Summary

Elon Musk sparked controversy by falsely claiming entitlement programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid have “$700 billion” in fraud annually, vastly exaggerating the actual figure (~$10 billion/year).

Musk labeled Social Security a “Ponzi scheme” and spread conspiracies about immigrants exploiting the system.

Critics argue Musk’s ignorance and conspiracy-mongering threaten essential public programs and data privacy, while his inflammatory rhetoric—such as calling Senator Mark Kelly, a former astronaut and combat veteran, a “traitor”—reinforces demands for his immediate removal from government.

  • werefreeatlast@lemmy.world
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    8 days ago

    Republicans are doing a great job on both sides…social security in case your luck fucks out, and the market in case your thought you could get away:

    Who said retirement? That’s illegal! You and I will be working for elon until we both end up 6’ under. (By that I mean fucking dead like a month Python parrot)

  • jsomae@lemmy.ml
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    8 days ago

    I do not understand why the fact that Musk is “unelected” matters so much to everyone. Is the Secretary of Defence elected? The Attorney General?

    • sporkler@lemmy.world
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      8 days ago

      I think it’s just to point out another layer of legitimacy he doesn’t have to do what he’s doing.

      • jsomae@lemmy.ml
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        8 days ago

        You don’t hear this criticism levelled at other malfunctioning government officials though. Perhaps one would if they went as off-the-rails as Musk. Still, I wish people would use accurate critiques of their opponents, such as as @Doctor_Satan mentions, that he is wholly without cheques or balances.

        • sporkler@lemmy.world
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          8 days ago

          And he’s not a government official, even though he’s impersonating one, and that the administration tells the public he’s in charge of a government agency but tells the courts he’s not.

          While all of these things are true, I find it disingenuous to imply that his not having been elected is somehow less accurate than any other criticism levelled against him.

          • jsomae@lemmy.ml
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            8 days ago

            okay, so he’s not a government official. I think that “not a government official” would be a great description, still better than “unelected” which in my opinion is not relevant – he was appointed directly by an elected official, just like actual government officials. I don’t see why it’s disingenuous.

    • Doctor_Satan@lemmy.world
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      8 days ago

      Is the Secretary of Defence elected? The Attorney General?

      Those are real positions that are appointed by every President. “DOGE” is a complete bullshit position/department pulled out of thin air to avoid any kind of confirmation and/or security clearance.

      It is incredibly dangerous for a President to be allowed to invent whole government departments and appoint whoever he wants to them without any checks and balances.

      • jsomae@lemmy.ml
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        8 days ago

        oh I fully agree. But you didn’t address the issue of electedness at all.

        • Katana314@lemmy.world
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          8 days ago

          It is in fact common for presidents to make up new advisory positions. If Trump wanted to make up an “Advisor of Best-Tasting Coffee”, there’s no problems there - they can help him make decisions with executive orders, or inform Congress about best steps forward for certain initiatives, etc. So just “making up a role” isn’t an issue in itself.

          BUT, even the attorney general or SoD would not have powers to fire people at will all over the administration. In many court cases it’s been found even Trump himself wouldn’t have that power.

          • jsomae@lemmy.ml
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            8 days ago

            so it’s a lot of power that he has, too much power. I think we agree here – but nothing you’re saying seems to be related to electedness. If Trump, who was elected, shouldn’t have the power, and yet Musk does, then “unelected” doesn’t seem remotely relevant to the problem.

  • Foofighter@discuss.tchncs.de
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    9 days ago

    Musk is a symptom! Trump is the elected guy responsible for the actions of his “employee”. Get him out and fix the nation!

      • MelodiousFunk@slrpnk.net
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        8 days ago

        While playing whack a mole with symptoms won’t fix the problem, once enough moles are whacked the problem becomes clearer. So let’s not let perfect be the enemy of progress.

      • SabinStargem@lemmings.world
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        8 days ago

        Specifically, he is just one a dozen+ members what I dub Yarvin’s Cabal, a group of elites trying to implement Project 2025. They all need to be hanging out with Mussolini, else the enshittification of America will continue unabated.

  • aceshigh@lemmy.world
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    9 days ago

    He’ll be replaced with another billionaire. Why are people focused on musk instead of at the root of the problem?

