The Real timschochet 6,391 Posted February 27 51 minutes ago, shadrap said: https://www.foxnews.com/us/doge-says-texas-nonprofit-former-biden-transition-member-reaped-millions-operating-empty-facility Well gee maybe that’s true. Maybe it isn’t. We really don’t know because it’s impossible to verify anything DOGE says until a few days later and very often it turns out to be a lie (which is why Fox was careful to title the article “Doge says”. They might as well have titled it “Simon says”. But even if it it’s true, why did you post it in reponse to the lie about Ebola? What does one have to do with the other? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TrailGuy 552 Posted February 27 Just now, The Real timschochet said: Well gee maybe that’s true. Maybe it isn’t. We really don’t know because it’s impossible to verify anything DOGE says until a few days later and very often it turns out to be a lie (which is why Fox was careful to title the article “Doge says”. They might as well have titled it “Simon says”. But even if it it’s true, why did you post it in reponse to the lie about Ebola? What does one have to do with the other? I don't think it's true based on what I can see.... https://www.usaspending.gov/recipient/145a4154-d747-d57b-bd6a-5c438e9f82d5-C/latest https://endeavors.org/ It appears this organization does help veterans and migrants in Texas. What we DO know is that Musk has lied about many many things that DOGE is doing so taking ANYTHING he says at face value is foolish. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Real timschochet 6,391 Posted February 27 DOGE is going to terminate a 2.4 billion dollar contract between the FAA and Verizon and replace it with a new contract with…:Musk’s company Starlink. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/02/26/musk-starlink-doge-faa-verizon/ Someone will have to explain how this is being done for government efficiency because, to my untrained mind, it looks a lot like pure corruption. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RLLD 4,143 Posted February 27 12 minutes ago, The Real timschochet said: DOGE is going to terminate a 2.4 billion dollar contract between the FAA and Verizon and replace it with a new contract with…:Musk’s company Starlink. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/02/26/musk-starlink-doge-faa-verizon/ Someone will have to explain how this is being done for government efficiency because, to my untrained mind, it looks a lot like pure corruption. Here is that rare moment, you and I should savor. This situation has the political context whereby you see a problem, as do I. So here we are, once again in concurrence. Later it might arise that this is instead associated with a Democrat, and we will once again disagree....but for now....lets enjoy this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jerryskids 6,550 Posted February 27 25 minutes ago, The Real timschochet said: DOGE is going to terminate a 2.4 billion dollar contract between the FAA and Verizon and replace it with a new contract with…:Musk’s company Starlink. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/02/26/musk-starlink-doge-faa-verizon/ Someone will have to explain how this is being done for government efficiency because, to my untrained mind, it looks a lot like pure corruption. Did you read your own article? It says nothing of the kind. Who is lying now? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red White and Blue 81 Posted February 27 26 minutes ago, The Real timschochet said: DOGE is going to terminate a 2.4 billion dollar contract between the FAA and Verizon and replace it with a new contract with…:Musk’s company Starlink. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/02/26/musk-starlink-doge-faa-verizon/ Someone will have to explain how this is being done for government efficiency because, to my untrained mind, it looks a lot like pure corruption. I’m sure @jonmx and the usual suspects have an amusing explanation of how this isn’t a massive conflict of interest. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
supermike80 1,796 Posted February 27 32 minutes ago, The Real timschochet said: DOGE is going to terminate a 2.4 billion dollar contract between the FAA and Verizon and replace it with a new contract with…:Musk’s company Starlink. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/02/26/musk-starlink-doge-faa-verizon/ Someone will have to explain how this is being done for government efficiency because, to my untrained mind, it looks a lot like pure corruption. Crap..I have Verizon stock. it's up today though. Maybe they don't know what you know yet? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TrailGuy 552 Posted February 27 10 minutes ago, jerryskids said: Did you read your own article? It says nothing of the kind. Who is lying now? The First. Focking. Paragraph. The Federal Aviation Administration is close to canceling a $2.4 billion contract to overhaul a communications system that serves as the backbone of the nation’s air traffic control system and awarding the work to Elon Musk’s Starlink, according to two people briefed on the plans. You're having one hell of a day Jerry. Jeebus. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jerryskids 6,550 Posted February 27 11 minutes ago, TrailGuy said: The First. Focking. Paragraph. The Federal Aviation Administration is close to canceling a $2.4 billion contract to overhaul a communications system that serves as the backbone of the nation’s air traffic control system and awarding the work to Elon Musk’s Starlink, according to two people briefed on the plans. You're having one hell of a day Jerry. Jeebus. 50 minutes ago, The Real timschochet said: DOGE is going to terminate a 2.4 billion dollar contract between the FAA and Verizon and replace it with a new contract with…:Musk’s company Starlink. