EMBRACE THE PAIN? WHAT AN ASSHOLE. I'm spreading the news of a Trump inspired economic downturn to all my friends, neighbors and family members who have not yet voted and demanding they look up the definition of INSANITY! A Trump downturn was inevitable. Musk just said it out loud.
All the economic experts agree that the Harris economic plan will be much better for the economy than the Trump plan, which would explode the debt much further & lead to virtually certain recession, which Musk & other multibillionaires are perfectly fine with. After all, Musk dectupled his wealth (increased it by 10 times) during the last (Trump) recession.
Let's not forget that the policies of the late 1780s and the 1790s (the age of the robber barons) were a terrible time for the vast majority of Americans, and those policies led directly to crash after crash of the economy. There was a temporary respite when production picked up for WWI, but ultimately, the crash in the 1920s and the entire depression was a natural outgrowth of those policies.
Don't believe it when Musk says the pain will be short term. If Trump's big plan is to reinstitute the policies of the 1790s, where the rich got richer and the rest of Americans had no hope of ever getting beyond where they were, no chance at education, and absolutely no safety or other protections at work, then the pain won't be short term. The pain will be an economic crash disaster just like the one that followed the policies of the late 1700s.
People like Trump like to believe that they not only owe nothing to the rest of us, but that the rest of us are just here for them to use and toss away. What the depression really showed was that when the average people don't have enough, everyone, even the ultra rich, suffer.
Very good comment, except you're referring to the 1890s (not 1790s), the time of the "Gilded Age" & "robber barons" brought about by short-sighted policies pampering the very rich at the expense of the rest of the population, just like Trump & the Republicans' policies have done.
This ahole should go back to so. Africa where the Afrikaner racist was born. Easy for him to say that Americans should suffer economically while he with his enormous wealth will live very comfortably
So the Republican fever dream of shrinking the govt is next in their to do list. Which means they want to take away your social security and Medicare because the govt won’t be able to afford it after they implement their radical economic policy of austerity. read between the lines of what musk man is saying
No, I don’t want any part of any temporary hardship. It is ludicrous to ask the American people to just blithely accept that some non government individual thinks we have to suffer for them. No, no, no. It is chilling that this hate filled person (Trump or Musk or anybody in that administration) would even suggest that. They are absolutely out of their minds.
We don't get to Vote on this "temporary hardship" if trump somehow gets his fat ass in the White House.. it's over .. this "for us" plan is project 2025 outlined.. everything is gone! See how N. Korea lives, China, or Russia ?
Is There a Better Way? Why Musk and Trump’s Austerity Plan May Hurt the Wrong People
Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s proposal to cut government programs—bringing “temporary hardship” to American households—raises big concerns. Their plan essentially says that the pain of tightening the budget should fall on regular people, while billionaires like Musk would feel none of the strain. While cutting unnecessary spending can sometimes make sense, is it really the best choice if it means tough times for families who already have to work hard to get by? There are plenty of other ways to support the economy without putting all the weight on average Americans.
One of the clearest options is taxing the wealthiest Americans and large corporations more fairly. Billionaires today control a massive share of the country’s wealth, and a slight increase in their taxes could raise significant funds for vital programs, preventing painful cuts to services that people rely on. Economists often point out that fairer taxation on those who can afford it helps stabilize the economy because it keeps investment flowing into services that support everyone, instead of pushing the burden onto families already facing rising costs.
Another major source of potential revenue is closing corporate tax loopholes and cracking down on offshore tax evasion. Many large companies use complex loopholes or offshore accounts to dodge taxes entirely, all while reporting record profits. By closing these gaps and enforcing stricter penalties for tax evasion, the government could bring in billions without asking more from ordinary workers and families. With corporations paying their fair share, the need for harsh cuts to public programs becomes much less urgent.
Rather than slashing spending, the government could also focus on smart investments that keep the economy growing, like funding for education, healthcare, and infrastructure. Programs for job training, technology, and community colleges help create a skilled workforce, which ultimately strengthens the economy. A workforce that is better trained and better paid spends more on local businesses, which creates a ripple effect, driving the economy forward. And this kind of growth strategy doesn’t require everyday families to bear the costs of budget cuts.
