[jrockway]

The government could be more efficient, but you have to look at the exact choices being made by the current administration. Why are we heavily taxing trade and the flow of ideas? Why are we dismantling our military with 2 major wars going on? Why are we being soft on financial crimes and crypto scams? Why are we accepting personal gifts from nation states? Why are we micromanaging medical care? Why are we removing our "soft power" influence? Why are we spending our money to "crack down" on people with autism? Why are we using the government's money to fund religious indoctrination?

There is always an argument to make the government more efficient, but I don't think this <gestures> is what anyone really has in mind. People want cheaper eggs, the ability to receive medical care, the ability to stabilize their living situation through property ownership, and a stable job. What are we doing about those things? The reality is that the "machine" has always tried to add stability in those areas, and throwing away the machine isn't making things better for anyone. Like, if we made the government so efficient, why am I still paying 40% of my income in taxes?

When we disappear people to El Salvador without trial, that's fascism, my friend.

[peterhadlaw]

The thing with Americans is that they've had it so good for so long they don't even know what bad looks like. People who come from oppressive governments and have lived through it actually do. Notice I never mentioned efficiency in my original post, you assumed that's what I meant. I meant the oppressive nature of just the shear unending growth of the US government and the weight that bears upon it's people, its businesses, and most importantly it's morale.

[jrockway]

I assumed because you didn't say what you meant. Like, what's your proposal?