Re: Even I Will Admit Trump and DOGE May Have Overstepped Here

On 2/17/2025 4:57 PM, BTR1701 wrote:

 On Feb 17, 2025 at 1:50:47 PM PST, "moviePig" <nobody@nowhere.com> wrote:
 

 On 2/17/2025 3:35 PM, BTR1701 wrote:

   On Feb 17, 2025 at 12:14:45 PM PST, "moviePig" <nobody@nowhere.com> wrote:
  

   On 2/17/2025 12:17 AM, BTR1701 wrote:

     On Feb 16, 2025 at 8:18:23 PM PST, "moviePig" <nobody@nowhere.com>
wrote:
    

     On 2/16/2025 7:01 PM, BTR1701 wrote:

       On Feb 16, 2025 at 2:26:53 PM PST, "moviePig" <nobody@nowhere.com>
 wrote:
      

       On 2/16/2025 4:05 PM, BTR1701 wrote:

         On Feb 16, 2025 at 12:08:53 PM PST, "moviePig" <nobody@nowhere.com>
   wrote:
        

         On 2/16/2025 1:32 PM, BTR1701 wrote:

           On Feb 16, 2025 at 10:29:53 AM PST, "suzeeq"
   <suzeeq@imbris.com> wrote:
          

           On 2/16/2025 10:18 AM, BTR1701 wrote:

 
           Found another one. How can Trump be doing this? Doesn't he
   know the harm
           he's doing to the nation?
            
             @philllyfanatic:
            
     "I was fired from my job at USAID today. I worked in the Tootsie Pop
     department. After 20 years of research and $28.3 million later, we were
     *this* close to finding out exactly how many licks it takes
to get to the
       Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop. Now we will
probably never know."
            

           I think the guy is having you on.

          
           What? You mean the Tootsie Pop Department isn't a real thing?!?
          
           My world view is shattered!

 
         A world view based on pseudo-examples was never whole.

        
         It was a joke. Sheesh. The stereotypes about leftists being dour,
         humor-impaired killjoys are alive and well.

 
       It's a joke that purports to characterize and justify destruction of
       USAID.  An actual example should be even funnier.

      
       You're becoming FPP, who always claimed that if he didn't find a joke
   funny,
       that made him unable to discern it as a joke at all.
      
       Most normal people can detect jokes even if they don't personally find
   them
       funny.

 
     *This* joke suggests that USAID comprises ridiculous boondoggles.

    
     (1) It apparently does.

 
   So this "joke" claims, which is funny only if you "know" it's true.
 

     (2) Since when do jokes have to be strictly factual?

 
   One that's not is propaganda.

  
   LOL!
  
   Wherein moviePig wins the Sandra Fluke Humor Police Award:
  
   https://ibb.co/j9r6J4fH
  

        It's "evidence" to an audience who has no idea what USAID actually
     comprises.

    
     Oh, I see. You're just doing a public service, fact-checking jokes
for the
     smooth brains in the RAT audience who otherwise would be taken in by my
     humorous "misinformation". I'm sure they're pleased to know to what
esteem
   you
     hold their intelligence.
    
     Much like the jokes from the Babylon Bee consistently get
 "fact-checked" by
     the mainstream media, who strangely don't feel the need to fact-check
     similarly satirical and exaggerated articles by the left-leaning Onion.

 
   Is there a wide view that USAID promotes only bogus projects?

  
   Not only but enough to be a serious problem that needs to be addressed.

 
 This sounds suspiciously like the "even one is too many" argument.  Do
 you actually know what fraction of USAID projects are plainly bogus
 ...or do you take the word of of demagogues stoking a mob?
 

   I'm aware  of only the DEI Irish musical you've singled out as patently
   risible, and it doesn't fit the profile your joke targets.

  
   Well, you could just review the earlier posts in this thread for more
 examples
   than the Irish musical.
  
   I just learned of another one: Millions spent to produce an Afghan version
 of
   SESAME STREET.

 
 How much *should* an Afghan version of 'Sesame Street' cost?  Or perhaps
    one dollar is too much?

 
 It should cost the U.S. taxpayer nothing. If the Afghans want Big Bird and
 Oscar, they can pay for it themselves.

 
I doubt that the Afghans *do* want it or even know about it.  I'd assume
we're trying to expose their kids to it and its values.