Public programs like Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment insurance are especially critical, giving families a much-needed safety net when times are tough. Rather than reducing support, maintaining—or even expanding—these programs could keep families secure while also stabilizing the economy. During economic downturns, these programs allow people to keep up with basic needs, sustaining consumer spending and helping avoid a deeper recession.
There’s also the option of reducing waste without making broad cuts to essential services. For example, the government could audit spending in areas where it often goes unchecked, like defense contracts and underused federal properties, and focus on reducing unnecessary costs there. This approach helps save money while preserving essential programs that support millions of Americans.
With today’s economy showing steady growth, low unemployment, and low inflation, there’s a strong case for investing in things that relieve financial pressure on families, like affordable healthcare, housing, and childcare. This gives people more freedom to spend on other essentials, which in turn supports local economies and boosts small businesses. And these investments lift the entire economy without needing cuts to programs that working families depend on.
The richest 2% own 90+% of the wealth since Reagan and other Republican Presidents have continued his “trickle down economics” scam… we need to start taxing the wealthy and having them pay their fair share so we can create a “trickle back” economy to the middle class.
Exactly the things that should be implemented to improve the economy & the lives of ordinary people, but which sadonarcissistic billionaires like Trump & Musk fiercely oppose.
So this will hurt those in need like the elderly when they cut Medicare and Social Security, ALL social service peograms.. so those individuals are the COLLATERAL DAMAGE😤🤨.. SO THIS IS SUPPOSED TO MAKE MAKE EVERYONES LIVES BETTER? THE RICH WOULD BE JUST FINE WITH TAKING US OUT TO THE BARN AND SHOOTING US! 🧐🖕🏼
Musk and his rich cronies don't give a rat's ass about the rest of it. I don't understand why so many people (educated middle class relatives included) don't get that. Vote!
While I agree that our debt cannot continue and believe that both parties are cowards in dealing with it head on, he is suggesting something like a 2008 downturn or a 2020 COVID-19 downturn. That is absurd to do on purpose. The same results can be gradually and much less dangerously accomplished if there is a will to do it.
The economists called it - a recession mid-year. Who will suffer the most? trump supporters - not billionaires. Not millionaires. Not maga congress. Amazing, everyone knows this except his adoring cult.
So when he says "we", he means "the vast majority of Americans, but not me, not Trump, not JD Vance, and pretty much none of the people in the social or business circles in which we operate".
And what he thinks of as "short term pain/hardship", which for him includes something along the lines of one less trip into space, for the rest of us could literally include dying because we can afford to stay in our homes, eat, heat our homes in winter, cool our homes in summer, get medical care, or get basic necessities. They type of pain he is talking about is so far beyond the "inflation" (which is really price gouging) that Americans are already complaining about (and Trump is acting so outraged about), that people will be wishing that the prices were back to what they are today. He seems to think that people can just "tighten their belts" a little bit, or take on some extra work, or shorten a vacation for a year. He doesn't at all get that people are barely getting by despite working multiple jobs. There is no more room in the day to squeeze in extra work, there are very few (if any) corners left to cut, and most people don't take annual vacations because they simply can't afford to do so.
I am also fairly certain that in this hardship, common sense ideas that can balance out the hardship a little, like requiring people who make more passive income in a single night while they sleep than many Americans make in an entire year, to pay at last the same percentage of their income in taxes as the rest of us do, is not even in the cards. Nor is the idea of requiring larger companies to pay living wages, giving fewer tax breaks to the rich and more tax breaks to ordinary people (who will actually spend that money in the American economy and supporting small businesses, rather than put it away in savings or spend it on luxury trips overseas) going to be on the table. The "hardship" will be isolated to those of us who already work the hardest and get the least.
