this post was submitted on 14 Nov 2024
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Summary

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s new "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE) began recruiting "high-IQ small-government revolutionaries" willing to work 80+ hours per week with no pay to help slash federal spending.

Appointed by President-elect Donald Trump, the panel is tasked with recommending spending cuts, regulatory rollbacks, and agency restructuring by July 4, 2026.

Musk and Ramaswamy advocate for drastic measures, including cutting grants to nonprofits and potential mass layoffs.

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[–] Freefall@lemmy.world 4 points 19 minutes ago

You can't just make a department. Sorry Leon, only maga morons believe that. The actual government and CONSTITUTION work differently than what you think...

[–] demizerone@lemmy.world 8 points 1 hour ago

They will make their money by fleecing the government of course.

[–] andrew_bidlaw@sh.itjust.works 28 points 3 hours ago (2 children)

Win a grift by pretending you are an idiot

Your opponent is Elon Musk

[–] MystikIncarnate@lemmy.ca 2 points 27 minutes ago

Fuck. I can't out-stupid this guy. I won't win.

I think it'd be simultaneously easier, more productive, and more fulfilling to just take the L.

[–] mhague@lemmy.world 23 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

At least they're too cheap and lazy to properly push their fascist takeover.

[–] BakerBagel@midwest.social 10 points 2 hours ago

It's just gonna be rich failsons who are loving off their trust funds. It's gonna be bad

[–] jaybone@lemmy.world 18 points 4 hours ago (3 children)

They are calling it DOGE? 🙄🙄🙄

[–] uebquauntbez@lemmy.world 1 points 20 minutes ago

No X in name, so not Leons idea.

[–] hombre_fundido@lemmy.world 19 points 2 hours ago

100% Musk's idea. Because he doesn't think the other 8 billion humans on the planet are real people and none of this is of any real consequence to him.

[–] hombre_fundido@lemmy.world 6 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 1 hour ago) (1 children)

Also, fuck that guy.

Edit: and by 'that guy' I mean Ramaswamy. Fuck Musk too.

[–] MystikIncarnate@lemmy.ca 1 points 26 minutes ago

Ew, I'd rather not fuck Elon. He's not my type.

[–] kautau@lemmy.world 31 points 5 hours ago

Can this department kick it off by eliminating itself, since it’s a wish.com version of https://www.gao.gov/

[–] peopleproblems@lemmy.world 16 points 5 hours ago

Department of Government Efficiency is the name of the department that ends up involved in creating Soylent green or some crazy human organ harvesting thing.

This sets off all sorts of red flags that bother the shit out of me. Like I'll take boring dystopia over human slaughterhouses TYVM

[–] unmagical@lemmy.ml 217 points 8 hours ago (7 children)

No high-iq individual will work 2 weeks per week with no pay in a society that requires money to live.

[–] ikidd@lemmy.world 15 points 3 hours ago

They'll get paid by conservative think-tanks under the table so the Dept of Efficiency looks good and can pretend that it's efficient.

[–] Gerudo@lemm.ee 24 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Rich assholes who want to influence government will.

[–] TrueStoryBob@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago

Rich assholes who believe they are smart as a side effect of being rich assholes.

[–] meco03211@lemmy.world 130 points 8 hours ago (2 children)

That's a common tactic in scams. You want to weed out the actual intelligent people as early as possible lest they disrupt your scam. That's why scam emails tend to have misspellings and grammatical errors. Smarter people instantly ignore that. Dumb people click on through.

[–] slacktoid@lemmy.ml 19 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago) (1 children)

So you're saying we all should apply?

So that we can disrupt this shit

[–] MystikIncarnate@lemmy.ca 2 points 23 minutes ago

Actually not a bad idea. Flood the department with bullshit resumes.

I like this idea

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[–] circuscritic@lemmy.ca 33 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago) (1 children)

Can you think of any other types of people who might be financially able to volunteer their time here....?

Maybe those who have a vested interest in any number of outcomes that may result from their work there...?

[–] ieatpillowtags@lemm.ee 12 points 6 hours ago

Or those willing to be paid in order to influence recommendations to the highest bidder

[–] xmunk@sh.itjust.works 79 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago) (1 children)

No they won't... but rich people who can afford to support themselves while indulging in their love of making poor people suffer will be lined up around the block.

