The grift goes on

Normally children of past presidents do not get secret service protection. With the flick of a pen, Trump extended Secret Service protection for his children for an additional 6 months beyond Biden’s inauguration. Of course they often choose to stay at Trump properties. This cost taxpayers $140K in the first month out of office NOT including all the stays at Trump properties which the SS has not turned over records for yet.

Eh, I’m not too worried about 6 months. Lifetime protection would be problematic.

The 6 months is over now anyway. Although from what I’m reading, Barron is legally entitled to Secret Service protection until he turns 16. He’s currently 15 and will turn 16 on March 20, 2022. So not much longer for him either.

Boo

Then again presidential comp is way too low. It should be at least 20 to 30 million to discourage things like this.

This is true for Senators and probably representatives as well. The amount of responsibility they have is significantly under compensated. However, once these people leave office they are able to rack up massive speaking fees and land super cushy jobs.

This why sometimes I wonder if we’d be better off with an overt oligarchy where you can just legally buy influence. Less pretending and more honest governing.

How about instead of increasing their salary we reduce their “amount of responsibility” (your choice of words - not the words I would use) to a level that matches their current salary. If anything has been proven over the last couple of decades, we don’t need more of their fumbling and bumbling incompetence. We need to reduce their impact on our lives. it’s time to reduce the size, scope and reach of the federal government.

174k so…they have as much responsibility as a 35 year old actuary?

FSA, not an FCAS

Because we want a functioning government.

No. What we’ve learned is that obstructionism is a successful electoral strategy when media is fractured into ideologies.

Yeah! Bring back slavery or at least segregation. The federal government needs to stop meddling!

Beyond the horrific social toll this would take on our country, have a integrated judicial system that allows for commerce is incredibly important. Without it our economy would essentially collapse. Libertarian types live in a fantasy land on this issue. You can’t have nice things of you don’t have a decently strong central government.

I can not imagine a world where the governing body of a $20 trillion economy should be paid <$200k. Even if we cut every program you could name and eliminated the entire military.

Imagine no super-sized federal government
I wonder if you can
No need for greedy politicians or power-hungry bureaucrats
A brotherhood of public servants

You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the US of A will thrive

1 Like

Why not both? Very small federal government, but one where the pay is high and the competition fierce?

Your lyrics and the original lyrics have a lot in common - both sound nice after the most shallow possible reading, but after the slightest critical thinking, you realize it’s pollyannaish nonsense dialed up to 11.

2 Likes

:iatp:

That song highly irritates me for this reason.

Agree with the rest of your post too.

For those of you without the ability to imagine, let’s start with 2 very simple examples.

  • Infrastructure investments = dollars put into physical systems leading to productivity enhancements, i.e. bridges, roads, ports, airports,
  • Infrastructure <> child care programs, elder care programs, social spending programs,

This is the type of expansion that keeps creeping into the federal government as it further metastasizes and destroys its host environment. If you want to expand social programs - have the stones to tell everyone you’re trying to expand social programs - and don’t falsely wrap it under the banner of infrastructure.

Here’s another simple example where it’s been discussed on this board before and most people are in agreement:

  • Department of Education = has the education level of the US improved/stayed the same/decreased since 1980? Despite the billions poured into this bureaucracy every year, I think we all know the answer and the correct response.

Dick sentence to start, why should anyone read the rest?

1 Like

I think it was a play on words with reference to the song the adjusted lyrics in his prior post were from

Why do airports lead to productivity enhancements, but child care programs do not?

Education has become tremendously better since 1980, I don’t think that’s even remotely a question. I know what my dad took in High School in the 1970s, it was a joke by today’s standards. When I went to school, I took AP Calc and AP Chemistry. My dad took Wood Shop and Smoking In His Car. People take harder and harder classes, and graduate at higher rates.

1 Like

This has always sounded to me a lot like the natural “withering away of the state” that was supposed to happen under communism. People weren’t going to need government under that system either.

That kind of imagining didn’t work out so well for the communists.

1 Like

Do you have a link to some data, or just some made-up feelz over reelz talking points? I’d be shocked if there is credible evidence for your position.