

  • > absolute asshole

    I've worked with engineers "on the spectrum" my entire career. They can be difficult to get along with. None of them were evil, none intended to offend or hurt others. It would just come out wrong.

    Once I understood, it wasn't an issue for me any more.

Reporting literally just came out that throttling starlink for ukraine was his idea…but sure he is just a helpless innocent billionaire with no control whatsoever

> Only the President and Congress were elected. The rest are all appointed.

So an unelected official would be correct, right?

> He did at the direction of the President, who was elected.

Where is your evidence? Reporting contradicts what you say - https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/06/trump-cabinet-musk-...

> speculation

Not really. Multiple independent sources and reports have confirmed the damage done by Musk during his time at DOGE.

> Decisions about Ukraine go through Trump. Musk is in a delicate position - it is illegal for him, as a private businessman, to be a combatant, but he seems thrust into that position.

He is as "thrust" into that position as he was "thrust" into the DOGE role.

What are your thoughts on his illegal state-sanctioned intimidation of ex-FEMA CFO?

  • You're wasting your keystrokes; it's WalterBright, whose personal mission is to defend the idea that money is virtue, that those with money should be worshipped, and that anything other than laissez-faire capitalism is demonic.

    • LOL

      Free markets drive prosperity, socialism does the opposite.

      What are the most expensive things in the US? Healthcare, housing, and education. Those are the most heavily regulated and subsidized by the government.

      What are the cheapest things in the US? Software (free), TVs, computers, consumer goods. The least regulated and subsidized.

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