[amflare]

What kind of question is this? Of course it has. The 3-letter-agencies are effectively a black box that command unlimited resources, all the power that can be wrung from a blank check cashed by the US economy, and no oversight except what they allow. What is there to trust?

[jvanderbot]

The question is not about public perception but mostly about policymaker perception. That's not obviously true that policymakers have lost trust.

[cheeseomlit]

I get the impression that policymakers are more afraid of them than trusting, thinking of the "don't cross them or they have 6 ways from sunday to get back at you" sentiment

[okasaki]

New Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday that President-elect Donald Trump is “being really dumb” by taking on the intelligence community and its assessments on Russia’s cyber activities.

“Let me tell you, you take on the intelligence community, they have six ways from Sunday at getting back at you,” Schumer told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/312605-schumer-t...

[bilbo0s]

Just Devil's Advocate, but isn't this good?

I want the intel community, the politicians, the journalists, the judges, etc to all be mutually antagonistic. Sorry, but that's just how I see it.

In fact, if I can get the factions inside of the different silos to be sniping at each other as well, then score one for me! The idea of checks and balances is smart. If they want to be underhanded in kneecapping each other's power, more's the better for us.

Do you really want people like DeSantis or Nikki Haley to have unchecked power over you? Of course not. These people are essentially criminals. The fact that they want to be president, is all you need to know to be confident that they shouldn't be president. If the intel community or the journalists take them down, that's nothing but good news for all of us out here in flyover country.

You want Biden and Harris off the leash and running around the neighborhood? You want Trump doing whatever he wants with the levers of power? No. That's madness. This is why we have CNN and FOX, to snipe at sheriffs, mayors, police chiefs, DA's, governors, congresspeople and Presidents. Bonus points if the intel community gets in on the action. That'll guarantee no one will ever get control of your republic.

And vice versa as well by the way. You want homeland security to be doing whatever they want? Or do you want senators and presidents to agitate against them? You want cops to be doing whatever they want? Or do you want the news media and judges to be breathing down their necks?

The adversarial nature of our system's power allotments works for us. Maybe it causes gridlock? But so what? That's preferable to the alternative.

[hscontinuity]

This is an inherently naive take. I understand why you have it and where it comes from.

It is however, disconnected from reality. Basic fundamentals of human existence since the dawn of time remit one thing above all else in a large civilaztion:

Money and power dictate the actions of those wielding it and use it to continue a very closed cycle of power enticing money and vice versa. Period.

Put any government up against that, any mega-corporation, and nearly all individuals whom are not named that have more money and control over assets (including populations) than you are keen to continue to remain in this cycle.

[_3u10]

Given how little they spend compared to the unlimited spending power you claim they have, the TLAs might be the only people who could balance the budget.

[dzonga]

because majority of the spending and revenue generated is off the books.

they're not only getting financed by the US gvt through the budget. But they have their own ventures that generate profits to feed the monster. their ventures could be public such as the CIA venture firm or dark money as usual.

[jonnybgood]

For FY 2023, the IC was appropriated $99.1b. By your suggestion, the majority of their budget is off the books, which means that more than $99.1b is off the books. That's a pretty extraordinary claim.

[khrbrt]

Have you never heard of Iran-Contra?

The CIA was caught selling weapons to Iran to illegally fund contras and death squads in Latin America.

There's also BCCI, their own international bank to fund who knows what. By going through shell companies and subsidiaries they escape congressional oversight and FOIA requests.

[newZWhoDis]

You think it’s extraordinary to suggest that the majority of a secret agency’s budget is… secret?

[r00fus]

I don't find it unreasonable.

[AnimalMuppet]

I don't find it demonstrated, though. Certain people have biases which lead them to find the claim reasonable. Certain others have different biases.

It's really hard to have a meaningful conversation based on that...

[_3u10]

Well, given that these companies have unlimited profit making ability to fund their unlimited budget if they were to list these companies on the stock market the share price would be infinite.

Truly whatever they have figured out is a massive boon to humanity. And they probably should be in charge of everything as no one else has figured out how to make unlimited profit. Their workers must be exceptionally productive.

The TLAs could thus balance the budget simply by paying the taxes owed on these unlimited profit companies.

[dkjaudyeqooe]

Your comment is deep into tinfoil hat territory.

[dzonga]

how so ?

Does IranContra ring a bell ? the CIA pushing drugs in the minority community in the 80s ? Now the CIA is supposed to be handling foreign issues - but they're doing this in their homeground. Now imagine what they're doing in other foreign countries.

Then take the DOD which has failed multiple audits - you know how dysfunctional you've to be as an org to fail audits ? and the amounts are in the trillions. Even though the CIA is not part of DOD - just to throw that there.

[dilyevsky]

Given the recent news, tinfoil hats can actually be quite useful

[imwillofficial]

Nice try CIA ;)

[dkjaudyeqooe]

Great, now I have to issue a burn notice for this account. It's got over 5000 points, goddammit.

[imwillofficial]

What a great show

[NEETPILLED]

Actually, its not tinfoil if its already been proven they have a history of this.

[AnimalMuppet]

Do share the proof, then.

[thistletame]

How little they spend? What's that about the trillions in defence that go missing each year?