Summary

Elon Musk sparked controversy by falsely claiming entitlement programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid have “$700 billion” in fraud annually, vastly exaggerating the actual figure (~$10 billion/year).

Musk labeled Social Security a “Ponzi scheme” and spread conspiracies about immigrants exploiting the system.

Critics argue Musk’s ignorance and conspiracy-mongering threaten essential public programs and data privacy, while his inflammatory rhetoric—such as calling Senator Mark Kelly, a former astronaut and combat veteran, a “traitor”—reinforces demands for his immediate removal from government.

  • Anivia@feddit.org
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    13 hours ago

    Musk labeled Social Security a “Ponzi scheme”

    Well, he is correct about that. But in true republican fashion his solution is to get rid of it, instead of reforming it to be more sustainable without infinite population growth

  • ERROR: Earth.exe has crashed@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    19 hours ago

    Maybe stop using “unelected”. Most of the cabinet is technically “unelected”. Focus on the part where he did not get a senate confirmation.

    Like… he must be so unpopular if he can’t even get a republican controlled senate to approve him.

  • werefreeatlast@lemmy.world
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    21 hours ago

    Republicans are doing a great job on both sides…social security in case your luck fucks out, and the market in case your thought you could get away:

    Who said retirement? That’s illegal! You and I will be working for elon until we both end up 6’ under. (By that I mean fucking dead like a month Python parrot)

  • meowmeowbeanz@sopuli.xyz
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    21 hours ago

    Unelected tech lord deciding grandma’s retirement funds is exactly the cyberpunk hellscape novels warned us about.

    🐱

  • DarkFuture@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    Social Security is a non-partisan red line.

    If this chode killed it his chances of survival would plummet.

    • InvertedParallax@lemm.ee
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      21 hours ago

      I really hope he fucks with it.

      I would buy all the popcorn to watch 2 million boomers walk up Pennsylvania Avenue to Gaddafi his ass for days.

    • PyroNeurosis@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      23 hours ago

      That the case may be, but he’d be a martyr for the ultra-capitalistic sorts that make these efforts their life’s work.

      A despicable end, but one that may appeal to Musk himself.

      • ZoopZeZoop@lemmy.world
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        21 hours ago

        Nah. No one would mourn him. The next ultra rich person would learn from his mistakes, but continue on with his work.

    • ERROR: Earth.exe has crashed@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      18 hours ago

      Everyone’s situation is different, but for me: I’m not white and only have derived citizenship (as opposed to “natural born” citizenship), and my dad is still a Chinese Citizen (because he sucks at English for natualization test). They are already trying to deport Mahmoud Khalil. Can’t risk putting a target on my family’s back.

      CCP is hostile and already tried killing me, theres no going back (not that I have Chinese Citizenship anymore anyways). I could end up stateless and that’s not fun.

      My only hope is that the fascists are incompetent and elections still exist in the future.

      I think protesting is a very brave thing to do, but I also can’t blame anyone for not doing so. Its very risky.

    • Verdant Banana@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      People in the US think politics is just another soap opera on the daytime TV that has nothing to do with their lives just like watching celebrities and Trump was picked because he adds to all that

      Biden was deliberately put in office to be a good step stool for Trump

  • numlok@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    before his slash-and-burn nonsense and warped views of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid cause a spike in the sale of pitchforks.

    Ha. I’d argue the time for pitchforks is already here.

      • ysjet@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        He’s been wearing that kid like a hat ever since that CEO got shot. First time anyone had EVER seen the kid in public, too, and suddenly he hasn’t been seen anywhere without him.

        • frunch@lemmy.world
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          21 hours ago

          I hope he continues to give that kid rides on his shoulders, that someday it’ll be a full-grown man getting rides from his pops. He’ll have to duck to get through doors

      • in4apenny@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        1 day ago

        It’s a strange tactic coming from someone who supports Israel, where “human shield” is used as justification to destroy said shield along with the target.

    • Nightwingdragon@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      And doesn’t the man have like a zillion kids with multiple different women?

      Imagine being one of Musk’s other children. You know, the ones who don’t get their attention from their father while this one random kid gets all of it.

      • in4apenny@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        1 day ago

        “Imagine being one of Musk’s other children. You know, the ones who don’t get picked to be daddy’s human shield due to their small size and ability to be held up in front of bullets.”

  • RabbitBBQ@lemmy.world
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    18 hours ago

    He may not be elected but he paid the guy who got elected a ton of money, so that’s basically the same as being elected… Right? Right?!?

  • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    He needs to be able to steal that money, you guyzzzzz!

    Enriching fElon is about “efficiency”, at least according to MOE - the Ministry of Efficiency, where up is down, black is white.

  • conditional_soup@lemm.ee
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    17 hours ago

    No. I’m sick of ratcheting right, of normalizing the former Republican president’s regime by half, of promising that maybe, eventually, long after my kids have died of old age, we’ll get around to fixing what’s broken. A return to normalcy will only legitimize this fucking bullshit. The climate is collapsing, there’s microplastics in my brain and balls, the wealthy are actively trying to re-establish feudalism, and the level best the democrats can do is hold up signs and give me downvotes when I say they’re not doing enough. There’s evidence coming out that microplastics inhibit photosynthesis and cause crop failures, the shit’s everywhere, and lol and fucking behold the UN can’t even talk about it without getting drowned in a tsunami of lobbyists. Yes, hello, my name is Timothy Thompson, I’m with United Plastics, and I’m here to tell you about how single use plastics are good actually; can I offer you $5,000? I’ve recently come around to the idea that there’s only around 10,000 very specific enormously wealthy, influential, or both people that we’d need to persuade to make the world a better, more livable place for everyone on the planet now and in the future, and right now, they aren’t being effectively persuaded.

    Friendship ended with centrist democrats. I am now friends with accelerationism.