That is precisely why we have to stop this nonsense in America of electing leaders who live such different lives than average Americans. If they have no idea how typical Americans live, how can they even hope to appreciate how their policies impact the majority of the public - and if it doesn't impact them or those they love, why should they even care who suffers? It is also why we have to put a stop to an economy that continues to create greater and greater wealth inequalities between the top 3% of the country (or even the top 10%) and the average American. Even if we exclude the portion of the country that unfortunately lives in extreme poverty and relies largely on government assistance, the difference between the way the typical "middle class" family with two full time workers and 1-2 children lives (or even the way a "middle class" individual with no dependents lives) and the way the extremely wealthy live (many of whom, like Trump, inherited their money and are rich DESPITE their work ethics or skills, not because of them), the fact that there are people who spend more on a single dinner out with 2-3 friends than many families spend in groceries for an entire month, speaks volumes about how vastly different the American experience is for those who, by shear luck of birth, are born into the uber-wealthy class.
Of course, the sick irony in all of this is that the most devoted MAGA fanatics are largely made up of those who will be expected to sacrifice the most in pursuit of Trump's "new economic vision", and they are too stupid to even realize it. They have been lied to because Trump and his cronies know that if they ever revealed the truth, they would never get the votes they need. Perhaps Musk admitting it will make a difference? But I doubt it. Most likely, too little too late.
...the sick irony in all of this is that the most devoted MAGA fanatics are largely made up of those who will be expected to sacrifice the most in pursuit of Trump's "new economic vision", and they are too stupid to even realize it.
Because they are cultists! Trump is a Cult Leader, he is. His followers are simply members of a cult, and have been driven there by Fox News and the algorithms that feed the cult the propaganda one YouTube video at a time.
Everyday Americans but not the oligarchs, I assume
Of course, why not cut it from the ones that can survive with cuts instead of taking from the small incomes that are barely making it now.
If you refuse to suffer, you will be detained GITMO-style in an undisclosed location for an undisclosed amount of time. It's what Hungary did.
Funny how being god-focused allows now for giving presidential hand jobs and blow jobs to microphones that aren't working.
EMBRACE THE PAIN? WHAT AN ASSHOLE. I'm spreading the news of a Trump inspired economic downturn to all my friends, neighbors and family members who have not yet voted and demanding they look up the definition of INSANITY! A Trump downturn was inevitable. Musk just said it out loud.
Well said !!
All the economic experts agree that the Harris economic plan will be much better for the economy than the Trump plan, which would explode the debt much further & lead to virtually certain recession, which Musk & other multibillionaires are perfectly fine with. After all, Musk dectupled his wealth (increased it by 10 times) during the last (Trump) recession.
I guess Trump is serious when he says he wants to take America back to 1798.
Let's not forget that the policies of the late 1780s and the 1790s (the age of the robber barons) were a terrible time for the vast majority of Americans, and those policies led directly to crash after crash of the economy. There was a temporary respite when production picked up for WWI, but ultimately, the crash in the 1920s and the entire depression was a natural outgrowth of those policies.
Don't believe it when Musk says the pain will be short term. If Trump's big plan is to reinstitute the policies of the 1790s, where the rich got richer and the rest of Americans had no hope of ever getting beyond where they were, no chance at education, and absolutely no safety or other protections at work, then the pain won't be short term. The pain will be an economic crash disaster just like the one that followed the policies of the late 1700s.
People like Trump like to believe that they not only owe nothing to the rest of us, but that the rest of us are just here for them to use and toss away. What the depression really showed was that when the average people don't have enough, everyone, even the ultra rich, suffer.
Very good comment, except you're referring to the 1890s (not 1790s), the time of the "Gilded Age" & "robber barons" brought about by short-sighted policies pampering the very rich at the expense of the rest of the population, just like Trump & the Republicans' policies have done.
This ahole should go back to so. Africa where the Afrikaner racist was born. Easy for him to say that Americans should suffer economically while he with his enormous wealth will live very comfortably
So the Republican fever dream of shrinking the govt is next in their to do list. Which means they want to take away your social security and Medicare because the govt won’t be able to afford it after they implement their radical economic policy of austerity. read between the lines of what musk man is saying
He is saying to the prospective peasants suffer while we take all the money!!!
Hooverville here we come. Disgusting.
No, I don’t want any part of any temporary hardship. It is ludicrous to ask the American people to just blithely accept that some non government individual thinks we have to suffer for them. No, no, no. It is chilling that this hate filled person (Trump or Musk or anybody in that administration) would even suggest that. They are absolutely out of their minds.
