47

[Crusades]

https://www.reuters.com/graphics/USA-ELECTION/RESULTS/zjpqnemxwvx/

Welcome back. 

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

toomuchbaloney said:

Beerman didn't comment so I'm not clear if he  posted this for discussion because he thought this reflected well on Trump's agenda.  I certainly think it reflects Trump's white nationalist belief system and also reflects that Musk represents an outsized influence on the crazy old guy's thinking.  It's almost like Musk is whispering policy into the ear of the mad king.  

Many of the "Not My President's Day" protests on Monday here were also protesting Musk.  Mind you they weren't massive protests here, as it is Florida after all.  LOL

https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/sarasotacounty/not-my-presidents-day-protest-trump-sarasota/67-6fd0ec94-452b-46c3-b28a-7e5a7adcf0d5

[toomuchbaloney]

https://abcnews.go.com/US/white-house-claims-elon-musk-doesnt-run-doge/story?id=118913206

More chaos and confusion from the erratic old man.  The WH statement claims that Musk isn't the head of DOGE as the lawsuits naming Musk specifically fly through the courts.  Trump specifically said Musk was running it before Musk held the oval office press briefing outlining his efforts.  

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Quote

Budget experts say that even if Trump succeeds at slashing the spending his Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency is targeting — like the U.S. Agency for International Development and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives governmentwide — his policies would still substantially add to the deficit if they come to fruition.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/doge/doge-trumps-agenda-calls-adding-trillions-dollars-us-debt-rcna191665

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

PBS / WHYY  2/16/25

Fact-checking Trump and Musk's claims that they are cutting government 'fraud and abuse'

Quote

 

...So far, neither Musk nor the Trump White House has shown evidence of criminal activity...

"Nothing they have identified is, to my knowledge, evidence of 'fraud' or 'corruption.’ Fraud and corruption are crimes,” said Jessica Tillipman, associate dean for government procurement law at George Washington University. "This administration simply has different spending priorities than the last administration. But to label all of it as fraud or corruption is extremely misleading.”

Trump has torn down governmental fraud-finding tools. He fired more than a dozen inspectors general whose job was to ferret out fraud and inefficiencies. He paused the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits businesses from taking bribes from foreign officials.

Government reports show that fraudulent spending is a measurable problem for the federal government. But the evidence that DOGE has uncovered new examples has not yet been proved.

Here's an overview of how the government deals with waste, fraud and abuse.

Fraud is not the same as waste or abuse

Waste, fraud and abuse are not interchangeable terms.

The Government Accountability Office says waste is "using or expending resources carelessly, extravagantly, or to no purpose.” Abuse is "behavior that is deficient or improper.” Fraud "involves obtaining something of value through willful misrepresentation" and is labeled after a legal process....

Walker, the former U.S. government comptroller who led the GAO under Democratic and Republican administrations, said most of the examples he has heard from DOGE could be characterized as waste and abuse. Walker offered the Paycheck Protection Program, which Congress passed in March 2020 to help small businesses cover payroll early in the COVID-19 pandemic, as an example of a program that had fraudulent payments that the government later caught. The U.S. Small Business Administration inspector general later estimated $64 billion in fraud....

...The Government Accountability Office is staffed with auditors, and federal inspectors general  offices have auditors and law enforcement on staff. Both refer suspected fraud to investigators.

"Anytime someone looks at data (spending data for example), you will see anomalies that catch your attention and warrant review,” said Robert Westbrooks, the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee executive director who worked in government oversight roles during Democratic and Republican administrations. "That does not necessarily mean the transaction is fraudulent or wasteful.”...

In the past, many inspectors general have found fraud.

The Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency issued an annual report for 2023 that highlighted federal efforts to combat fraud, waste and abuse. The report showed that inspectors general work led to more than 4,000 prosecutions and that inspectors general identified nearly $93.1 billion in potential savings.

The findings resulted in about 3,000 suspensions, reprimands and terminations for federal contractors and federal, state and local employees....

 

 

[toomuchbaloney]

NRSKarenRN said:

PBS / WHYY  2/16/25

Fact-checking Trump and Musk's claims that they are cutting government 'fraud and abuse'

 

So many Americans seem poised to just believe whatever these well known liars tell them.  

[Beerman, BSN]

Tweety said:

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/doge/doge-trumps-agenda-calls-adding-trillions-dollars-us-debt-rcna191665

How do you feel about extending the 2017 tax cuts and adding to them that SS, tips, and OT aren't taxed?

[nursej22, MSN, RN]

Beerman said:

How do you feel about extending the 2017 tax cuts and adding to them that SS, tips, and OT aren't taxed?

I would extend tax  for the lower tax brackets, but let them lapse for incomes >$600,000. 

I think the minimum wage should be raised, and adjusted yearly for inflation, and do away with tips. If tips aren't to be taxed, that needs to be limited to hourly workers, and not include bonuses for salaried workers. 