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/02/26/musk-starlink-doge-faa-verizon/ Someone will have to explain how this is being done for government efficiency because, to my untrained mind, it looks a lot like pure corruption. DOGE is going to terminate what now? Dang, two W's and I'm still in my bathrobe. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TrailGuy 552 Posted February 27 6 minutes ago, jerryskids said: DOGE is going to terminate what now? Dang, two W's and I'm still in my bathrobe. Oh it says the FAA will terminate it, not DOGE That makes it all kosher You're a disgrace, pudding head. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Real timschochet 6,391 Posted February 27 11 minutes ago, jerryskids said: DOGE is going to terminate what now? Dang, two W's and I'm still in my bathrobe. I‘m not seeing much of a difference here. Do you really think I deliberately lied, like Musk did about Ebola? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jerryskids 6,550 Posted February 27 11 minutes ago, TrailGuy said: Oh it says the FAA will terminate it, not DOGE That makes it all kosher You're a disgrace, pudding head. 6 minutes ago, The Real timschochet said: I‘m not seeing much of a difference here. Do you really think I deliberately lied, like Musk did about Ebola? You either lied or have MDS. The difference you don't see is that in a thread started by an MDS person which is designed to point out all of the evil stuff that Musk is doing to steal the SSN of insurance salesmen and fake finance execs, you drew the conclusion that DOGE did this. Your implication is that Musk came in and whacked the contract and awarded it to Starlink. But the FAA did it, and having worked in the aerospace industry (specifically on safety requirements), I can tell you that the FAA did not decide on such a change in the past month because Musk is a buddy of Trump's. I am confident that this change has been discussed and analyzed for quite a long time. Now, if you want to speculate that Musk's position was a "final straw" that caused the FAA to pull the trigger on the change, you are free to do so, but that's all it is: speculation. I expect this from TrailGuy because he is a certified idiot, but I expect better from you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hardcore troubadour 14,910 Posted February 27 Elon is doing this to get rich. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red White and Blue 81 Posted February 27 “Richer” - HTH. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TrailGuy 552 Posted February 27 OMG we have a new acronym, MDS. All you cultists are the same. Any criticism of you or your team is on it's face invalid, therefore the person criticizing must be deranged. Trump has done a number on you cultists. Completely incapable of independent thought anymore. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Strike 5,182 Posted February 27 @jerryskids you might want to back off on this one. I don't know much about the contract with Verizon but I do know the FAA's systems are antiquated and in need of updating. I also talk to people in different aspects of aviation due to being in that community quite a bit. I know a couple of air traffic controllers and can tell you that morale and uncertainty in that group is lower than it's been in decades, as a direct result of Trump and Musk. On a personal note, I need FAA approval when I change the doctor I see for my FAA medical clearance. I've had to do that twice. The first time I sent a letter with my request and got an approval letter a couple weeks later. I had to do it again back in November. I got my approval letter last week. Anecdotal I know but I've read about other people seeing significant delays relative to pre Trump days. I have serious concerns about this administration having a significant negative impact on FAA operations. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Strike 5,182 Posted February 27 20 minutes ago, Hardcore troubadour said: Elon is doing this to get rich. Yeah, hopefully if he keeps trying he'll be rich one day. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TrailGuy 552 Posted February 27 20 minutes ago, jerryskids said: But the FAA did it, and having worked in the aerospace industry (specifically on safety requirements), I can tell you that the FAA did not decide on such a change in the past month because Musk is a buddy of Trump's. I am confident that this change has been discussed and analyzed for quite a long time. The head of the FAA, Michael Whitaker, resigned in January after the FAA fined SpaceX $600MM and Musk called for Whitaker to resign. The FAA only has an acting head now, Christopher Rocheleau, who since being appointed has partnered with Musk and Doge. Musk started tweeting about how the current Verizon communications system is breaking down rapidly and how the situation is dire. Now we have reports of the FAA replacing Verizon with Starlink. A child can see what is going on here. You can't. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jerryskids 6,550 Posted February 27 16 minutes ago, TrailGuy said: OMG we have a new acronym, MDS. All you cultists are the same. Any criticism of you or your team is on it's face invalid, therefore the person criticizing must be deranged. Trump has done a number on you cultists. Completely incapable of independent thought anymore. Lefties: DOGE canceled the contract$#@! Righties: Um, no, it was the FAA. Lefties: Righties are in a cult$%#@! