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🌱Nard🙏's avatar

I’m a paid subscriber and you are worth every penny. Looking forward to watching the DOE empire fall.

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Robert Arvanitis's avatar

Stripped a billion? Good!

But just ONE....?

The budget has 7,300 of those!

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Richard Bicker's avatar

Journeys, steps.

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Robert Arvanitis's avatar

OK.

But at a billion a DAY, takes 20 years.

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Iris February's avatar

Got to start somewhere. Just see what can be achieved when he gets going.

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Robert Arvanitis's avatar

Let us hope.

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Elizabeth Rome's avatar

One step at a time--betting that momentum will move more even faster.

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Feb 21
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Robert Arvanitis's avatar

This is about a bloated, dangerous parasite class that must be slashed dramataically.

Nothing about immigration.

The cuts must be in the trillions, not mere billions.

Now what is your point?

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Dreaming of a song...'s avatar

Hi Robert

I have just two questions about your comment:

"dangerous parasite class that must be slashed dramatically"

1) What are your thoughts about Elon taking a look at Wall Street, there's been well over a trillion dollars in bailouts over the last 20 years.

For example, would you say there is a bit more corruption and waste there than say the park ranger who's making minimum wage and has an extra license of PowerPoint on his computer?

2) Where is all of this savings going since nobody seems to ask that in interviews?

In closing, thank you and no disrespect here, I do feel it's helpful to understand the way people with different views think.

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Robert Arvanitis's avatar

There are tasks we must do cooperatively: defend the border, keep civil peace, enforce contracts, preserve premises of free market, and as we prosper, perhaps humane welfare for deserving needy.

The Founders knew government must be kept on a short leash. In 1830, Alexis de Tocqueville noted: “Democracy is in trouble once the people learn to vote themselves money.”

The leash in politics is elections; limited terms of office, and Bill of Rights. Note the latter are all negative, “freedoms from.” Men are endowed with rights; it is government that must be limited, explicitly.

Today, government takes too much. In 2024, feds took $7 tr. from a $28 tr. GDP. Beyond the cash grab, add the cost of unfunded mandates, non-cash burden of laws and reg., the fraud of social security, plus over-printing of currency, the invisible theft of inflation. That last punishes savers and hurts the poor worst of all.

Yet America is so blessed that economic cost is not itself the problem. Rather, government has failed to protect the border, lost the civil peace, and corrupted the law. The worst sin has been collusion of entrenched bureaucracy with corrupt institutions, which destroys the feedback mechanisms. We need votes in governance and free market prices in the economy.

Loss of feedback is like leprosy. We do damage without feeling it, much less correcting it.

Today, net contributors (those for whom taxes still exceed benefits) no longer outnumber net takers. We are close to a runaway system.

The hard question is where to break the leprosy. In his first term, Trump wisely cut security clearances for all who left government. That set off mass early retirements of bureaucrats. Without such access to tempt private employers, the hacks lost their value.

Today, Musk understands the order-of-execution challenge. Slash the wanton redistribution. Mass firing of bureaucrats. Repeal both laws and practices that shelter private interests from free market competition.

The problem is not the owner of the bridge with too high a toll. It’s government preventing a ferry from starting up just downstream.

Glad to discuss further, here, other venues or directly.

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Feb 21
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Robert Arvanitis's avatar

Incorrect, and badly so.

It is indisputable that govt. is now far too big, and its efforts are criminally misdirected.

The first issue is proper jobs. That means defend the border, keep civil peace, enforce contracts, preserve free markets. Then, as we prosper, perhaps humane welfare for the deserving needy, even though that is nowhere in the Constitution. You may prefer other jobs, but that’s your opinion.

The second issue is how much of GDP we let govt. have. Too much and it kills free markets. Even worse, it creates dependency in the people.

There are endless “nice to haves” most of which are counterproductive. Limits are required.

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Dena's avatar

The bigger the government the smaller the citizen. And I might add, the poorer the citizen.

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Feb 22
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Feb 22
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Robert Arvanitis's avatar

Still wrong, now aggressive and highly defensive.

I stated the proper jobs of government and you may not pervert the clear language to suit your agenda.

State what you feel are the proper jobs of govt. You can't begin organize your thoughts.

Likewise, you have no idea how to even approach the total, baleful impact of govt. on the economy. You have no grasp that cash taxes are under half the total take. That must include unfunded mandates, borrowing, burden of laws, rules, regulations, the fraud of OASDHI, and worst of all, the hidden theft of deliberate inflation.

That last is the cruelest tax of all, hitting the poorest the hardest.

Prove you have a grasp of economics.

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JosephSpoonerMD's avatar

If you’re an AI generated response you’re garbage in garbage out; get it?

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Frans Susan Phillips Duncan's avatar

Most of government spending is waste, corruption, and abuse of taxpayers. That's all that needs to be said.

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Danimal28's avatar

We are eternally grateful for your work. Am working on restructuring other paid subscriptions to here... It is becoming difficult, but market forces are at work.

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cdbsilva's avatar

Yes, great news, Christopher.

But PEOPLE, if you want to see more of that money coming back to us, SUBSCRIBE to Christopher Rufo’s substack here so he can hire more people to do the job for us. I don’t know? Is an investment in Chris’ work worth $1billion? (And no, not a shill; just a fan)

Christopher, we need you guys to keep digging. There’s so much more to delete, delete, delete in the federal government.

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Christopher F. Rufo's avatar

Thanks!

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Donald Kosloff's avatar

Recently, I have seen many people post claims that the elimination of DEI will somehow result in elimination of the legal requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Some even mention the ADA in their propaganda. Others have claimed that DEI is merely the implementation of the ORIGINAL publicly-stated intent of Affirmative Action; before quotas, “disparate impact”, and the reduction of work standards. This appears to be an organized effort.