Making a position unpaid is a classic tactic to keep out the poors.

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 42 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

It's disappointing so many aren't getting this...

It's the same as "unpaid internships" being advantage to rich kids who can afford to work without pay.

Like, there is an inordinate amount of rich assholes that would love to spend 80 hours a week finding way to cut taxes, regulations, and the social safety net.

If you're rich enough to begin with, this could pay a hell of a lot better than anything else you would spend your time on. Couple hundred million in the bank or stock market, and it would be more profitable than any actual job.

And let's be honest, Musk and Trump aren't judging IQ by the freaking Wechsler exam, when rich idiots talk about IQ, they mean zeros in a bank account.

[–] would_be_appreciated@lemmy.ml 6 points 4 hours ago

People with that kind of money don't work, they own. They'll hire somebody to do those 80 hours while they rape underage trafficked girls.

[–] ChocoboRocket@lemmy.world 12 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

This isn't aimed at the idiots who would line up around the block and work for free to be called high IQ by Musk. Doesn't really matter though, it's all performative

They already know exactly what they want to cut, and billionaires don't need a salary to realize profits from deregulation.

The job being "no salary" isn't indicative of how cost effictive a volunteer public servant could be - it is a dinner bell for the wealthy

[–] brbposting@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 hours ago

My goodness we’re gonna be MAGA’d so hard*, can’t wait

*some people (with the best words) are saying this

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[–] n3m37h@sh.itjust.works 6 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Text book Elon, pay for super smart people and take all the credit for their work and say you're smart because of it. Guy fails upwards

[–] TransplantedSconie@lemm.ee 12 points 3 hours ago

It literally says in the headline they won't be paid....

[–] superglue@lemmy.dbzer0.com 26 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Just to make sure I understand. Musk is going to run an orgination who will advise the federal government to cut regulations that are in the way of him making more money. And this is in no way a conflict of interest.

[–] londos@lemmy.world 11 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

That's specifically why it won't be a government agency. So they won't be bound by any ethics rules. Make no mistake, this is not a silly one-off. This is the first step of privatizing the government.

[–] GroundedGator@lemmy.world 3 points 3 hours ago

This message was brought to you by Brando. Water's stupid.

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 104 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago) (4 children)

This dipshit thinks he can save the country 2 trillion dollars by firing government workers.

Even if he fired every single government position in the entire country, he couldn't make up 2 fucking trillion dollars out of that. The budget for payroll is, what? Like 15% of the total spending?

[–] cybervseas@lemmy.world 93 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

He doesn't genuinely think that's true. It's all a grift.

[–] DogPeePoo@lemm.ee 47 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago) (9 children)

D epartment

O f

G rifting

E veryone

[–] hohoho@lemmy.world 14 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

D epartment

O f

G overnment

E xploitation

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[–] Zier@fedia.io 7 points 5 hours ago

M-elon Head to run the department of slavery with un-paid workers. What an unstable 'genius'.

[–] Bougie_Birdie@lemmy.blahaj.zone 46 points 8 hours ago

So... if I apply for a super high IQ job that's unpaid, does that prove I'm under qualified?

[–] superkret@feddit.org 44 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago) (1 children)

SpoilerLot's of people are gonna apply, cause the payment is the chance for grifting

[–] deegeese@sopuli.xyz 32 points 8 hours ago (2 children)

So you need to be rich enough to not need the salary, morally flexible enough to work for Elmo, and stupid enough to brag about your IQ.

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[–] MicrowaveCat@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago
[–] MicrowaveCat@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago
[–] Please_Do_Not@lemm.ee 26 points 8 hours ago

Much like unpaid internships, this is also a method to prevent anyone who is not independently wealthy from applying, so they can fill the department with the same people already benefiting from the current system and allow them to design one that benefits them even further.

No one that this department is ostensibly built to serve can afford to work on it, so who is it really (clearly) for?

[–] Nougat@fedia.io 25 points 8 hours ago

"high-IQ small-government revolutionaries"

No, "rich people," because nobody else can survive with no pay.

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