this post was submitted on 07 Aug 2026
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politics

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239
DOGE overstated savings on federal 'receipts' website, auditors find (abcnews.com)
submitted 2 weeks ago by Some_Emo_Chick@lemmy.world to c/politics@lemmy.world
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[–] ImgurRefugee114@reddthat.com 69 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

Dear conservative republicans;

The real government waste isn't the social, research, or effective* environmental programs. It's the bloated loopholed taxcode, the MIC, the revolving doors, the thousand dollar trashcans, the no-bid contracts, the croissant-like layers of middlemen, the labyrinthine beauroccracy of means-testing that costs more than it saves, and the reluctance to directly employ and retain skilled labor for public projects.

Poor black brown and gay people aren't ruining your country. Monied interests are, and they're using you to do it. (dems also but not the subject of this post)

[–] Zachariah@lemmy.world 13 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

this needs to be addressed to the republican voters

the republicans in office already know all this and don’t care

[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago

The conservative voters are too obsessed over ridiculous "issues" like "men in women's sports".

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

Since the MAGAts started electing themselves, I kinda doubt it actually.

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago

The amount of money that's been wasted over DOGE is likely in the trillions...

Like, there's $5 upkeep to prevent a $5k problem.

DOGE would cut upkeep, and if that $5 trickled thru multiple agencies they counted it everytime.

Agency 1 pays 2, pays 3; same $5, they cancel and claim to have saved $15.

Then be cause no upkeep was done, we gotta pay $5k to fix the problem, and if we still don't do upkeep, we'll need to pay 5k again, and again, and again

Even once we start doing "upkeep" again, it's going to be more expensive.

[–] ulkesh@piefed.social 32 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

At the height of this DOGE bullshit, I knew someone who was referencing that site numerous times to back up his claims about government waste. I simply responded, "Okay, so that data is getting audited and verified, yes? How do we know they're not simply lying to justify getting rid of people and programs they simply don't like?"

He looked at me with this dumb look on his face.

That's how fucking stupid these people are.

[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 10 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

That 100% tracks with almost every idiot I know who obsesses over "government waste".

Did you ever ask this guy if he thought massive giveaways (along with backrubs and reach-arounds and blowjobs) being given to the wealthy and to corporations was "government waste"? What about spending on things like a border wall or on ICE?

[–] some_designer_dude@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

It’s such an easy sell. We pay so much in taxes but get so little back. The idea that government must be wasting it is easy to swallow: I’m not thriving so they must be wasting all that tax money.

[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Also: good government and the spending involved with it is often complicated and morons have little interest in actually trying to understand complex systems and how they may interoperate with one another.

But if an idiot hears about $500 hammers or something about "woke" (the modern equivalent of "welfare queen") or some story on Faux about some guy eating lobster and steak, and they jump right to the conclusion that it is all waste. No thought required; it's all about the vibes, maaaaan.

[–] some_designer_dude@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago

You jest, but I guess in a society that doesn’t sufficiently value education (and whose government employs actors who actively sabotage it), all anyone has to go on is vibes.

[–] ulkesh@piefed.social 4 points 2 weeks ago

No, because it would make no difference. But I never have to see or speak to that moron ever again. He and my wife’s friend (who has since become my friend, too) got a divorce and we were never really his friend, anyway, just someone we tolerated for her sake.

[–] BruisedMoose@piefed.social 31 points 2 weeks ago

WHAAAAAAAT? NO! HOW CAN THIS BE??

[–] FullPenguin@lemmy.world 22 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

And the consequences for those involved?

At the very least there should be an investigation as to how this data was developed, so that we can avoid making this 'mistake' in the future. Right?...

[–] Raiderkev@lemmy.world 11 points 2 weeks ago

Strongly worded letters going out any day now.

[–] Kirp123@lemmy.world 18 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Didn't we know this was the case like right as they posted it? I remember they even had to change shit on the website because people were pointing it out how unrealistic it was.

[–] ryrybang@lemmy.world 14 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Yes, for sure. Immediately.

I was on a $9M research contract that was cancelled by DOGE. Their website listed that contract as $9M saved. The problem? We were nearly done with the work. We had spent $8M.

The remaining $1M of work was data review, publishing findings, and preparing public datasets and documentation.

So they only "saved" $1M. But really, they lost $8M because at contract end we were instructed to destroy all the collected data and the government ended up with basically nothing. So that work and those findings will never see the light of day.

Cancelling that contract at that point was the work of fucking idiots.

That's just one story. The DOGE website has thousands of cancelled contracts listed.

[–] Spot@startrek.website 1 points 2 weeks ago

I know why the news is running stories likes this... but, Why isn't the new running stories like this?!! It's scandalous but in a sfw way you can gossip around the water cooler about, and easy to understand.

Ugh. I hate this reality.

[–] gibmiser@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

Well to be fair to the pieces of shit, they didn't write anything and probably only read half of what their Ai shat out.

[–] TheFogan@programming.dev 1 points 2 weeks ago

Not even just unrealistic, if I recall it regularly was posting the same handful of things multiple times

[–] Trampampoline@sh.itjust.works 15 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Elon forgot to write "up to" before his savings numbers. Rookie mistake. Dude needs more time in a mattress store.

[–] some_designer_dude@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

He needs more time in a dank, dark dungeon.

[–] dhork@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

“In addition, when government data are not reliable, it can hinder the public’s trust in government,” the report stated.

Theat was the whole point, though. If enough voters don't trust government, they will give Republicans permission to shrink it so small they can drown it in the bathtub.

[–] Kirp123@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago

They're just saying that. They won't shrink it, they need the government to control everyone and remove the undesirables.

[–] BestBouclettes@jlai.lu 4 points 2 weeks ago

And looking at the finances of a State only through expenses and revenues is completely missing the point (on purpose here obviously).

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 4 points 2 weeks ago

You mean the richest piece of shit on the planet is a corrupt liar? It can't be so!

What a fucking asshat.

[–] LogicalDrivel@sopuli.xyz 3 points 2 weeks ago

Tangential, but It looks like musk and kim jong un, go to the same barber/hair-transplanter.

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

Shocked.