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RLLD 4,143 Posted February 27 14 minutes ago, Strike said: @jerryskids you might want to back off on this one. I don't know much about the contract with Verizon but I do know the FAA's systems are antiquated and in need of updating. I also talk to people in different aspects of aviation due to being in that community quite a bit. I know a couple of air traffic controllers and can tell you that morale and uncertainty in that group is lower than it's been in decades, as a direct result of Trump and Musk. On a personal note, I need FAA approval when I change the doctor I see for my FAA medical clearance. I've had to do that twice. The first time I sent a letter with my request and got an approval letter a couple weeks later. I had to do it again back in November. I got my approval letter last week. Anecdotal I know but I've read about other people seeing significant delays relative to pre Trump days. I have serious concerns about this administration having a significant negative impact on FAA operations. I worked closely.....with DOT.....now FAA is semi-autonomous....and not like a "line of business" as the other elements are. BUT.....there is one word that defines DOT....immaturity. Immaturity of process, tools and people. As an agency, they are among the worst I have been asked to fix. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TrailGuy 552 Posted February 27 Rich people stop trying to get rich after they get rich. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hardcore troubadour 14,910 Posted February 27 Chris Joseph’s has an investment app called Autopilot. They invest alongside of what politicians are investing in. Just sat for an interview with Tucker. Young guy, 29, not political. If you’re interested in how corrupt our government really is, check it out. Little over a hour. Don’t worry shitlibs, plenty of republicans get named. Some may surprise you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jerryskids 6,550 Posted February 27 15 minutes ago, Strike said: @jerryskids you might want to back off on this one. I don't know much about the contract with Verizon but I do know the FAA's systems are antiquated and in need of updating. I also talk to people in different aspects of aviation due to being in that community quite a bit. I know a couple of air traffic controllers and can tell you that morale and uncertainty in that group is lower than it's been in decades, as a direct result of Trump and Musk. On a personal note, I need FAA approval when I change the doctor I see for my FAA medical clearance. I've had to do that twice. The first time I sent a letter with my request and got an approval letter a couple weeks later. I had to do it again back in November. I got my approval letter last week. Anecdotal I know but I've read about other people seeing significant delays relative to pre Trump days. I have serious concerns about this administration having a significant negative impact on FAA operations. I merely pointed out that Tim was either lying or had MDS when he posted that DOGE cancelled the contract. The difference between that and the reality is significant, as I further explained. I was not commenting on the morale of ATCs or anything else. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Strike 5,182 Posted February 27 1 minute ago, jerryskids said: I merely pointed out that Tim was either lying or had MDS when he posted that DOGE cancelled the contract. The difference between that and the reality is significant, as I further explained. I was not commenting on the morale of ATCs or anything else. My point is, there is a lot of change and uncertainty at the FAA, and it's coming from above. You're suggesting the FAA is making these decisions in a vacuum, without any guidance from higher ups outside of the FAA such as Musk and Trump, and I believe you're wrong in this case. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fnord 2,051 Posted February 27 22 minutes ago, Strike said: @jerryskids you might want to back off on this one. I don't know much about the contract with Verizon but I do know the FAA's systems are antiquated and in need of updating. I also talk to people in different aspects of aviation due to being in that community quite a bit. I know a couple of air traffic controllers and can tell you that morale and uncertainty in that group is lower than it's been in decades, as a direct result of Trump and Musk. On a personal note, I need FAA approval when I change the doctor I see for my FAA medical clearance. I've had to do that twice. The first time I sent a letter with my request and got an approval letter a couple weeks later. I had to do it again back in November. I got my approval letter last week. Anecdotal I know but I've read about other people seeing significant delays relative to pre Trump days. I have serious concerns about this administration having a significant negative impact on FAA operations. We are going to see this much more, I would think. Gov't workers worried about their jobs, morale tanking, being asked to accomplish tasks they are not capable of because their colleagues were already fired without an opportunity to train replacements. Institutional knowledge is being removed completely from the institutions. What was already inefficient now becomes near useless. The seeming lack of thought given to eventual outcomes of firing thousands of unelected bureaucrats is startling. Eventually, something bad will occur that could have been prevented or mitigated by some of the individuals and agencies being axed. Then all hell will break loose. The FAA is a perfect example of a vital agency already running short staffed with low morale. I won't pin the recent rash of plane crashes on Trump, but what we see today may only be a small indicator of what is to come. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Real timschochet 6,391 Posted February 27 1 hour ago, jerryskids said: You either lied or have MDS. The difference you don't see is that in a thread started by an MDS person which is designed to point out all of the evil stuff that Musk is doing to steal the SSN of insurance salesmen and fake finance execs, you drew the conclusion that DOGE did this. Your implication is that Musk came in and whacked the contract and awarded it to Starlink. But the FAA did it, and having worked in the aerospace industry (specifically on safety requirements), I can tell you that the FAA did not decide on such a change in the past month because Musk is a buddy of Trump's. I am confident that this change has been discussed and analyzed for quite a long time. Now, if you want to speculate that Musk's position was a "final straw" that caused the FAA to pull the trigger on the change, you are free to do so, but that's all it is: speculation. I expect this from TrailGuy because he is a certified idiot, but I expect better from you. OK fair enough. I never bought into the Hunter Biden stuff so I can buy into the idea that this was done by the FAA without any connection to DOGE and perhaps Starlink is simply cheaper or more efficient or whatever. Thats reasonable and I can accept it. Truth be told I don’t usually buy into corruption stories. (I do think that Jared Kushner-Saudi was major corruption however). That being said, the timing is unfortunate. It’s not a good look. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TrailGuy 552 Posted February 27 3 minutes ago, The Real timschochet said: OK fair enough. I never bought into the Hunter Biden stuff so I can buy into the idea that this was done by the FAA without any connection to DOGE and perhaps Starlink is simply cheaper or more efficient or whatever. Thats reasonable and I can accept it. Truth be told I don’t usually buy into corruption stories. (I do think that Jared Kushner-Saudi was major corruption however). That being said, the timing is unfortunate. It’s not a good look. Don't let Jerry gaslight you. It's beyond obvious what is going on here. Even Strike can see it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Real timschochet 6,391 Posted February 27 26 minutes ago, Strike said: My point is, there is a lot of change and uncertainty at the FAA, and it's coming from above. You're suggesting the FAA is making these decisions in a vacuum, without any guidance from higher ups outside of the FAA such as Musk and Trump, and I believe you're wrong in this case. But @jerryskids criticism of me was correct in this instance. I had no special knowledge that Musk or DOGE was involved (certainly I was unaware of what you have described) and I shouldn’t have assumed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Real timschochet 6,391 Posted February 27 2 minutes ago, TrailGuy said: Don't let Jerry gaslight you. It's beyond obvious what is going on here. Even Strike can see it. No he’s right. We really have no idea. I didn’t make that assumption with Hunter Biden so I shouldn’t be doing it now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jerryskids 6,550 Posted February 27 2 hours ago, TrailGuy said: Don't let Jerry gaslight you. It's beyond obvious what is going on here. Even Strike can see it. Of course. DOGE told the FAA to do it, and the did it with no investigation or analysis, because that's how the FAA rolls. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shadrap 220 Posted February 28 8 hours ago, The Real timschochet said: Well gee maybe that’s true. Maybe it isn’t. We really don’t know because it’s impossible to verify anything DOGE says until a few days later and very often it turns out to be a lie (which is why Fox was careful to title the article “Doge says”. They might as well have titled it “Simon says”. But even if it it’s true, why did you post it in reponse to the lie about Ebola? What does one have to do with the other? because everything you post is so anti doge. they are going to get things wrong & hopefully make them right. right now Doge is making apparent just how corrupt our government is with our money. I pay taxes & am proud to do it. What I'm hearing & seeing right now is horrible about where this/my/your money is going. it is about time federal employees(notice I didn't say workers) have to justify what they do. Ebola fund. yea I'm pretty sure it's going to where it is supposed to as in the Congo, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, et al. Great leadership over there. just how uniformed are you? Ebola??? you have no clue about Afrika and just how bad and corrupt it is. ebola? yea, hit the streets with that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TrailGuy 552 Posted February 28 DOGE is hard to keep track of. This is by design; the only information about the group outside of its own mistake-ridden ledger of “savings” comes from media reports. So much for being “maximally transparent,” as Elon Musk has promised. The blurriness is also partly a function of the speed and breadth with which DOGE has operated. Keeping track of the destruction is like counting individual bricks scattered around a demolition site. You may be aware, for instance, that a 19-year-old who goes by “Big Balls” online plays some role in all this. Seems bad. But you may have missed that Edward Coristine has since been installed at the nation’s top cybersecurity agency. And the State Department and the Small Business Administration. And he has a Department of Homeland Security email address and, by the way, also had a recent side gig selling AI Discord bots to Russians. See? Worse than you think. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TrailGuy 552 Posted February 28 Over the past couple of decades, a number of US government officials have left their roles for lucrative jobs at tech companies. Plenty of tech executives have also departed to take leadership positions inside federal agencies. But four experts who track the federal workforce tell WIRED they were stunned last week by a development unlike any other they could recall: The Department of Treasury internally announced that Tom Krause had been appointed its fiscal assistant secretary, but that he would simultaneously continue his job as CEO of the company Cloud Software Group. Krause is now in charge of both a sensitive government payment system and a company that has millions of dollars worth of active contracts with various federal agencies through distribution partners, according to a WIRED review of searchable spending records. The Department of Treasury alone accounts for a dozen ongoing contracts tied to Krause’s company that are together valued between $7.3 million to $11.8 million. These include licenses for the data visualization tool ibi WebFocus and purchases of systems called Citrix NetScaler that help manage traffic to apps. (Some publicly posted procurement records do not break out contract details, so actual figures may be even higher.) