Elon Musk paid $44 billion for Twitter. He bought a free hand to shape American government for $288 million, the amount he pumped into Donald Trump's campaign during its last months. There seems something horribly lopsided about that. Then again, as with all corruption, beyond the shock that people do it, is how little they sell out for. What value can being secretary of state bring to Marco Rubio that will counterbalance the deathless shame of defending why the United States needs to annex Canada?
As patriotic Americans look on in horror at the wholesale demolition of our government, Trump fans are right on board with every new jaw-dropping folly. I am reminded of that all the time, thanks to my mail, such as this letter that arrived Saturday.
As patriotic Americans look on in horror at the wholesale demolition of our government, Trump fans are right on board with every new jaw-dropping folly. I am reminded of that all the time, thanks to my mail, such as this letter that arrived Saturday.
Dear Mr. Steinberg,
With all due respect, our country is broke. Yes, clean water, food and air as well as safe, functional cities where people can make a living are vital, however without examining every expenditure, including defense and entitlements, we simply won’t make it. There is so much unnecessary spending, duplicative agencies, fraud and theft. The OMB agrees that the situation is untenable. Politicians have paid lip service to this for years, but finally someone is actually doing something. Mr. Musk is an extremely bright, uniquely qualified individual who doesn’t need the attention, death threats and abuse. You see him as flawed, but regardless, we need him to succeed. We should support and pray for him for without him, the best we can hope for is a rapid, continual decline. Look at all of the formerly great Western powers.
Thank you.
Respectfully,
Jeffrey S.
Chicago, IL
I abbreviated his last name, to save him abuse. Normally I wouldn't write back — what would be the point? But he was polite, and I thought about how to reply. Now that I read it a second time, I wish I had said that even if Elon Musk were proceeding in a half-defendable way, we still would not want our country in the complete control of an unelected billionaire.
But he is not proceeding with even the barest care or caution. Like Trump, Musk is an anti-American nihilist, a worshipper of fascists, not to mention a self-dealing egomaniac, and millions of Americans will suffer for years from functions the government once did and now no longer does. Countless people around the world who once benefited from the generosity of Americans will perish. They're dying now. I should have said that.
But I'm tired — it was a long week — and so I rolled out a version of my standard reply when someone is feeding me the Red State Party Line.
But I'm tired — it was a long week — and so I rolled out a version of my standard reply when someone is feeding me the Red State Party Line.
Dear Mr. S.:
If I wanted to hear the Fox News talking points, I'd watch Fox News. None of what you say is true, though I wouldn't dream of arguing with you. And even if it were true, which it isn't, why would the solution be kneecapping national parks and veterans benefits as opposed to — let's throw out a crazy idea — taxing billionaires their fair share? You'd have to think hard and explain that one to me. Though I'm not expecting you to, since parroting what you're told is easy, independent thought is hard. Thanks for writing.
NS
Of course he didn't reply. They seldom do. Because they're only pretending to want a conversation. What they are actually doing is hocking their delusion into a handkerchief and then showing it to you, expecting you to share their admiration and wonder. I think it surprises and offends them when somebody doesn't. They can't imagine how that is possible.
I would love for you two to get together. I know it's tiresome and pointless, but I'd like to see him back up his statements in an articulate manner. Popcorn ready!
ReplyDeleteMaggie - I disagree. While respectful discourse, what strikes me is the perception Jeffrey has is extremely bright and uniquely qualified individual. What I see is a someone who hasn’t separated from his apartheid roots, wanted to be a real bully, but wasn’t fully empowered until another bully let him play with bigger toys.
DeleteThe twitter story - of buying, firing, ruining the platform, etc. - epitomizes what this racist opportunist is now doing. The indiscriminate firings is an example of the current Republican Party. Breaking things and punching down are their only two skills. And after further consideration, perhaps this is what defines the writer’s desperation. Do something. Anything. Even if it is nonsensical and self-destructive.
So why ignore him? Right now you're making assumptions about Jeffrey and how he got to his pov. I ask myself every day after I hear this kind of rhetoric, where in h*ll did this come from? I have yet to see anyone explain the appeal of Musk and Trump. Yet, I still want to know why.