We don't get to Vote on this "temporary hardship" if trump somehow gets his fat ass in the White House.. it's over .. this "for us" plan is project 2025 outlined.. everything is gone! See how N. Korea lives, China, or Russia ?
But Leon has run Twitter so well!
Why isn’t the MSM reporting this? SMH!
Because ALL CORPORATE-OWNED MEDIA IS CORRUPT PROPAGANDA.
Because the MSM elites will not be the ones suffering… only waiting to become the new Russian styled Oligarchs of the USA
Yea, can’t wait for the day they get thrown out the window😳
Ditto… there is no honor among thieves.
Because they are the "billionaires" ? IDK
MSM is trying to find the "both sides" commentary for this and that thought process makes them dizzy.
Throw both of the POS out of our country!
Is There a Better Way? Why Musk and Trump’s Austerity Plan May Hurt the Wrong People
Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s proposal to cut government programs—bringing “temporary hardship” to American households—raises big concerns. Their plan essentially says that the pain of tightening the budget should fall on regular people, while billionaires like Musk would feel none of the strain. While cutting unnecessary spending can sometimes make sense, is it really the best choice if it means tough times for families who already have to work hard to get by? There are plenty of other ways to support the economy without putting all the weight on average Americans.
One of the clearest options is taxing the wealthiest Americans and large corporations more fairly. Billionaires today control a massive share of the country’s wealth, and a slight increase in their taxes could raise significant funds for vital programs, preventing painful cuts to services that people rely on. Economists often point out that fairer taxation on those who can afford it helps stabilize the economy because it keeps investment flowing into services that support everyone, instead of pushing the burden onto families already facing rising costs.
Another major source of potential revenue is closing corporate tax loopholes and cracking down on offshore tax evasion. Many large companies use complex loopholes or offshore accounts to dodge taxes entirely, all while reporting record profits. By closing these gaps and enforcing stricter penalties for tax evasion, the government could bring in billions without asking more from ordinary workers and families. With corporations paying their fair share, the need for harsh cuts to public programs becomes much less urgent.
Rather than slashing spending, the government could also focus on smart investments that keep the economy growing, like funding for education, healthcare, and infrastructure. Programs for job training, technology, and community colleges help create a skilled workforce, which ultimately strengthens the economy. A workforce that is better trained and better paid spends more on local businesses, which creates a ripple effect, driving the economy forward. And this kind of growth strategy doesn’t require everyday families to bear the costs of budget cuts.
Public programs like Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment insurance are especially critical, giving families a much-needed safety net when times are tough. Rather than reducing support, maintaining—or even expanding—these programs could keep families secure while also stabilizing the economy. During economic downturns, these programs allow people to keep up with basic needs, sustaining consumer spending and helping avoid a deeper recession.
There’s also the option of reducing waste without making broad cuts to essential services. For example, the government could audit spending in areas where it often goes unchecked, like defense contracts and underused federal properties, and focus on reducing unnecessary costs there. This approach helps save money while preserving essential programs that support millions of Americans.
With today’s economy showing steady growth, low unemployment, and low inflation, there’s a strong case for investing in things that relieve financial pressure on families, like affordable healthcare, housing, and childcare. This gives people more freedom to spend on other essentials, which in turn supports local economies and boosts small businesses. And these investments lift the entire economy without needing cuts to programs that working families depend on.
The richest 2% own 90+% of the wealth since Reagan and other Republican Presidents have continued his “trickle down economics” scam… we need to start taxing the wealthy and having them pay their fair share so we can create a “trickle back” economy to the middle class.
Exactly the things that should be implemented to improve the economy & the lives of ordinary people, but which sadonarcissistic billionaires like Trump & Musk fiercely oppose.
This is definitely something Putin would appreciate.
Putin is the high advisor..he knows
So this will hurt those in need like the elderly when they cut Medicare and Social Security, ALL social service peograms.. so those individuals are the COLLATERAL DAMAGE😤🤨.. SO THIS IS SUPPOSED TO MAKE MAKE EVERYONES LIVES BETTER? THE RICH WOULD BE JUST FINE WITH TAKING US OUT TO THE BARN AND SHOOTING US! 🧐🖕🏼
This guy really is clueless when it comes to talking with voters and regular people. That's a good thing or we wouldn't know what he really thinks!
