A strong and worthy assessment, Danielle. Congress has been asleep so long that it can’t wake up. It’s absurd to run the government based on nothing more than continuing resolutions rather than legislatively enacted appropriations and budgets.
Thanks Ms. Pletka, your commentary always informs my views. Can we talk about most of these agencies and departments are not needed in the first place? The budget has been on a crash course with disaster for a long time now. You are right that it must be remedied responsibly, but we need to point out at every opportunity that the vast expansion of our government is irresponsible.
My brain sure hopes that Trump has a plan in Ukraine. I'm open to his way, but can you imagine Churchill or Reagan acting this way. He was doing so well until yesterday. As usual, great stuff. I hope you expand on Ukraine and Putin. It is truly a "What the Hell is Going On" situation. Take care.
You could write a book on Psychology and human nature. It's all the same human instinct. Everything revolves around either power or money sometimes both (and not to leave out sex not mentioned here). Sometimes the pendulum swings to one side sometimes the other. We have experienced Obama Biden and now we have Trump Musk. How can anyone disagree with you?
It is fine to criticize DOGE bruhs, but who else is going to do this? It has to be done. Jon Lovett of the Obama White House/speech writer admitted (let it slip) they wanted to do what DOGE is doing but it was hard.
Our Federal government lost its way. It is to protect, arbitrate, and defend the nation — not welfare, care, or redistribute. The state’s do the latter, and those who do it poorly will lose people. See NY State and Florida. Backing down the Federal government — and the agencies such as USAID, IRS, DOJ, DOD, FCC, … and others that allowed themselves to become political weapons is right and just. The Federal government is an institution for liberty, equality of opportunity, and modesty. The responsibility for policing and police power inside the US belongs to the states.
I think the challenge here, as I wrote, is not the who. It’s the how. I enjoy the titillating headlines as much as the next guy, but there is a baby and there is bath water. I’m not persuaded Musk et al see the difference. And if there was some serious oversight, I might be less concerned… But there isn’t.
Don’t react to headlines. Research, reflect, and observe what is happening. Nothing horrendous has happened yet. There is much waste and abuse — let it roll out.
Thus far DOGE has identified waste or errors, and the President has ordered the cutting of $55 billion, more or less. Musk is a helper, DOGE is a tool. Let’s not make this about Elon — he is just a guy who knows people who know how to find stuff in the data. Never forget, DOGE does not have the power to suspend or cut spending. Elon is just a functionary — not a decider.
And let’s be honest, the government is famously behind the curve in data processing. Recall, Air Traffic Controllers use slips of paper and pass them to each other to track planes. Elon has his people figuring out how to bring the ATC system into the 20th century. So this is about cutting waste, routing out incompetence, correcting errors, and making things work better.
I for one think this is long overdue. Let these people who you dismiss as bruh’s with racist histories do their thing. The nation that is the most efficient at achieving its goals wins. Our national government is now doing everything and does few things well. We need to get the Federal government back inside the Constitution (Article I, II, and III, Amendment X) and the agencies out of domestic politics so they can perform their legislated functions within Article II.
The Federal government protects freedom, arbitrates disputes, and defends the nation’s interests. The rest belongs to the states who have the police powers to compel and enforce, per Amendment X. Let’s follow that model, make the Federal government more modest, and empower the states. The Civil War and reconstruction are over. We don’t need one government telling, pushing, and ordering us to buy EV’s. Let’s allow freedom to work this out.
I realize that you are eager to persuade yourself that Trump is no worse than the Democrats, but moderate Democrat Twitter argues that Trump (under the influence of a businessman with significant ties to China) wants to surrender Europe to Russia. Why are they wrong? What am I missing here?
Did Marco Rubio have a Dean Acheson moment in his interview with Katherine Herrige when he failed to include Tiawan in his list of nations that do not want to be under China's influence? Hope not.
I had a FaceBook “discussion” about Trump and DOGE within the past couple of weeks, with some of my socialist friends. Their complaints were that nobody elected Musk, he has no clearance/shouldn’t have access to personally identifiable information, and they claimed these activities as unconstitutional. Their point - “the ends don’t justify the means.” Which got me thinking: “Do the means justify the ends?” At some point in the future, are we going to be satisfied when (not if, but when) the U.S. is bankrupt because we followed the system? Maybe I’m wrong in this, but as of right now, I’ll take this once-in-a-lifetime course-corrective action that we’re seeing - that I never thought would happen in my lifetime. Sure, I agree 100% it would be great if this could be done in a more lasting fashion. The sausage-making is UGLY, but I’m not inclined to micromanage. Thanks Danielle, as always, for helping us organize our thoughts around these issues.