DeleteCheck where he gets his news versus you/we get ours. It’s the root source of everyone’s ongoing mystification: How can they possibly think that way?
DeleteMusk, like the fat fascist traitor is a member of the lucky sperm club. He inherited a lot of money & then got luckier, each time he invested that money in a company, the company took off & made him millions, then billions. But at no time has he ever invented or created anything, except that godawful ugly swasticar cybertruck, which incidentally is considered by all experts to be the single most dangerous vehicle to travel in on the road. It has an electrically operating switch to open the doors, but in an emergency, there is a mechanical handle to do so, but it's hidden behind a secret panel in the doors. A couple of people have died in one of those atrocities due to that secret panel.
ReplyDeleteHe didn't create or have much to do with SpaceX either, until of course the disastrous Starship of his which keeps blowing up.
So he definitely isn't extremely bright or a uniquely qualified individual, he's just a fool with a ton of cash that bought the absolute stupidest man ever to be president & thus is determined to destroy this country!
Notice that Dump does appear to have lost some weight. Nice that he can afford Ozempic or meds along that line while for most, the insurance won't pay.
DeleteLet's have more mailbag letters please, Mr. S. And also an update on your diabetes management would be nice. It's been a while.
DeleteGood reply, Mr. S.
DeleteAnyone else watch the Errol Musk interview on YouTube? Sociopaths may be born, but some have had "special help".
DeleteThe Who sang in their tune The Seeker "As I ransack their homes they want to shake my hand." Kind of sums up so many Trump/Elon supporters.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great response - short, reasoned, civil, non-condescending. Unlikely to change his mind now, but maybe planting a seed of doubt. Maybe in a year when he's facing harsh economic reality he'll see some oligarch on a space trip and think back to your point and finally something might switch in him. Maybe. I'll use this as a model for when I can't avoid engaging.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to the oligarchs going on their space trips. The odds that they survive the launch, the long trip, and the landing are deliciously minimal. And if they do succeed in getting there it means eternity on a lifeless planet. By all means, they should spend their obscene profits on that grand and pointless adventure. The ego of a billionaire is a strange thing indeed. Trading the health, wealth and well being of humanity so their balls can tingle on the way to Mars. I'm surprised Trump hasn't already claimed Mars and made it the 52nd state.
DeleteWe're definitely in the shit.
ReplyDeleteWas at a gathering yesterday with many MAGAs. Caught a bit of their conversation. They were laughing at us all for complaining about eggs. “He’s only been president for 6 weeks,” they said. “Do they expect miracles?”
ReplyDeleteHe sure has done a lot of damage in six weeks. Besides, he promised, three days, life would be better. Riiight.
DeleteAnd so it goes, Jeffrey S and the rest of the cabal are envious of Musk. His money, his power, his good luck. If I support him maybe I will be lucky also.He will let me have good luck also. It’s all about the me, who cares about the we. So depressing to realize how many Jeffrey S there are. They are our neighbors.
ReplyDelete1.8 and 36.2
ReplyDeleteWhat are those numbers and what do they represent?
1.8 trillion was the amount of our deficit last year as people who live in and around Chicago we can be painfully concerned or at least highly aware of Chicago's budget deficit. We moan about the mayor and how he has not filled that much Gap adapted existed before he became mayor and don't understand why he won't take a harder line against the teachers union. A fairly simple narrative but folks can't seem to agree about how to deal with it
36.2 trillion this is our national debt that's trillion with a T a number that's really hard to wrap your head around.
Here in the Windy City we also have a dat primarily pension contributions
We all know a little bit about how we got into this mess but again it's a fairly simple narrative with not a lot of moving parts
On a national level the numbers are so much greater and the narrative is so much more complicated it's a shame people can't commit to a civil conversation about it without casting aspersions about the others motives educational level who they voted for and which "side" they're on. We all need to be on the side of America and what's best for its people and even if we've had a hard week we should be able to take a couple minutes and engage with someone who reaches out for that purpose instead of just slapping them down for everybody else to pile on I'm not trying to normalize this b******* but this is b******* that existed long before the current administration took office long before they took office the first time this is a mess that the Democrats and Republicans together have made it's not sensible the way they're going about trying to unravel it but dear God somebody needs to somebody needs to stand up to this duopoly that has been in control of our government for decades and get rid of the pork and yes people are going to suffer lots and lots of people probably everybody is going to suffer because of it they used to call it belt tightening you never hear that word ever anymore we wouldn't tighten our belt if our pants were in our ankles we're a f***** up country in a f***** up people all of us not just them we are f***** up
Where was that debt when Trump was cutting taxes to the rich? Oh right, nowhere. I wish Trumpies didn't pretend to be reasonable — they can't come close to pulling it off. But I guess, "I'm a dupe in thrall to a fraud" sticks in their craws.
