Chris Marschner filed this epic Comment of the Day yesterday. Thoughtful commentary with the intensity and outrage behind it of a rant, it its is personal, analytical, passionate and direct while touching on hypocrisy, layoffs, media misinformation, human nature, nationalism and Musk Derangement. Bracing and enlightening!
Here is Chris Marschner‘s Comment of the Day on the post, “On Musk Derangement Syndrome”…
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“I also have sympathy for those who are reacting emotionally because friends and loved ones—or they themselves—are losing jobs, grants or other benefits because of the DOGE cuts. D.C. is full of such “victims.”
Actually, the entire nation has faced cuts because of government decisions. I for one lost a job running an academic program in a correctional institution when Clinton, with Biden heading the Judiciary Committee decided that it would save money by denying financial aid to inmate students in state correctional facilities. The only people who criticized the decision were those who were financially affected. I spoke out against the decision because we could prove reductions in recidivism and overall costs of incarceration. Emotion ruled the day. It was get tough on crime time as Clinton tacked to the center. No politician gave a damn about anyone involved in that program.
I took a big financial hit because my layoff happened less than a month after my stepson was involved in a nearly fatal car crash and laid in a coma through September. Dealing with that and my dad who was in hospice care put me deep in debt. That’s my story. You have to work through these setbacks because they happen to many others.
I don’t get why federal employees feel entitled to tenure in a job. Does the government guarantee tenure to non-federal employees? Of course not. Where is the equity they demand from others? On January 22, 2021, Joe Biden put thousands of pipeline workers out of a job. Later he shuttered coal mines and told people to learn to code. People who rely directly or indirectly on government spending should realize that changing conditions may adversely change their economic livelihoods.
In the private sector the big tech firms are rightsizing their operations and laying off thousands of people. Hell, even Jeff Bezos is shedding employees who in his mind are not adding enough value to the firm.
These firms combined would not reflect more than a 10th of the US GDP. Comparatively, Trump would have to layoff 1.5 million employees to be somewhat comparable. At most, the goal was 200,000.
No one is firebombing the Washington Post or Amazon trucks. I don’t see people boycotting Facebook, Microsoft and Google who had a recent large scale layoffs. Why not?
I don’t believe the outrage at DOGE is real. It is manufactured by those wishing to undermine western values as a whole. Attacking and demonizing DOGE is just a means to effectuate a broader attack on those values from within. Trump and Musk are merely the strategic targets. Find a bogeyman and then gin up resentment against them. Convince the seniors who spend their days watching reruns that Social Security and Medicare is going to be ended. That should fire that group up! Tell the working parents of special needs kids that they will not get the special services anymore that the DoEd provides. One of them may have to stay home with the child! Whatever you do, don’t explain that the state and local governments are responsible for allocating those resources. Conflate two different meetings at the Pentagon and tell everyone Musk is getting briefed on war plans with China and not that he was not with the Joint Chiefs but with Secretary Hegseth discussing ways to use technology to promote efficiencies, or how it can improve operational, tactical, and strategic methods. Keep people fighting amongst themselves to weaken society and cause enough chaos so that a new “woke” order can take over with its oligarchs in charge.
As for those whining that Trump keeps “bragging on the US” about how great it is…talk to a Mexican or a Canadian and they will tell you that they have a superior culture or their approach to something is far better than our way. Some of the commentary here from north of the border aptly demonstrates the predictable reality that one group views their ideas and methods superior while another thinks its ideas and methods are preferred: it has ever been thus.
Personally, it might make sense for Canada or Denmark to develop Greenland’s strategic potential and provide the defensive umbrella for the NATO countries instead of relying on the U.S. SAC to do the job; I’m open to that, but I see no movement on their part to invest in that defense. Europeans have long thought themselves to be somehow more cultured than the ugly American. There may be some truth in that. However, the problem is that many Americans have begun to believe the polemics used to denigrate the United States. Trump’s comments may not help in diplomatic circles, but his actions are what should be evaluated against his campaign promises.
I have had long conversations with Chinese and Ukrainian scientists who tell me flat out they are so far ahead of us in technology, or that our understanding of the political world is flat out wrong that I have come to understand that this is nothing more than how Manchester fans see the world through the lens of soccer passions. It is just team pride and something to rally around. The whole MAGA idea is to give thenation an end goal. Do we not want America to be great? If you say no, you want us to be something less able to do what for instance. Mediocrity rarely creates innovative solutions. The Left believes it can define what MAGA means, but it has no standing to define anything but itself.
If we are to effect change then those inciting mass resistance must be outed and if necessary prosecuted for incitement. We can have freedom to speak out about policies but vandalism and calling people Nazis will never get me to evaluate any point of view that espouses or tolerates such tactics.