A totally fair question. I can’t betray confidences, I’m afraid. But I agree that if one were to look at the face of things without hearing any backstory, one would think as you do. Let’s hope I’m right and you’re wrong and not the other way around, for all of our sakes.
The Biden Strategy is the old US Russo/Afghan strategy to supply just enough weapons to weaken Moscow. All the folderol over Ukraine, democracy, the people, is NGO/USAID funded nonsense. It is a corrupt state run by oligarchs or a dictator; one that bought off Joe through Hunter. Ukraine is a feeble Democrat project that is failing.
Trump is operating under a grand strategy to contain or balance Chynah. This is not by choice, but by necessity. China harms American jobs, industry, and technology. They are aggressive and the biggest threat to America, not Russia (ask any senior military officer posted overseas).
China is moving on Taiwan, which remains critical to US technology (chips). China needs Taiwan since America is blocking the shipment or US chips to China. Further, Taiwanese chips keep everything in the US working: communication, utilities, pipelines, server farms, transportation, production, weapons, security.
Trump is putting and will put pressure on Taiwan (and American tech companies) to move know-how and production to the US — ASAP. He will prioritize rare earth mining of the new strikes in the west.
Trump’s approach to Russia is to find and exploit any gap between Russia and China. We are seeing Trump start this now with his silly Truth Social messages. Never forget, China is surrounding Russia’s southern flank with Belt and Road and gaining influence over former Russian states. China’s millions and Russian’s thousands inhabit northern Asia. China will eventually want to consolidate Siberia.
The Ukraine conflict stands in the way of any common interest, accommodation, and warming between the US and Russia. Europe stands in the way too.
Ukraine, like Russia, is corrupt through and through (e.g. Biden payoffs), a failed Democrat strategy because it is a conflict we are not trying to win. The Biden/Blinken/Austin strategy was to mimic the Russo/Afghan War strategy of the 80’s and ship just enough weaponry to weaken Moscow hoping things worked out — but this time, Moscow is more resolute, more independent, more capable of skirting sanctions and limitations. When Moscow abandoned Assad, they signaled they would give up their jewel in Tartus/Latakia, Syria to win. The are not backing away. Ukraine has more value, and the siloviki Putinista’s have more on the line. A failure in Ukraine is unthinkable.
Trump sees Europe for what it is. All talk. They want our help and then want to criticize how we provide it. They hold great conferences on security(lots of flags), and don’t follow through. Europe is living in the 1960’s, capable of defending its own interests, but choosing to starve its military. Thus, Europe’s interest is to say a lot and do little; this is no longer our interest, and Starmer, Macron, and whoever is running Germany are awakening to this fact right now. Will they change — Trump and more importantly, realpolitik will make them change.
One other note: Trump wants to remove the ME, Iran, Palestinian problem once and for all — he wants a really big Abraham Accord and wants to erode Iran’s adventurism. His whako Mar-a-Gaza called attention to the fact that Gaza has a solution, and the Arabs can make it happen, … or they can let it fester for another thousand years. Trump wants to extract US assets from the ME, to get the Arabs to step up, and to defuse the useless conflicts.
So, you want to know what is on Trump’s mind: contain China by securing domestic solid state production, expanding domestic rare earth supplies, thawing Russia, defuse the ME, and be ready to turn the Taiwan Strait into a hellscape. Chairman Xi, take note. Taiwan is close, but not land close.
Yes, sorry. Ukraine is not a corrupt state that bought off Biden through Hunter. Those facts must be ignored. Ignore that $6 million.
So those billions we poured into Ukraine, … how’s that working out? Have we got Russia against the ropes? War coming to a conclusion? Are we allowing Ukraine to win or bleed slowly? What’s the strategy there?
And what is in America’s best interests? Stand in Ukraine or focus on Asia?
No idea where you get your "facts". Sounds pretty Russian to me. Abandoning our allies and throwing in with Putin is not in our best interest and will end badly. Also why should we have to pick between Ukraine and Asia? Last I checked the usa still has the world's strongest military and economy. Russia is on the ropes. Trump's capitulation is cowardly and exposes his underlying weakness on the world stage. China is watching. I am old enough to remember Republican presidents like Eisenhower and Reagan who would stand up to thugs like Putin. The American ideal is being destroyed from within.
I can see where Trump might be searching for a way for Putin to save face as a way to help grease the skids and bring the war in Ukraine to an end. It’s possible he has clued in Zakensky and our European allies in this regard. What happens behind the scenes and what we see and hear often vary considerably. I’m inclined to wait and see the end result before judging Trump’s actions.
A strong and worthy assessment, Danielle. Congress has been asleep so long that it can’t wake up. It’s absurd to run the government based on nothing more than continuing resolutions rather than legislatively enacted appropriations and budgets.