    • in4apenny@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      9 days ago

      Perhaps if we made a strong enough example of him it’ll make other billionaires think twice. The De Witt Brothers come to mind, tell them “It’s either this or 92% wealth tax on assets, you pick.”

        • in4apenny@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          9 days ago

          Hello there, random from another thread. Don’t you have better things to do than combing through strangers posts?

      • aceshigh@lemmy.world
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        9 days ago

        There will always be a billionaire somewhere out there who’d be willing to give it a go. They don’t need to be a wealthy American who doesn’t want to pay taxes to do it. They can be a Russian oligarch. We need to get to the root source.

        • in4apenny@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          9 days ago

          Then perhaps we should be so ruthless against that sort of practice, that it just doesn’t look worth the gamble. Yes I agree, we need to get to the root source, but the billionaires are standing in the way of that arent they. Once upon a time they used to call social programs and such “Riot Tax” so we don’t go after them, but we’ve clearly proven we don’t even need a “riot tax” since we’ve proven to them we won’t brutally deal with them in the most humiliating and painfully scary way possible. They’re not worried about maintaining their social code because we’re not giving them the appropriate consequences, so yes, as long as we don’t sufficiently scare them another billionaire will take a crack at it.

    • Nightwingdragon@lemmy.world
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      8 days ago

      And doesn’t the man have like a zillion kids with multiple different women?

      Imagine being one of Musk’s other children. You know, the ones who don’t get their attention from their father while this one random kid gets all of it.

      • in4apenny@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        8 days ago

        “Imagine being one of Musk’s other children. You know, the ones who don’t get picked to be daddy’s human shield due to their small size and ability to be held up in front of bullets.”

      • ysjet@lemmy.world
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        9 days ago

        He’s been wearing that kid like a hat ever since that CEO got shot. First time anyone had EVER seen the kid in public, too, and suddenly he hasn’t been seen anywhere without him.

      • in4apenny@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        9 days ago

        It’s a strange tactic coming from someone who supports Israel, where “human shield” is used as justification to destroy said shield along with the target.

  • Anivia@feddit.org
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    8 days ago

    Musk labeled Social Security a “Ponzi scheme”

    Well, he is correct about that. But in true republican fashion his solution is to get rid of it, instead of reforming it to be more sustainable without infinite population growth

  • cool@lemmings.world
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    8 days ago

    We can’t move to direct voting quickly enough.

    Get these “representatives” out of power and put them in regular jobs like the rest of us.

    • ERROR: Earth.exe has crashed@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      8 days ago

      Everyone’s situation is different, but for me: I’m not white and only have derived citizenship (as opposed to “natural born” citizenship), and my dad is still a Chinese Citizen (because he sucks at English for natualization test). They are already trying to deport Mahmoud Khalil. Can’t risk putting a target on my family’s back.

      CCP is hostile and already tried killing me, theres no going back (not that I have Chinese Citizenship anymore anyways). I could end up stateless and that’s not fun.

      My only hope is that the fascists are incompetent and elections still exist in the future.

      I think protesting is a very brave thing to do, but I also can’t blame anyone for not doing so. Its very risky.

    • Verdant Banana@lemmy.world
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      9 days ago

      People in the US think politics is just another soap opera on the daytime TV that has nothing to do with their lives just like watching celebrities and Trump was picked because he adds to all that

      Biden was deliberately put in office to be a good step stool for Trump

        • GluWu@lemm.ee
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          8 days ago

          Trump literally nominated Dr. Oz for administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Obviously the best pick to head government healthcare is the top “medical” talk show host.

  • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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    9 days ago

    He needs to be able to steal that money, you guyzzzzz!

    Enriching fElon is about “efficiency”, at least according to MOE - the Ministry of Efficiency, where up is down, black is white.

  • numlok@lemmy.world
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    9 days ago

    before his slash-and-burn nonsense and warped views of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid cause a spike in the sale of pitchforks.

    Ha. I’d argue the time for pitchforks is already here.

  • RabbitBBQ@lemmy.world
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    8 days ago

    He may not be elected but he paid the guy who got elected a ton of money, so that’s basically the same as being elected… Right? Right?!?