DeleteWe can all agree that debt is not sustainable. There are efficiencies to be made for sure. I would have hoped the efficiencies would not be on the backs of those who need our helping hand and assistance both in the USA and the world. Until we can all collectively work together to reduce and eliminate redundancies and waste, this is an exercise in vendate based on racism and rage against those whom Trump has felt has slighted him.
DeleteUmm no, we can't. I have a debt on my house. I've sustained it for 25 years. The country has a debt. It grows and shrinks. Republicans point hysterically to that debt when cutting programs that help people they either hate or don't care about. THAT we can both agree on.
DeleteYou won't find 1.8 Trillion in the couch cushions. These "efficiencies" and "redundancies" and "waste" are insignificant at the scale of federal spending. This is like making your kids skip meals in order to pay medical bills - literally, they want to cut food stamps because they need to pay Medicare and Medicaid. Not to mention close to a Trillion for military and another Trillion just in interest for existing debt. It will never come close to a tiny fraction of enough.
DeleteThe last time we had a surplus and paid down the debt was Bill Clinton's last year in office. The first thing W did following that was cut taxes and launch a multi-Trillion dollar war. The only way to start fixing this is to have the rich and the corporations start paying again. Not only are the rates too low, there are way too many ways for them not pay anything - foundations, trusts, offshore accounts. Tesla paid 0 in federal taxes in 2024 and under 0.5% of revenues in 2023, I'm sure it wasn't a lot in previous years either. Fossil fuel companies get Billions in subsidies while raking in record profits, maybe let's look at those too, see if they are paying enough. Let's look for some efficiencies and waste there, instead of cutting the IRS so they can get away with paying even less.
Why do all you “reasonable” people think we can all somehow “find a way to work together” with Trump in the White House and Republicans controlling Congress? Huh? This all about culling the herd, separating “real” Americans from fake, undeserving ones… a passion most Republicans have been happily pursuing since Dick Nixon’s Southern Strategy and “Silent Majority.”
DeleteGoogle Musk and Ketamine
ReplyDeleteYour correspondent lost me when he referred to Elon as being "uniquely qualified." Whatever else one thinks about the current shitshow, the orange felon and his toady / financier are remarkably, depressingly unqualified to be determining how to make the government more effective.
ReplyDeleteOf course, there is waste that could be cut. But wholesale firings and department closures are not an "extremely bright" way to go about eliminating it.
We need stuff in this country. We need money to pay for it. Taxes are where most of that money comes from. With a grifter-in-chief who has long maintained that it is "smart" for rich people not to pay taxes and a political party for which cutting taxes on the rich is it's most beloved philosophy, it's no wonder why the debt increases when they're in power.
If I were firing all these government workers, I'd be a little concerned about what that's going to do the unemployment rate that Chief "You're fired!" used to moan about when Obama was president. Fortunately for him, if he successfully deports millions of immigrants, as is his heart's desire, there will be plenty of jobs picking fruits and vegetables for the former civil servants to transition to.
Lost me at "our country is broke." Couldn't decide whether he meant "broken" or "insolvent." Followed by the usual magat bushwa about "unnecessary spending, duplicative agencies, fraud and theft." Another one who's been guzzling Felonious (Chip) Munk's orange elixir from the same old stand. Not interested. Pass the remote. Bye, Felicia...
DeleteEvery day I am more astonished by what is happening in DC and this country. Other than voting (if we are still able to do that) have no idea what else I can do. Except enjoy what Neil and others write! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteProtest. I was doubtful about it's effect, but, it is working. We need mass protests to make a statement and to protect each other.