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Iris February's avatar

The swine will tell any lie, over and over until people think it is the truth. Don't let them get away with it.

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Donald Kosloff's avatar

Yes, I was momentarily surprised, and then realized that I shouldn’t have been surprised that they would use such lies. But I lived through all of the iterations of Affirmative Action and the ADA. Most people’s haven’t or didn’t pay much attention when they did. We all must be prepared to counter such lies.

I argued for Affirmative Action when it was being debated in Congress while I was in high school. I didn’t discover until recently that colleges had anlready been actively discriminating in admissions for favored groups.

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Iris February's avatar

Not only in admissions, also the staffing of the universities, right up to the No 1 job, resulting in the whole place being run by people unqualified for their positions. I don't know how these people sleep at night.

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Richard Bicker's avatar

Haven't seen what you're reporting, but I'll now keep my eyes and ears open for it. Thanks for the heads-up.

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Donald Kosloff's avatar

Thank you

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Reddog's avatar

Keep up the great work.

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Brent Nyitray's avatar

DOGE is uncovering what is nothing more than a WPA for liberal activists.

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Richard Bicker's avatar

Run by and for the benefit of, but not paid for by.

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Brent Nyitray's avatar

Some democrat donor stands up a 501c, which employs his daughter with a gender studies degree from NYU. USAID funds the 501c, which pays her salary. She spends her time proselytizing about whatever issue floats her boat, and some of that money gets funneled back to D politicians via campaign donation / other in-kind payments.

Its all a scam

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Animal Crackers's avatar

Exactly!

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David Rankin's avatar

Great News. 🙏

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Robert Arvanitis's avatar

Yes. One billion. Just 7,299 left to consider.

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Feb 23
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David Rankin's avatar

Time will tell. 😉

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Pastor Sharon Ducci's avatar

Those bastards after they made it so we have to live with potholes in the streets and danger us with bridges that are bad making us work seven days a week so we can’t spend time on a Sunday with our families making it so hard to make a living that you have to work that long in that hard while they’re stuck piling the money away to use against the American people Anybody stupid enough to vote for a democratic is probably getting a kick back. Matter fact I could bet on it cause no one is that stupid! Conservative Republican only do your homework. Don’t be complacent the next time America’s children and their future will not be so blessed. We are one generation away from freedom don’t get complacent and teach your children to be aware.

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Bill Graham's avatar

I've followed your writings since before you published the Counter Revolution book and have come to share your opinion, analysis and views in several areas. Primary responsibility for Education belongs with the respective States. They can and should choose how to get it done. It may be worthwhile, particularly at the start of making the transition, in states with large populations like

Texas, California, NY, Florida, etc. to divide into regions and districts with autonomy and resources to achieve their results. But first we have to get there. And we all should be encouraged at this initial set of results; and support the efforts to see it through to completion. Thanks again for your continued work and voice. Guys like you with principles and the courage of your convictions are the key to our future success. Keeping the lines of communication fully open make all the difference.

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Torrance Stephens's avatar

To quote the Carpenters, "We've Only Just Begun"

Sharing an additional take on the topic here.

Democrats screaming, crying, and whining the most about DOGE need to be investigated first because when all the crooks are mad, you know something is going right. https://torrancestephensphd.substack.com/p/usaid-the-mirror-image-of-third-world

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Mary Cook's avatar

Thank you!

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Catherine's avatar

The page is blank.

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Surak's avatar

I was able to see the website.

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Demian Entrekin 🏴‍☠️'s avatar

Are you sure? I just tested it. Maybe just Google doge.gov

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Delayne Oxendine's avatar

Unless Congress passes laws related to Musk’s cuts, the Dems, once they regain power, will put “Humpty Dumpty together again.” I am not ready to celebrate just yet. Laws are needed, which requires political courage.

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Richard Bicker's avatar

First, you stop the bleeding. Then you attend to the injury and provide a long-term solution.

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Delayne Oxendine's avatar

The worst enemies are lower-court judges mingling in the executive orders. You could have an inept judge lording over the executive decisions of a president.

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Richard Bicker's avatar

Justice Clarence Thomas has long railed against instances of judicial overreach by such judges. I believe Chief Justice John Roberts is increasingly sympathetic to Thomas' complaints. Here's hoping the Court sees an opportunity to take long-needed action in this area and reforms federal judicial procedure to prevent judges' hijacking of national policy for personal/political reasons.

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Bonnie J. Toomey's avatar

And who does the billion belong to?

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Christopher F. Rufo's avatar

The people!

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Robert Arvanitis's avatar

"My precious!" said Gollum on the left.

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Albert Cory's avatar

Chris, would you for God's sake block these little Halle Burton & Terry trolls? They're ruining the Comments experience.

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Tunya Audain's avatar

A reader has provided the link to DOGE site related to recent cancellation of grants by the Department of Education: https://www.doge.gov/

I’ve gone through the list and am dazed by the projects to have been funded by taxpayer dollars! — Mozambique voluntary medical male circumcision $10M — improving learning outcomes in Asia $47M — “social cohesion” in Mali $14M, etc., etc. And that’s just some of the first $1Billion stripped. I’m gobsmacked at the naked cheek of both the grant seekers and grant approvers.

And the DOGE website says it is “looking for help from the general public! Please DM insight for reducing waste, fraud, and abuse, along with any helpful insights or awesome ideas, to the relevant DOGE affiliates (found on the Affiliates tab).”

No wonder that Christopher Rufo, in his 2023 book on America’s Cultural Revolution, pg 270, advises: “What the public giveth, the public can taketh away.”

Thanks for all these inspiring reports. Eagerly awaiting the next book.

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