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RLLD 4,143 Posted February 28 Check out liberals, expecting us to now believe they can see conflicting interests and corruption after being blind to it for four years Were it true that this concern were in any way present over the last four years I might be willing to entertain….this sudden awareness Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hardcore troubadour 14,910 Posted February 28 11 hours ago, Strike said: @jerryskids you might want to back off on this one. I don't know much about the contract with Verizon but I do know the FAA's systems are antiquated and in need of updating. I also talk to people in different aspects of aviation due to being in that community quite a bit. I know a couple of air traffic controllers and can tell you that morale and uncertainty in that group is lower than it's been in decades, as a direct result of Trump and Musk. On a personal note, I need FAA approval when I change the doctor I see for my FAA medical clearance. I've had to do that twice. The first time I sent a letter with my request and got an approval letter a couple weeks later. I had to do it again back in November. I got my approval letter last week. Anecdotal I know but I've read about other people seeing significant delays relative to pre Trump days. I have serious concerns about this administration having a significant negative impact on FAA operations. Duffy proposes a 30 pct pay raise. I’d say that will pick up morale. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red White and Blue 81 Posted February 28 10 hours ago, TrailGuy said: Over the past couple of decades, a number of US government officials have left their roles for lucrative jobs at tech companies. Plenty of tech executives have also departed to take leadership positions inside federal agencies. But four experts who track the federal workforce tell WIRED they were stunned last week by a development unlike any other they could recall: The Department of Treasury internally announced that Tom Krause had been appointed its fiscal assistant secretary, but that he would simultaneously continue his job as CEO of the company Cloud Software Group. Krause is now in charge of both a sensitive government payment system and a company that has millions of dollars worth of active contracts with various federal agencies through distribution partners, according to a WIRED review of searchable spending records. The Department of Treasury alone accounts for a dozen ongoing contracts tied to Krause’s company that are together valued between $7.3 million to $11.8 million. These include licenses for the data visualization tool ibi WebFocus and purchases of systems called Citrix NetScaler that help manage traffic to apps. (Some publicly posted procurement records do not break out contract details, so actual figures may be even higher.) Typical of this admin. MAGAs don’t even try to defend it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TrailGuy 552 Posted February 28 2 hours ago, Red White and Blue said: Typical of this admin. MAGAs don’t even try to defend it. They love the corruption. It's like they are watching the Godfather. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Herbivore 1,114 Posted February 28 10 hours ago, RLLD said: Check out liberals, expecting us to now believe they can see conflicting interests and corruption after being blind to it for four years Were it true that this concern were in any way present over the last four years I might be willing to entertain….this sudden awareness what conflicts are you deflecting about here? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RLLD 4,143 Posted February 28 2 minutes ago, Herbivore said: what conflicts are you deflecting about here? Let's start with Hunter Biden and the corruption his laptop has revealed, and which Democrats and the DOJ worked diligently to try to discredit. Unless you can trot out some indication that in the past you saw it, called it out, and objected to that,.....then your sudden moral high ground on current events is something I will tend to question. Don't get me wrong, I take heart that liberals CAN actually see something amiss.....but lament that it is not present.....during other situations.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Herbivore 1,114 Posted February 28 5 minutes ago, RLLD said: Let's start with Hunter Biden and the corruption his laptop has revealed, and which Democrats and the DOJ worked diligently to try to discredit. Unless you can trot out some indication that in the past you saw it, called it out, and objected to that,.....then your sudden moral high ground on current events is something I will tend to question. Don't get me wrong, I take heart that liberals CAN actually see something amiss.....but lament that it is not present.....during other situations.... so weaksauce. that's fine. when it comes to this, maybe it won't matter. starlink? verizon? is there some significant difference? on my own, I wouldn't know. the lengths you go to blame lefties or not hold righties accountable is quite hilarious. i think both sides do this, but the "now you care about <insert issue>" argument is pretty weak overall. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