DeleteAnybody see "Doonesbury" in this morning's Trib?
ReplyDeleteThanks for mentioning it, I looked it up and it's a good one!
DeleteHere's a link if anyone else wants to take a look, the comments there are also good:
https://www.gocomics.com/doonesbury/2025/03/16
I often don't know whether to engage/respond these days. And the topics/remarks that trigger such dilemmas surprise me, as well. I have acquaintances, relatives and 1 friend who are MAGA. They all know I regard Trump as unqualified to lead our country. During Trump's 1st term, I suggested early on that we maintain our relationship(s) by not discussing politics, and for the most part, this was respected. It is different now, in Trump 2.0. Many of these people look for openings to dump Fox(not)News talking points into our interactions. Sometimes I ignore it completely. If it happens on my Facebook page, I often delete the comment and move on without addressing it. But-as Mr S described above, it seems rude to do this when the person is polite and sincere-sounding. Especially if it is a relative. Yet, I'm still left wondering what is the best (if any) response.
ReplyDeleteMy latest imbroglio happened on a private family chat with a cousin. I have been posting historical family records for them, which they usually like and appreciate. One set of great grandparents came to the US before WWI from Austria. Their hometowns were later occupied by Russians in 1914, partitioned to Poland in 1915, and the land didn't return to Ukraine (as part of USSR) until 1939, just before WWII. The towns became part of independent Ukraine in Dec, 1991 when the USSR broke apart.
My cousin argued factual history, insisting our Great Grandmother came from Poland. I didn't challenge her directly, just posted her birth certificate showing birthplace, and US census records, showing she identified as "Austrian". Then things got weird. My cousin declared MY mother (deceased) shared with her specific info indicating we were Polish. This is completely untrue, and my sibs quickly pointed that out in our group "chat". THEN my cousin launched into an attack on Zelenskyy along with a diatribe about how Trump is trying to "save" an ungrateful Ukraine in the only way possible, but it requires 3-D chess, while Dems are looking at the situation like checkers. She advised her relatives to "be patient" because Trump is a genius and knows what he is doing far more than anyone else involved in Ukrainian-Russian diplomatic relations. Every one of her relatives (her cousins AND sibs) ignored her. She finally (2 days later) deleted her comment.
Now I have been thinking I need to read some helpful history of the Civil War period. Specifically, I'd like insight into how families survived the Civil War (what an oxymoron, right?) when families were split. Does anyone have any book suggestions?
I honestly don't know what the best path forward is. My wish is to remain civil, and maintain relationships that will survive Trump's reign. But I feel like MAGA is looking for a fight, even perhaps a Civil War, and here I am, still uncertain whether to engage.
I have learned to not engage with close friends and families especially.
DeleteOn election night my best friend and I were watching from our separate homes and talking on the phone I said nothing more than it looks like Trump is going to win again. Not that I wanted him to she knows that I am a lefty. She was the best man in my wedding and we haven't talked since I've reached out to her a couple of times and this is someone who I agree with.
I was playing chess at a long time friend's house and noticed his khafifa hanging in the doorway I asked I just asked how can you support someone that would like to destroy Israel and the US.
He asked me to leave and we haven't spoken again.
It's not worth it to engage with anybody but strangers and people online people you don't know and you don't care about the rest of it's just a minefield
There is no doubt that there is waste and fraud. But Musk has now idea what he is doing and just slashing and burning. We were in Madison today. My niece is a pharmacist at a VA hospital. I am not sure who she has to send it to, but she has to write 5 things she accomplished every day. She does the same thing every day. i can't believe anyone actually reads that stuff.
ReplyDeleteWaste and fraud got us to the moon, won us two wars, keeps us safe, powers our homes, cares for our young and old, and keeps the world turning.
ReplyDeleteis there too much of it? sure. are republicans anti american facsits who need to be removed from elected government and run out of town? 100000%
You are too hard on yourself. But can't compare Peoria to Chicago, it's not 2 diff. nations like Ireland or Wales. (sorry to see that Morrissey has taken a buy out, as of today's paper news, glad you haven't) Sports section will be dull without him.
ReplyDelete