If I have no need to tolerate being publicly called a Nazi by a brother whom I have not spoken to since 2018 except for one recent birthday message I sent, then I have no need to be placate Facebook friends who choose to destroy rather than build. I spent a lot of years offering hands of friendship to others without any reciprocation. Call me cynical, but I have zero tolerance for those who go out of their way to denigrate others if the object of derision doesn’t worship at the same political alter as they do.
Ethics Alarms 
To be honest, I actually agree with you, Chris, on some points (I know, shocking, right?). There are no guarantees about employment in any job/career (except maybe tenured professorships, if they still exist), especially where you are employed “at will” (ask me how I know). And as we all know, ALL legacy news outlets report a biased version of the news, so of course we aren’t hearing about the job cuts that happened while Democrats were in power.
Jack might have to tell me to take this next piece off of this post and go back to the original post about MDS. (If yes, so be it.) My objections stem from the manner in which these actions are being taken (brutally) and, yes, by whom — by an unelected, unvetted un-genius (sorry, he didn’t invent the Tesla), aided and abetted by equally unvetted young people whose only credential seems to be that they can do digital research.
Also, if EM, whose family has Nazi ties and who is a product of apartheid South Africa, is offended by being called a Nazi, then one shouldn’t act in ways that make people think of Nazis. That’s simple. (And I’m not just thinking about the damn salute.)
Criticizing DOGE actions because the actors are unelected has gotten progressively more and more tiresome. Many executive branch actions are taken by unelected people — promulgating and enforcing regulations, initiating and conducting investigations, disbursing funds, hiring employees, firing employees, and on and on. When acting properly, they are acting in accordance with the law and at the behest of the elected official actually in charge. That they themselves are not elected is not relevant. The same is the case for the many unelected government employees protesting DOGE actions.
Proe
Musk actually has high level security clearance just like those other contractors who do business with the government in sensitive areas. How exactly do you think he and those who work for him get security clearances? They are subjected to FBI scrutiny. Musk cannot fire anyone on his own. Any notice of termination is signed by the President or an agency head. Musk may influence the decision and deliver the news but he does not make the decisions. The terminations were done no differently than those affected by Biden’s closing of the XL pipeline and the coal mines.
Yes we know that he did not invent the Tesla but who was the first to capture a returning rocket? Who is charting new courses in transportation in terms of underground tunneling? Edison did not invent the electric light bulb he just found the right type of filament that would last. Edison also espoused using DC current too for mass electrical needs and even though we use Tesla’s AC current because it had less voltage drop, we still consider Edison a genius.
More to the point, none of the 2 million federal employees who make or enforce rules that we all must adhere to under penalty of law are elected and vetted. What makes them different than Musk who is technically a special employee of the government and his team who must also be treated as special employees?
RE: Your assertion that Musk’s family has ties to the NAZI party.
From Snopes which is hardly pro Trump:
In short, while it’s well-documented that Joshua Haldeman, Elon’s maternal grandfather, was involved in controversial movements and political parties, there is no direct evidence that Haldeman or his wife were members of the Nazi party or associated with the Nazi movement in Canada. There’s also no conclusive evidence to corroborate the related claim that the reason Musk’s grandparents moved to South Africa was “because they supported apartheid,” the racial segregation policies embraced by that country’s white minority government.
In a piece written before the Musk dust up we find: Afrikaner minority is still discriminated against in South Africa – South Africa Today It is quite interesting that stories regarding South Africa before Musk’s purchase of Twitter are substantially different in terms of what are considered facts. The first seven pages in a search on South Africa all dealt with Musk and Trump. I had to dig deep to get any contemporaneous materials regarding Mugabe’s treatment of white Afrikaners. Does it strike anyone that current stories that are written regarding white genocide is treated as mythical while stories from the time period have a diametrically opposite take on the subject.
What do those who push the NAZI narrative know about the National German Socialist Workers Party of the thirties that allows them to make comparisons between Trump and Hitler? Hitler wanted a strong central government and wished to recover lands that he believed were taken under an unjust treaty. Where have I heard this sentiment before? In Hitler’s mind, the foundation for nationalism was predicated on bloodline not on its policies of promoting liberty and human rights. Trump wants to decentralize decision making and shrink the federal leviathan.
Hitler blamed Germany’s economic ills on those whose bloodlines were not Aryan. Hitler was enamored with the occult but was in actuality a pantheist who believed nature was the only true “God according to Historian Richard Weikert. One could call him a devotee of nature. Trump does not use religion to drive decision making. If the Palestinians were the only democracy in the Middle East with both Jews, Muslims and Arabs in the government, and Israel was run by a group bent on intifada and wiping out the Palestinians I believe that we would be working to protect Gaza and not Tel-Aviv
Hitler’s rhetoric is not much different than that of those espousing white privilege. which party espouses blanket guilt for lack of achievement of some preferred class? His rhetoric was designed to elicit a visceral self interested response in the German people regarding their plight. What he did was to shift the blame on others because they were doing better than the Aryans. This is like blaming billionaires for the lack of achievement by the underclasses. This is completely different than anything Trump has ever stated. Yes, Trump has made some comments regarding the influx of migrants who are unvetted and sought to avoid detection at the border and broke the law in doing so. Some are, and some are not rapists and murderers. Does it make sense to err on the side of allowing everyone to enter unvetted or perhaps a more cautious approach? You want vetting of American citizens to evaluate
Hitler was expansionist through the use of force. Trump conversely seeks economic expansion through partnerships and shared economic interest. It is through shared economic interest does lasting peace occur. At no point has Trump sought to or even suggest a desire to confiscate lands of sovereign nations by force.
