Trump says Elon Musk will head audit of 'entire federal government'

[TheTexan]

All true enough. Doesn't change the fact that he's very connected.



The government reused shuttles. They reused the boosters, too -- a couple of them once too often.

Landing under power, sitting down on its tail, has been the dream since the 1940s. Technology only just caught up to the idea, and Musk's team got to do the home stretch.

The Space Shuttle was a weak attempt at reusability which was probably designed to fail from the beginning. The government, or more specifically its aerospace contractors, had no incentive to take it seriously. There is way more money in producing one-time-use rockets over and over again and this is why the government continues to do exactly that even now when reusable rockets are available.

Reusable rockets is something that took a private hand to do. I don't think government ever had the incentive.

[TheTexan]

and his very large and fortunate money supply

Not that there's anything wrong with that! It's just that genius, ambition, and sheer determination are nothing without all that money and lots of good luck. Money does not necessarily equal genius.

He has a rare combination of money and genius. Reusable (orbital) rockets is a huge accomplishment and it required both.

[Valli6]

He has a rare combination of money and genius. Reusable (orbital) rockets is a huge accomplishment and it required both.

We’ll see - but I’ll wager any group headed by him includes a lot of stupid/nice/progressive-like $#@! we don’t approve of.

Everybody wants to kiss his ass because he’s rich.

[Brian4Liberty]

This actually irks me. What about those people who’ve tried over the years to make serious attempts to shut down entire departments, audit the fed and the pentagon, and written entire budgets/plans to bring down the debt? Why no respect for them?!

Of course, I’m referring to Rand Paul, Ron Paul and Massie. Not only do they know better where the problems lie - they are more knowledgable about how the government ought to function while making this happen, and how to head off any reoccurrence - whereas Elon Musk would just be winging it with his personal opinions.
...

If Trump is serious, he will need people in the House and Senate, specifically Rand and Massie. IIRC, Musk and Massie have a friendly relationship on X.

https://x.com/USAB4L/status/1831797131667177961

[Brian4Liberty]

https://x.com/USAB4L/status/1832146123936628819

[fisharmor]

Trump talking about cutting government waste is like Biden saying he's going to cure cancer.
The only difference is that not even leftist retards were dumb enough to think Biden was doing anything but blowing smoke.

[Occam's Banana]

I DONT TRUST THIS MOTHER F U C KE R ANYWHERE NEAR MY "GUBBERMINT"

Wait a minute ...

You have a government? And it's really yours?

Damn! You've been holding out on us!

So ... what else you got?

[jkr]

Wait a minute ...

You have a government? And it's really yours?

Damn! You've been holding out on us!

So ... what else you got?

im gonna go have some of that freedom right now!

[CaptUSA]

Something about "efficient government" scares the shyte outta me!

[unknown]

Is there a source link for that?

Probably.

Can you post it please?

Na uh.

[Anti Federalist]

https://x.com/i/status/1832255268027085077

[osan]

Because:


President Biden has long vowed to build 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations in the United States by 2030.

But now, more than two years after Congress allocated $7.5 billion to help build out those stations, only 7 EV charging stations are operational across four states.


I'm sure he and Trump will pull another OWS out of thin air for the electric car business and the repubs will love them for it.

Elecrtric vehicles are cancer and have no future unless and until human energy storage tech for electrics undergoes a quantum advance.

Our understanding of motors is fair to middling now, and apparently improving every day. Our understanding of electricity is pretty good. But our understanding of high-density energy storage sucks the big tuna. At this time, the highest energy densities are found in explosives. Sadly, those materials are not as yet suitable for the production of electrical outputs. The next best is gasoline and similar aromatics whose density is quite high, but much of which blows out the ass end of the vehicle. See the Second Law for more information.

By comparison, battery technology is just sad. Constructing them is an environmental nightmare. Costs are astonishingly high, performance is atrocious, as is the safety factor. If you've never seen lithium, an alkali metal, burn, you've never had quite the thrill. I've seen metals burn including lithium, sodium, iron oxide, and titanium. They are all very violent and a car whose battery goes up tends to burn away to very little. Until energy densities at least as high as that of gasoline are achieved, I see no way that electrics will take the place of conventionally powered vehicles... unless Theye mandate it and use the force of arms to materially enforce the declarations, which would not surprise me in the least.

Oh, and energy density is not the only concern. Performance at very low temperatures is an equal concern. At ten degrees F, electrics don't want to go so well, if at all. Once again, the battery puts you over the wood.

[osan]

https://x.com/i/status/1832255268027085077

The "misinformation" cancer has got to be nipped in the bud because the trajectory lands us in the middle of 1984.

[osan]

https://x.com/USAB4L/status/1832146123936628819

Two allies will make zero difference. I'd casually estimate that no less than thirty like-minded and morally intact senators would be needed to have a palpable effect. Fifty would be better, but I have precious little hope for the thirty, so...

What we need is my Amendment 28. Given the horrific state in which we find ourselves, politically speaking, I feel that my Amendment is the only way forward toward actual liberty that does not perforce necessitate large amounts of bloodshed.

