[racktash]

I would love just one year of this decade to be uneventful / boring...

I used to think people were over-doing it in their criticism of Trump – I thought he was dreadful, but ultimately a contained / containable force. I was even a little optimistic that he might be a disruptive force (inadvertent) that would make other politicians return their focus to everyday, working class concerns.

I was naive and stupid. And many people are kidding themselves even now about what's going on. There's nothing normal or business as usual about what's happening in America right now. I'm not qualified to predict where this all ends, but I don't think any of it's good and I don't think this ends after Donald Trump's second term.

To the people thinking DOGE is about cutting "wasteful spending", I can only shake my head. What will it take for people to see clearly what's right before them?

[HumblyTossed]

> I was naive and stupid.

No, you weren't. People on every angle of this are tired of the government not working. It's easy to have that glimmer of hope that maybe he really will make a good change. The problem is, he's a salesman - a grifter. His art is to latch onto that glimmer of hope and sell you on it while never delivering on it.

[nxm]

Tell me exactly how I will miss USAID and the billions wasted to foreign governments? Be specific please.

[tines]

Tell me exactly how I will miss your right arm and the thousands wasted on feeding you. Be specific please.

As the saying goes, "I don't know how to explain to you that you should care about other people."

[drysine]

How can someone miss things like forced sterilization of indigenous women[0]?

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Agency_for_Inter...

[tines]

1. So, don't do that? The fact that an organization was involved 30 years ago in something bad doesn't mean we need to take it apart. It may do good things too. Every branch of government has done something bad. You've done something bad. We don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Let's work on improving the world around us, not destroying it.

2. You're answering a question that wasn't asked. The question was, essentially, what USAid did for the OP, and why he would miss it. Food kitchens haven't done anything for me either, so why not get rid of them?

3. This wasn't the reason given for shutting USAid down. No concrete reason was given, just vague references and accusations that could refer to anything or nothing.

[drysine]

>The fact that an organization was involved 30 years ago in something bad doesn't mean

  There is a long-standing history of ties between USAID and the CIA. During the Cold War, they worked together in training police forces all across the world, notably in Latin America, where the exercises allegedly included techniques of torture. USAID also served as cover for various covert activities, especially during the Vietnam War. After the Cold War, according to Weiner, the agency funded democracy-building programs in the former Soviet Union, “sometimes on its own, sometimes in concert with the CIA.” As recently as 10 years ago, it used its pro-democracy rubric to help foment anti-regime propaganda in Cuba.

  Throughout this period, as was the case with U.S. embassies generally, USAID was used as a front for CIA officers, though, Weiner says, “much less frequently now than in the old days.” [0]

[0] https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2025/02/usaid-donald-tru...

[tines]

Sounds like a problem with the CIA, not USAid. But that quote is self-defeating for your argument if it happens "much less frequently now than in the old days." Obviously it shouldn't ever happen, but like, just make it never happen. It's so obvious that these post-hoc justifications are just a smokescreen for what's really going on, which is the looting of the state for private interests.

[HumblyTossed]

> Be specific please.

I have never seen a genuine person end a request like this. It's always to bait someone.

[MathMonkeyMan]

Each of us feels that we belong to some tribe. If your tribe supports what you see going on, you won't be alarmed by it. Reality is less important than the discourse's impact on your tribe.

Besides, maybe everything is fine and the Muskovites are right.

[racktash]

One has to take in the broader picture. The DOGE events are one piece of the puzzle. It was only last week that far-right thugs were pardoned unconditionally by the President.

Some people hold conservative views, some liberal and others a mix. People have "tribes", but that's not what this is about.

What is happening is not good if you view rule of law and liberal democracy as being good things.