SS is often paid to lower income people anyway, so I don't think they pay that much, or adjust the standardized deduction. 

I am undecided about OT, as I don't think it should be incentivized, any more than it already is. 

[Beerman, BSN]

nursej22 said:

I would extend tax  for the lower tax brackets, but let them lapse for incomes >$600,000. 

I think the minimum wage should be raised, and adjusted yearly for inflation, and do away with tips. If tips aren't to be taxed, that needs to be limited to hourly workers, and not include bonuses for salaried workers. 

SS is often paid to lower income people anyway, so I don't think they pay that much, or adjust the standardized deduction. 

I am undecided about OT, as I don't think it should be incentivized, any more than it already is. 

Lot's of tipped workers aren't going to want to choose minimum wage vs tips.  Why do you want to get rid of tips?

I'm not getting what you're trying to say about SS and the standard deduction.

What difference does it make to you if OT is incentivized?

Not trying to be argumentive.  Just asking for clarification to understand. 

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Beerman said:

How do you feel about extending the 2017 tax cuts and adding to them that SS, tips, and OT aren't taxed?

Show me the numbers.  I'm against lowering revenue and adding to the deficit.

I was working at Puzza Hut during nursing school when taxing tips were being cracked down on.  I believe they had to report a minimum of their sales.  Prior to that there was mass disobedience on reporting tips.  I think of tips and overtime as income and should be taxed.  

[nursej22, MSN, RN]

Beerman said:

Lot's of tipped workers aren't going to want to choose minimum wage vs tips.  Why do you want to get rid of tips?

I'm not getting what you're trying to say about SS and the standard deduction.

What difference does it make to you if OT is incentivized?

Not trying to be argumentive.  Just asking for clarification to understand. 

There are still states that allow a much lower tax rate for tipped workers, so they need tips to make a living wage. I think the national minimum wage should apply to all, and should be raised. 
This article explains why removing tax on tips won't have the promised effect. 
 

https://taxpolicycenter.org/taxvox/untipped-why-trumps-tax-cut-promise-would-hurt-many-service-workers

Quote

Tax-free tips might help a relatively small number of waiters at high-end restaurants. And they could reward hotel owners such as Trump by slowing efforts to raise the minimum wage for tipped workers. But many tipped workers make so little income that they already  pay little or no income tax.

There are some jobs where incentivizing prolonged shift just isn't safe. I used to pull doubles , and looking back, I probably had impaired judgment around hour 14. 
I don't want to be on the road with people driving who are as tired as I used to be. 

[nursej22, MSN, RN]

Regarding SS, for now, people 65+ can take an additional $1950 as well as the standardized deduction of $15.000. 

I receive around $2500 per month from SS. For a year, that would be $30000. If this was my only income, my taxable income would be 30,000 - 15,000 - 1950 =13,050. So I would pay 10% tax or $1305, relatively, not the much.  What I am saying is make the additional deduction for 65+ and those getting disability $30000, so that I don't have taxable income. 

 I guess when I type it all out, maybe there shouldn't be tax on SS after all. 

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114044712489265353

 

Air and Space Forces Magazine 2/21/25

In Purge, Trump Fires Brown, Slife, Franchetti, and More

Quote

President Donald Trump fired Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, announcing his intent to nominate retired Air Force Lt. Gen. John "Dan" Caine to replace him in a social media post Feb. 21.

Caine is a highly unusual choice. U.S. Code states the "President may appoint an officer as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff only if the officer has served as (A) the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; (B) the Chief of Staff of the Army, the Chief of Naval Operations, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, or the Chief of Space Operations; or (C) the commander of a unified or specified combatant command.”

Caine never served in those roles.

However, the law also states the those requirements can be waived "if the President determines such action is necessary in the national interest.” Congress must confirm any nomination.

Caine retired in December after a tour as Associate Director for Military Affairs at the CIA. Trump has repeatedly praised him in public going back to his first term in office.

Separately, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced he had been directed to replace:

• Air Force Vice Chief of Staff James D. "Jim" Slife
• Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti
• The Judge Advocates General for the Army, Navy, and Air Force

Additional firings are believed likely, some sources said....

...Prior to the firing, Brown had been visiting troops deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border Feb. 21. Announcing his trip on social media, he had written that he was looking forward to "observing [personnel] in action as they execute the mission of securing the border.” 

Hegseth has publicly criticized Brown and Franchetti in the past....

...Trump's actions are unprecedented in their breadth, spanning the Chairman down to top military lawyers. It remains unclear whether Congress' traditionally bipartisan armed services committees will raise objections. The Senate must confirm all nominations to general and flag officer positions....

In his statement, Hegseth wrote: "Under President Trump, we are putting in place new leadership that will focus our military on its core mission of deterring, fighting and winning wars.”