[Snowball]

Musk is just a gatekeeper, and his "X" is the right leg of a Masonic square and compass, not a real x.

[Brian4Liberty]

Two allies will make zero difference. I'd casually estimate that no less than thirty like-minded and morally intact senators would be needed to have a palpable effect. Fifty would be better, but I have precious little hope for the thirty, so...

What we need is my Amendment 28. Given the horrific state in which we find ourselves, politically speaking, I feel that my Amendment is the only way forward toward actual liberty that does not perforce necessitate large amounts of bloodshed.

The limitations of tweets leave many details out, but to be specific, someone needs to be involved in the identification of waste, and writing of any new laws. Thus Massie and Rand should be partners in that part of that portion of the effort.

When it comes to votes in Congress, yes, there will need to be a majority to pass anything, and like minded Congress people would be needed to help whip a majority. That job would inevitable fall on Trump himself, to bully Congress. I doubt McConnell or Johnson would stand up to Trump, at least not in a straightforward manner. Those snakes and their swamp allies would try to get involved in slipping in bad legislation, which Rand and Massie would be on the look out for.

[Brian4Liberty]

Elecrtric vehicles are cancer and have no future unless and until human energy storage tech for electrics undergoes a quantum advance.

Our understanding of motors is fair to middling now, and apparently improving every day. Our understanding of electricity is pretty good. But our understanding of high-density energy storage sucks the big tuna. At this time, the highest energy densities are found in explosives. Sadly, those materials are not as yet suitable for the production of electrical outputs. The next best is gasoline and similar aromatics whose density is quite high, but much of which blows out the ass end of the vehicle. See the Second Law for more information.

By comparison, battery technology is just sad. Constructing them is an environmental nightmare. Costs are astonishingly high, performance is atrocious, as is the safety factor. If you've never seen lithium, an alkali metal, burn, you've never had quite the thrill. I've seen metals burn including lithium, sodium, iron oxide, and titanium. They are all very violent and a car whose battery goes up tends to burn away to very little. Until energy densities at least as high as that of gasoline are achieved, I see no way that electrics will take the place of conventionally powered vehicles... unless Theye mandate it and use the force of arms to materially enforce the declarations, which would not surprise me in the least.

Oh, and energy density is not the only concern. Performance at very low temperatures is an equal concern. At ten degrees F, electrics don't want to go so well, if at all. Once again, the battery puts you over the wood.

Super conducting capacitors are a potential path to better storage, but of course there are many technical and physical hurdles to overcome there, temperature being just one. It might be just as likely to have Star Trek style transporters replace vehicles...one can dream.

[Brian4Liberty]

Former President Trump announced that he will create a government efficiency commission led by Elon Musk. Let’s not forget that “government efficiency” is an oxymoron.

Government can't rationally economize, like the rest of us. Its decisions are made politically, and not by profits and losses.

Government is not like an individual, or a business. We don’t voluntarily give our money to the government. It takes our money by force.

No individual or business has that ability. Unless, of course, they get the government to steal money on their behalf. But normal people and companies cannot just steal money, and call it "revenues."

So government can never be “efficient."

It can, however, be a lot smaller and less of a burden on us. Considering that the U.S. federal government is the biggest government in the history of the world, the room to cut its size shouldn't be very hard to do.

https://x.com/USAB4L/status/1832453778764861625

[PAF]

Elecrtric vehicles are cancer and have no future unless and until human energy storage tech for electrics undergoes a quantum advance.

Our understanding of motors is fair to middling now, and apparently improving every day. Our understanding of electricity is pretty good. But our understanding of high-density energy storage sucks the big tuna. At this time, the highest energy densities are found in explosives. Sadly, those materials are not as yet suitable for the production of electrical outputs. The next best is gasoline and similar aromatics whose density is quite high, but much of which blows out the ass end of the vehicle. See the Second Law for more information.

By comparison, battery technology is just sad. Constructing them is an environmental nightmare. Costs are astonishingly high, performance is atrocious, as is the safety factor. If you've never seen lithium, an alkali metal, burn, you've never had quite the thrill. I've seen metals burn including lithium, sodium, iron oxide, and titanium. They are all very violent and a car whose battery goes up tends to burn away to very little. Until energy densities at least as high as that of gasoline are achieved, I see no way that electrics will take the place of conventionally powered vehicles... unless Theye mandate it and use the force of arms to materially enforce the declarations, which would not surprise me in the least.

Oh, and energy density is not the only concern. Performance at very low temperatures is an equal concern. At ten degrees F, electrics don't want to go so well, if at all. Once again, the battery puts you over the wood.

I have nothing against electric vehicles, battery, high-density energy storage or other, etc.

It is not my job to decide or police innovators/entrepreneurs, anymore than it is for government to subsidize/protectionism them. Let the entrepreneur do it on his/her own dime and the market will sort it out.

Super conducting capacitors are a potential path to better storage, but of course there are many technical and physical hurdles to overcome there, temperature being just one. It might be just as likely to have Star Trek style transporters replace vehicles...one can dream.

Dreaming sometimes leads to success when acted upon ;-)