When you're the richest man in the world you think all of your ideas are pure gold.
Musk and his rich cronies don't give a rat's ass about the rest of it. I don't understand why so many people (educated middle class relatives included) don't get that. Vote!
While I agree that our debt cannot continue and believe that both parties are cowards in dealing with it head on, he is suggesting something like a 2008 downturn or a 2020 COVID-19 downturn. That is absurd to do on purpose. The same results can be gradually and much less dangerously accomplished if there is a will to do it.
The economists called it - a recession mid-year. Who will suffer the most? trump supporters - not billionaires. Not millionaires. Not maga congress. Amazing, everyone knows this except his adoring cult.
So when he says "we", he means "the vast majority of Americans, but not me, not Trump, not JD Vance, and pretty much none of the people in the social or business circles in which we operate".
And what he thinks of as "short term pain/hardship", which for him includes something along the lines of one less trip into space, for the rest of us could literally include dying because we can afford to stay in our homes, eat, heat our homes in winter, cool our homes in summer, get medical care, or get basic necessities. They type of pain he is talking about is so far beyond the "inflation" (which is really price gouging) that Americans are already complaining about (and Trump is acting so outraged about), that people will be wishing that the prices were back to what they are today. He seems to think that people can just "tighten their belts" a little bit, or take on some extra work, or shorten a vacation for a year. He doesn't at all get that people are barely getting by despite working multiple jobs. There is no more room in the day to squeeze in extra work, there are very few (if any) corners left to cut, and most people don't take annual vacations because they simply can't afford to do so.
I am also fairly certain that in this hardship, common sense ideas that can balance out the hardship a little, like requiring people who make more passive income in a single night while they sleep than many Americans make in an entire year, to pay at last the same percentage of their income in taxes as the rest of us do, is not even in the cards. Nor is the idea of requiring larger companies to pay living wages, giving fewer tax breaks to the rich and more tax breaks to ordinary people (who will actually spend that money in the American economy and supporting small businesses, rather than put it away in savings or spend it on luxury trips overseas) going to be on the table. The "hardship" will be isolated to those of us who already work the hardest and get the least.
That is precisely why we have to stop this nonsense in America of electing leaders who live such different lives than average Americans. If they have no idea how typical Americans live, how can they even hope to appreciate how their policies impact the majority of the public - and if it doesn't impact them or those they love, why should they even care who suffers? It is also why we have to put a stop to an economy that continues to create greater and greater wealth inequalities between the top 3% of the country (or even the top 10%) and the average American. Even if we exclude the portion of the country that unfortunately lives in extreme poverty and relies largely on government assistance, the difference between the way the typical "middle class" family with two full time workers and 1-2 children lives (or even the way a "middle class" individual with no dependents lives) and the way the extremely wealthy live (many of whom, like Trump, inherited their money and are rich DESPITE their work ethics or skills, not because of them), the fact that there are people who spend more on a single dinner out with 2-3 friends than many families spend in groceries for an entire month, speaks volumes about how vastly different the American experience is for those who, by shear luck of birth, are born into the uber-wealthy class.
Of course, the sick irony in all of this is that the most devoted MAGA fanatics are largely made up of those who will be expected to sacrifice the most in pursuit of Trump's "new economic vision", and they are too stupid to even realize it. They have been lied to because Trump and his cronies know that if they ever revealed the truth, they would never get the votes they need. Perhaps Musk admitting it will make a difference? But I doubt it. Most likely, too little too late.
Really really well said! Especially this part:
...the sick irony in all of this is that the most devoted MAGA fanatics are largely made up of those who will be expected to sacrifice the most in pursuit of Trump's "new economic vision", and they are too stupid to even realize it.
Because they are cultists! Trump is a Cult Leader, he is. His followers are simply members of a cult, and have been driven there by Fox News and the algorithms that feed the cult the propaganda one YouTube video at a time.