Thanks Ms. Pletka, your commentary always informs my views. Can we talk about most of these agencies and departments are not needed in the first place? The budget has been on a crash course with disaster for a long time now. You are right that it must be remedied responsibly, but we need to point out at every opportunity that the vast expansion of our government is irresponsible.
My brain sure hopes that Trump has a plan in Ukraine. I'm open to his way, but can you imagine Churchill or Reagan acting this way. He was doing so well until yesterday. As usual, great stuff. I hope you expand on Ukraine and Putin. It is truly a "What the Hell is Going On" situation. Take care.
You could write a book on Psychology and human nature. It's all the same human instinct. Everything revolves around either power or money sometimes both (and not to leave out sex not mentioned here). Sometimes the pendulum swings to one side sometimes the other. We have experienced Obama Biden and now we have Trump Musk. How can anyone disagree with you?
Burt Gummer
"Sometime a paranoid militant with more guns than any sane person would need, is just the man for the job"
It is fine to criticize DOGE bruhs, but who else is going to do this? It has to be done. Jon Lovett of the Obama White House/speech writer admitted (let it slip) they wanted to do what DOGE is doing but it was hard.
Our Federal government lost its way. It is to protect, arbitrate, and defend the nation — not welfare, care, or redistribute. The state’s do the latter, and those who do it poorly will lose people. See NY State and Florida. Backing down the Federal government — and the agencies such as USAID, IRS, DOJ, DOD, FCC, … and others that allowed themselves to become political weapons is right and just. The Federal government is an institution for liberty, equality of opportunity, and modesty. The responsibility for policing and police power inside the US belongs to the states.
I think the challenge here, as I wrote, is not the who. It’s the how. I enjoy the titillating headlines as much as the next guy, but there is a baby and there is bath water. I’m not persuaded Musk et al see the difference. And if there was some serious oversight, I might be less concerned… But there isn’t.
Don’t react to headlines. Research, reflect, and observe what is happening. Nothing horrendous has happened yet. There is much waste and abuse — let it roll out.
Thus far DOGE has identified waste or errors, and the President has ordered the cutting of $55 billion, more or less. Musk is a helper, DOGE is a tool. Let’s not make this about Elon — he is just a guy who knows people who know how to find stuff in the data. Never forget, DOGE does not have the power to suspend or cut spending. Elon is just a functionary — not a decider.
And let’s be honest, the government is famously behind the curve in data processing. Recall, Air Traffic Controllers use slips of paper and pass them to each other to track planes. Elon has his people figuring out how to bring the ATC system into the 20th century. So this is about cutting waste, routing out incompetence, correcting errors, and making things work better.
I for one think this is long overdue. Let these people who you dismiss as bruh’s with racist histories do their thing. The nation that is the most efficient at achieving its goals wins. Our national government is now doing everything and does few things well. We need to get the Federal government back inside the Constitution (Article I, II, and III, Amendment X) and the agencies out of domestic politics so they can perform their legislated functions within Article II.
The Federal government protects freedom, arbitrates disputes, and defends the nation’s interests. The rest belongs to the states who have the police powers to compel and enforce, per Amendment X. Let’s follow that model, make the Federal government more modest, and empower the states. The Civil War and reconstruction are over. We don’t need one government telling, pushing, and ordering us to buy EV’s. Let’s allow freedom to work this out.
I realize that you are eager to persuade yourself that Trump is no worse than the Democrats, but moderate Democrat Twitter argues that Trump (under the influence of a businessman with significant ties to China) wants to surrender Europe to Russia. Why are they wrong? What am I missing here?
It’s not clear to me that a comment that begins, “I realize you are eager to persuade yourself” is interested in information.
Did Marco Rubio have a Dean Acheson moment in his interview with Katherine Herrige when he failed to include Tiawan in his list of nations that do not want to be under China's influence? Hope not.
I had a FaceBook “discussion” about Trump and DOGE within the past couple of weeks, with some of my socialist friends. Their complaints were that nobody elected Musk, he has no clearance/shouldn’t have access to personally identifiable information, and they claimed these activities as unconstitutional. Their point - “the ends don’t justify the means.” Which got me thinking: “Do the means justify the ends?” At some point in the future, are we going to be satisfied when (not if, but when) the U.S. is bankrupt because we followed the system? Maybe I’m wrong in this, but as of right now, I’ll take this once-in-a-lifetime course-corrective action that we’re seeing - that I never thought would happen in my lifetime. Sure, I agree 100% it would be great if this could be done in a more lasting fashion. The sausage-making is UGLY, but I’m not inclined to micromanage. Thanks Danielle, as always, for helping us organize our thoughts around these issues.
"I’ll even allow that Trump’s instincts about how to play Putin — based on conversations others have had with him — can be good"
Would like to know who the "others" were and what the "how to play Putin" conversations were about.
Does any serious person really question who is being played here.