Hitler demanded uniform obedience to the party. Which party leaders demand fealty of its members to the party. Hitler ultimately lost the war because he would not trust anyone even in his inner circle. Trump likes discord in the ranks to promote competition of ideas. He cares little about “the party’s” message. It is his message that is important to him and the party can join with him or not, but the party is nothing at this time without him.
The Nazi party banned perceived political dissent. To Hitler banned books were deemed damaging to the German psyche (read hate speech) Wanting certain publications with expressed sexual content removed from school libraries today is often associated with Nazi book burnings. The problem with that is that comparison is that banned books in Germany prevented anyone from reading them without being subject to criminal penalties and removing controversial publications with strong and often explicit sexual content from publicly funded schools does not proscribe a student from obtaining that printed material from other sources. I do not think any parent would want the school library to have subscriptions to Hustler or other sexually oriented adult material available in schools. All of this adds up to progressive propaganda to achieve a political goal. Misinformation and disinformation is rampant. Anyone suggesting that only they have the truth is a liar and a charlatan.
The United States seeks to become perfect and acknowledges that we are not. If we are going to condemn the US for policies that occurred centuries ago shouldn’t we also evaluate the other nations at the same time. It seems a bit unfair to conclude that slavery and its attendant human rights problems were endemic only to the US especially when only about 400,000 of the 12 million slaves trafficked were brought to the states; the rest landing in Brazil and the West Indies. Shouldn’t we condemn the Kings of the Ivory Coast for selling there African brothers and sisters into bondage.
Every person in every nation should be able to take pride in who they are. We are all different. We all have different cultures and whether one is subjectively better or worse than another is indeterminant if its goals are to promote human development for the sake of the people and not the government. Making America Great Again means we should return to the goal of seeking perfection as a society. It means we need to ensure that no other nation can enslave us or take our natural rights away. It means we instill a sense of responsibility in every citizen that they have a duty to develop themselves to their maximum potential, and when necessary to give the qualified a helping hand over barriers not of their own making. Vilifying MAGA because Trump threatens someone’s little fiefdom is the ultimate in narcissism.
Nonetheless, I am glad we can agree on some things
You are in the zone, my friend!! This is another mic-drop moment.
What Joel said!
The talented Chris Marschner is documented in my EA comment file…along with one Joel Mundt…
PWS
Joel, I am ashamed to say that this topic, specifically the Nazi references, is something I have had to develop arguments against since since the falling out with my brother. The depth of understanding about the term dictator seems quite shallow and those who equate Trump as a dictator which equals a Nazi fails to consider other dictators such as Cambodia’s Pol Pot, Romania’s Ceaușescu, Italy’s fascist dictator Mussolini, or even China’s leaders Mao through XI and Russia’s Putin.
To equate Trump to these power mad tyrants is pure BS and having to explain the differences to those who rely on lists of generic behaviors to claim that Trump is a fascist or Nazi is a pain in the ass when they are too effing lazy to do an actual evaluation of the two political partyies.
The fundamental building block of fascism is the merging of government and corporate interests. Unfortunately, because past fascist regimes emerged from the right the “experts” misinform the public that all fascism comes from right wing ideology.
Given that our economy is fundamentally an information economy because much of our major manufacturers are now overseas, when the trial lawyers, media, ex military leaders and the military industrial complex all fall in line with the progressive government administrations that promulgate ever larger government and rule after rule on how to live our lives or that create enormous barriers to entry for entrepreneurial activity we can see that fascism can emerge from the right or the left.
The bottom line in fascism is that everyone must worship the party’s principles. Centralized power and corporate cronyism is a requirement for fascism. Individual liberty takes a back seat to what benefits the country (i.e. government).
To suggest any regulation in society violates liberalism and is thus by definition a fascist move is ridiculous. Ironically, Trump’s agenda reduces government edicts not expands them.
Which party wants to:
Ban speech that they do not like by labeling it hate speech
Designated white supremacy as the single biggest threat to our democracy.
Deny parents information about their kids activities in schools
Prevent school choice by demanding that all public funding go to schools operated by the government.
Dictate the types of appliances you may have in your home
Deny the viable unborn children in the womb civil rights
Jail people for protesting that prevents movement of those exercising one particular activity but believes that property damage is merely a form of free speech.
Which president defied court orders and which one does not.
I could go on but you get the drift.
Any way thanks for your comments