But again civil servants doing what they have been told and funded to do that you don’t like isn’t not breaking any laws.
Where you are being lazy - and others downright deceitful - is expecting us to fix this in the way you want to. Congress has to do that. Yet no one ever calls them out for it. Just those no account good for nothing civil servants.
I did. A lot. He’s a coward as well. As is John Thune who replaced him. But I do t expect Thune to buck the system that made him appear powerful. I expect better from my own team.
I didn’t miss your meaning. I was mocking you for thinking that you stand in some sort of moral superiority. And that allowing the executive to flagrantly violate the constitution and derivative laws is somehow a good thing.
Because again - what you object to that’s legal didn’t just appear out of whole cloth and piloting me and my colleagues for it makes you look intellectually lazy at best.
I know you - and most of the commenters here - don’t believe federal civil servants can sneeze our way out of a paper bag full of pepper without breaking the law. Problem for you is all this stuff you and Elon don’t like comes with a long paper trail. Because it gets audited by GAO and the inspectors general (until they all got sacked). Contracts routinely get protested. Grants get even more separate audits. And for the last decade it was all listed on USAspending.gov
But sure it’s all a big shell game designed to insure everything so Jay it’s can get off on being intellectually and morally superior to civil servants.
Just a friendly reminder jay bird that most if not all the stuff you consider scandalous was congressional directed via appropriations. Continuing to cheerlead for a president who might get rid of that on your behalf lets the real culprits off the hook.
One of the many ways Congress used to control its appropriations after they passed is a law that says if you want to reallocate more then 10% of something at the lowest budget execution level you have to go back and get congressional approval. Next level up is 5%. YMMV how much leeway that gives an executive to avoid fulfilling their article 2 duties but Congress has made its will pretty clear.
So the grant thing is a long simmering issue most R1s charge 50% overhead on campus and 26ish percent off campus. Federal agencies including NSF and NIH have been trying to get that reduced for years.
The fault in your whole analysis rests on the historical fact that the Alabama lunch box factory was moved to China 3 decades ago. It doesn’t have a US entity anymore. Tariff China all you like but even when Made in America becomes profitable again it will be years to rebuild that capacity domestically. Plus China will stop buying our soybeans again. Loose - loose.
I have a very hard time celebrating people who want to- at best - to impoverish me and threaten my family so they can regain political power they think they lost.
So here’s a thing to ponder - in 2023 Mississippi spent. $7.9 billion of state and local tax money through state agencies for services to citizens. That same year they spent $11.6 Billion in additional federal grants - almost all of which were swept up in the grants pause that wasn’t but might still be. On this if salaries paid to the 21k federal civil servants in the state. The GOP seems to want to do away with most of that if not all of that. Which will have economic impacts.
He has cut off head start - which hurts his supporters. He has cut off all sorts of healthcare subsidies. The GOP is about to proposes massive cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and social security which hurts his supporters.
To say nothing of the growing amount of unpicked produce and the almost grinding halt to home building he has started.
What you conveniently ignore about USAID is that the fight isn’t about the programs - it’s about who has control. And no president has control of the appropriations process - even you concede that’s Congress. So while eviscerating USAID may make great red meat for his base, it’s unconstitutional. Which means illegal. And getting 31% of voters support doesn’t give anyone the right to break the law.
On “The USAID Fight Is About Power, Not Spending”
Was NASA being reasonable when it removed every reference to women leading the space program from their website.
"
Yes. That’s a no brainer.
But again civil servants doing what they have been told and funded to do that you don’t like isn’t not breaking any laws.
Where you are being lazy - and others downright deceitful - is expecting us to fix this in the way you want to. Congress has to do that. Yet no one ever calls them out for it. Just those no account good for nothing civil servants.
On “Off With Their (Over)heads: Trump Administration at War with Public Health”
The universities would have been well served years ago to agree to mostly lower off campus rates for a lot of stuff.
On “Open Mic for the week of 2/10/2025”
We are.
"
I did. A lot. He’s a coward as well. As is John Thune who replaced him. But I do t expect Thune to buck the system that made him appear powerful. I expect better from my own team.
"
Chuck Schumer is a coward.
https://www.salon.com/2025/02/10/schumer-signals-that-senate-democrats-will-collaborate-with-to-avoid-government-shutdown/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2fGcAhQDdeypzxNj1sh5oneDzC404D6kV3IMBGkkuedFgzMLu9DQIkcTw_aem_XCIHIRKxwdb7IV2K5dAH4w
On “The USAID Fight Is About Power, Not Spending”
I didn’t miss your meaning. I was mocking you for thinking that you stand in some sort of moral superiority. And that allowing the executive to flagrantly violate the constitution and derivative laws is somehow a good thing.