A totally fair question. I can’t betray confidences, I’m afraid. But I agree that if one were to look at the face of things without hearing any backstory, one would think as you do. Let’s hope I’m right and you’re wrong and not the other way around, for all of our sakes.
The Biden Strategy is the old US Russo/Afghan strategy to supply just enough weapons to weaken Moscow. All the folderol over Ukraine, democracy, the people, is NGO/USAID funded nonsense. It is a corrupt state run by oligarchs or a dictator; one that bought off Joe through Hunter. Ukraine is a feeble Democrat project that is failing.
Trump is operating under a grand strategy to contain or balance Chynah. This is not by choice, but by necessity. China harms American jobs, industry, and technology. They are aggressive and the biggest threat to America, not Russia (ask any senior military officer posted overseas).
China is moving on Taiwan, which remains critical to US technology (chips). China needs Taiwan since America is blocking the shipment or US chips to China. Further, Taiwanese chips keep everything in the US working: communication, utilities, pipelines, server farms, transportation, production, weapons, security.
Trump is putting and will put pressure on Taiwan (and American tech companies) to move know-how and production to the US — ASAP. He will prioritize rare earth mining of the new strikes in the west.
Trump’s approach to Russia is to find and exploit any gap between Russia and China. We are seeing Trump start this now with his silly Truth Social messages. Never forget, China is surrounding Russia’s southern flank with Belt and Road and gaining influence over former Russian states. China’s millions and Russian’s thousands inhabit northern Asia. China will eventually want to consolidate Siberia.
The Ukraine conflict stands in the way of any common interest, accommodation, and warming between the US and Russia. Europe stands in the way too.
Ukraine, like Russia, is corrupt through and through (e.g. Biden payoffs), a failed Democrat strategy because it is a conflict we are not trying to win. The Biden/Blinken/Austin strategy was to mimic the Russo/Afghan War strategy of the 80’s and ship just enough weaponry to weaken Moscow hoping things worked out — but this time, Moscow is more resolute, more independent, more capable of skirting sanctions and limitations. When Moscow abandoned Assad, they signaled they would give up their jewel in Tartus/Latakia, Syria to win. The are not backing away. Ukraine has more value, and the siloviki Putinista’s have more on the line. A failure in Ukraine is unthinkable.
Trump sees Europe for what it is. All talk. They want our help and then want to criticize how we provide it. They hold great conferences on security(lots of flags), and don’t follow through. Europe is living in the 1960’s, capable of defending its own interests, but choosing to starve its military. Thus, Europe’s interest is to say a lot and do little; this is no longer our interest, and Starmer, Macron, and whoever is running Germany are awakening to this fact right now. Will they change — Trump and more importantly, realpolitik will make them change.
One other note: Trump wants to remove the ME, Iran, Palestinian problem once and for all — he wants a really big Abraham Accord and wants to erode Iran’s adventurism. His whako Mar-a-Gaza called attention to the fact that Gaza has a solution, and the Arabs can make it happen, … or they can let it fester for another thousand years. Trump wants to extract US assets from the ME, to get the Arabs to step up, and to defuse the useless conflicts.
So, you want to know what is on Trump’s mind: contain China by securing domestic solid state production, expanding domestic rare earth supplies, thawing Russia, defuse the ME, and be ready to turn the Taiwan Strait into a hellscape. Chairman Xi, take note. Taiwan is close, but not land close.
umm, no, afraid you lost me at Hunter buyoff. Quite a tale tho.
Yes, sorry. Ukraine is not a corrupt state that bought off Biden through Hunter. Those facts must be ignored. Ignore that $6 million.
So those billions we poured into Ukraine, … how’s that working out? Have we got Russia against the ropes? War coming to a conclusion? Are we allowing Ukraine to win or bleed slowly? What’s the strategy there?
And what is in America’s best interests? Stand in Ukraine or focus on Asia?
You tell me.
No idea where you get your "facts". Sounds pretty Russian to me. Abandoning our allies and throwing in with Putin is not in our best interest and will end badly. Also why should we have to pick between Ukraine and Asia? Last I checked the usa still has the world's strongest military and economy. Russia is on the ropes. Trump's capitulation is cowardly and exposes his underlying weakness on the world stage. China is watching. I am old enough to remember Republican presidents like Eisenhower and Reagan who would stand up to thugs like Putin. The American ideal is being destroyed from within.
I can see where Trump might be searching for a way for Putin to save face as a way to help grease the skids and bring the war in Ukraine to an end. It’s possible he has clued in Zakensky and our European allies in this regard. What happens behind the scenes and what we see and hear often vary considerably. I’m inclined to wait and see the end result before judging Trump’s actions.
Thanks for the reply. I disagree with most of your analysis but good to hear another viewpoint.