MAGA regret

Many of Trump’s own MAGA supporters are outraged about the recent report in the NYT about his plans to develop a massive database of private data on Americans. The Trump admin is using the tech firm Palantir, which was co-founded by Musk’s former mentor Peter Thiel. WH spokesman Taylor Rogers to Newsweek: "President Trump signed an executive order to eliminate information silos and streamline data collection across all agencies to increase govt efficiency and save hard-earned taxpayer dollars."

Jason Bassler, co-founder of The Free Thought Project: “This Palantir database isn't like the others. It will combine: Tax filings, Student debt, Social Security, Bank accounts, Medical claims, Immigration status. No previous database system has ever centralized this much personal info across various federal agencies."

Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH), a staunch Trump supporter, doesn’t like it: “Tolkien was a genius. Lord of the Rings conveys inevitable truths. We cannot allow one ring to rule them all to be built - or, having been built, it must be defeated and destroyed. No digital ID. No CBDC. No surveillance state.”

  Meidas Touch

Bad for the citizenry, but actually, it's the only thing I've read so far that DOGE is doing that is arguably efficient.

Only Muskites need apply

If only "X" accounts can apply, it kind of precludes the "super high-IQ" types, doesn't it?

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

UPDATE 03:53 pm:

Face the music, folks.  The rules of American life have changed.

Yeah, like that.

All the money is his

On Tuesday, Trump announced that tech billionaire Elon Musk and former GOP presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy would jointly lead a “Department of Government Efficiency” that would produce recommendations on overhauling U.S. agencies — an effort that people in Musk’s orbit say would aim to apply slash-and-burn business ideologies to the U.S. government. The commission will officially operate outside of the administration but work with the White House budget office, Trump said.

Although changes to government spending typically require an act of Congress, Trump aides are exploring plans to challenge a 1974 budget law in a way that would give the White House the power to unilaterally adopt the Musk commission’s proposals, one of the people said. It is unclear if Trump will ask Congress to approve changes to the budget law or first appeal to the courts to do so, though aides have previously endorsed either approach. Ramaswamy, a former pharmaceutical executive who has said he would “stop funding agencies that waste money” and don’t operate on meritocratic principles, has publicly called on Congress to repeal the law and has suggested workarounds if it is not repealed.

That effort, if successful, could give Trump far greater authority to remake the federal budget on his own, altering the balance of power among the branches of government. During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump and many of his senior advisers publicly vowed to assert unilateral authority to rescind some federal funds, after Trump’s attempts to block aid to Ukraine led to his impeachment during his first term.

If the White House were to simply assert more power without Congress first changing the law, it could trigger a constitutional showdown over a bedrock aspect of the federal government, the power of the purse.

  WaPo

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.