Because again - what you object to that’s legal didn’t just appear out of whole cloth and piloting me and my colleagues for it makes you look intellectually lazy at best.
On “Open Mic for the week of 2/10/2025”
Thom Hartmann adds grist to the Power Play mill.
https://open.substack.com/pub/thomhartmann/p/the-supreme-court-is-corrupt-congress-87a?r=v677&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
On “The USAID Fight Is About Power, Not Spending”
I know you - and most of the commenters here - don’t believe federal civil servants can sneeze our way out of a paper bag full of pepper without breaking the law. Problem for you is all this stuff you and Elon don’t like comes with a long paper trail. Because it gets audited by GAO and the inspectors general (until they all got sacked). Contracts routinely get protested. Grants get even more separate audits. And for the last decade it was all listed on USAspending.gov
But sure it’s all a big shell game designed to insure everything so Jay it’s can get off on being intellectually and morally superior to civil servants.
"
I would love that analysis as well as I se now evidence now nor do I see any then of that tendency in democrats.
"
Just a friendly reminder jay bird that most if not all the stuff you consider scandalous was congressional directed via appropriations. Continuing to cheerlead for a president who might get rid of that on your behalf lets the real culprits off the hook.
On “Keynesian Beauty Contests, Schelling Points, and the Omnicause”
One of the many ways Congress used to control its appropriations after they passed is a law that says if you want to reallocate more then 10% of something at the lowest budget execution level you have to go back and get congressional approval. Next level up is 5%. YMMV how much leeway that gives an executive to avoid fulfilling their article 2 duties but Congress has made its will pretty clear.
On “Open Mic for the week of 2/3/2025”
So the grant thing is a long simmering issue most R1s charge 50% overhead on campus and 26ish percent off campus. Federal agencies including NSF and NIH have been trying to get that reduced for years.
"
Hahahahahahahahaha
You got played Jay.
"
They weren’t universally illegal.
On “Keynesian Beauty Contests, Schelling Points, and the Omnicause”
The payment and personnel systems were already under presidential control. Subject to congressional oversight.
On “Open Mic for the week of 2/3/2025”
Well, once the president signed the order renaming the US Digital Service DOGE it got a bit murky.
On “Spaghetti on the Wall: Tariffs and Free Trade”
The fault in your whole analysis rests on the historical fact that the Alabama lunch box factory was moved to China 3 decades ago. It doesn’t have a US entity anymore. Tariff China all you like but even when Made in America becomes profitable again it will be years to rebuild that capacity domestically. Plus China will stop buying our soybeans again. Loose - loose.
On “Keynesian Beauty Contests, Schelling Points, and the Omnicause”
So point and laugh is still a good defense then.
"
I have a very hard time celebrating people who want to- at best - to impoverish me and threaten my family so they can regain political power they think they lost.
"
I know that. You know that. Koz probably knows that. Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t state it clearly.
On “Open Mic for the week of 2/3/2025”
We did - right in all our websites. Which are no getting shut down.
"
So here’s a thing to ponder - in 2023 Mississippi spent. $7.9 billion of state and local tax money through state agencies for services to citizens. That same year they spent $11.6 Billion in additional federal grants - almost all of which were swept up in the grants pause that wasn’t but might still be. On this if salaries paid to the 21k federal civil servants in the state. The GOP seems to want to do away with most of that if not all of that. Which will have economic impacts.
https://mississippitoday.org/2025/02/06/trump-grant-freeze-mississippi/?utm_source=Mississippi+Today+Supporters&utm_campaign=c0fb19dbec-The_Today_2_7_2025_15_26&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_2ac1d8600e-c0fb19dbec-169036478&mc_cid=c0fb19dbec
On “Keynesian Beauty Contests, Schelling Points, and the Omnicause”
He has cut off head start - which hurts his supporters. He has cut off all sorts of healthcare subsidies. The GOP is about to proposes massive cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and social security which hurts his supporters.
To say nothing of the growing amount of unpicked produce and the almost grinding halt to home building he has started.
What you conveniently ignore about USAID is that the fight isn’t about the programs - it’s about who has control. And no president has control of the appropriations process - even you concede that’s Congress. So while eviscerating USAID may make great red meat for his base, it’s unconstitutional. Which means illegal. And getting 31% of voters support doesn’t give anyone the right to break the law.
On “Open Mic for the week of 2/3/2025”
Everything is a show this time around.