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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsMusk Doesn't Have To Go Thru Congress To Kill Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid
Chris Hayes had a reporter on tonight from the Atlantic who spoke with computer experts who worked in federal agencies.
The bad thing that Musk is doing isn't just getting our SS numbers and our personal information, Musk and his 4 cronies are into administration computer programs. These programs are only accessible by a handful of top security people, yet unauthorized people have gotten into these programs.
The reporter stated that if Musk can figure out the codes he will be able to siphon money from the agency and he can hide it so that no one knows that money is disappearing.
Musk can one day say, Medicaid is out of money, bye. A month later he can say, Medicare is out of money, bye.
Scary shit, allowing an illegal immigrant and his 4 stooges the ability to destroy government agencies and we will never be able to prove how they did it. Easy Peasy bypass of Congress.
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dalton99a
(94,093 posts)Silent Type
(12,412 posts)funds that don’t meet his approval, foreign aid, etc., and blame it on Biden and Democrats.
gab13by13
(32,237 posts)or Nicolle Wallace or Chris Hayes or Rachel Maddow. What is happening is bad.
Musk will siphon every penny out of Medicare if he figures out how to do it.
Thinking about getting my 2nd knee replaced before I run out of insurance.
Silent Type
(12,412 posts)Republican beneficiaries and an equal number of Democrats, plus Medicaid, plus Tricare. Or, so I keep reading.
Irish_Dem
(81,143 posts)Both Trump and Musk want to be trillionaires.
And they are both ruthless sociopaths.
Trump has a long criminal history.
Both Trump and Musk are mentally ill and drug addicts.
Even for normal law abiding people that kind of power and access to
5 or 6 trillion dollars a year would be very tempting.
No one would ever catch them or know what is gone.
For Trump and Musk it will be irresistible.
LiberalLoner
(11,467 posts)Baron2024
(1,492 posts)A Coup d'etat is a form of internal treason, also called insurrection. Musk and Trump would be guilty of this and probably many other crimes if they stole the tax payers money. They will pay their allies off as a form of bribery for their complicity. We need to stop them asap- Some ideas on how to do that--
A Plan For Lawful Resistance--
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219988610
milestogo
(23,061 posts)
Bluethroughu
(7,215 posts)Been a fraud from the get go.
Alice B.
(731 posts)Having worked for a tech company, I keep thinking about how...
My former employer (a SaaS company) went out of its way to avoid paying bills. They'd go through contracts with a fine tooth comb trying to get out of them. They'd push invoices to the max and, when there was no other choice, they'd pay at least a little something, if not the whole thing. I would get calls from vendors I worked with about past due invoices fairly regularly. Sometimes they'd be sued and push that as far and as long as possible before settling.
It was hard to tell how much "runway" they actually had because my bosses were extremely cagey about finances. I say this because I would be asked to complete applications for awards programs (Inc, Fast Company, etc) which would come to a screeching halt whenever there were financial questions. They were cheap and parsimonious most of the time and spendthrift stupid at others -- like asking my team (I'm pretty sure all misclassified as 1099 contractors) to help pick out expensive watches as thank-you gifts for clients.
Baron2024
(1,492 posts)This is a repost of something that I wrote regarding Musk and Social Security--
It seems clear to me that Musk intends to freeze Social Security Payments, Medicare, many other federal programs, and possibly paychecks for federal workers. How can he be stopped? If there is enough pressure from not just Democrats but also Republican constituents, it is possible that Trump would order Musk not to freeze at least Social Security payments. Trump may not want his MAGA Republican base harmed.
Many Republicans and Trump voters are Social Security recipients. My Step-father is one. If Musk and his DOGE Agents freeze Social Security, there will be a national uproar. We should try to get ahead of this before it happens. One way to deal with this is for Dems in Congress to propose a Bill to Defend Social Security. Such a bill could explicitly state that the Executive Branch (Trump/Musk/DOGE) may not suspend funding to Social Security, Medicare, and other federal programs without Congressional authorization.
So one way to oppose the Trump Musk Regime is for Congress to reclaim its powers as established by the Constitution. Musk Trump do not have the legal or constitutional authority to freeze Social Security, but they may do that anyway. If the Republicans in Congress do not support this Defense of Social Security, they will be put on the record for opposing it, and their jobs would be on the line if and when Musk and Trump kill the Social Security payments. Trump Republicans that receive Social Security would be furious. So that is one idea about how to defend Social Security from the Musk DOGE gang. I would be interested in your comments.
gab13by13
(32,237 posts)Musk is going to get access to the money and if he breaks the code he can siphon money out of the agency and he can do it without anyone knowing it.
One day Trump can simply announce that Medicaid/Medicare is out of money, Democrats created a poor system.
Yes, I read it. Congress needs to act before Musk tampers with the money. It is one of the few possible solutions.
The problem is that that would fly in face of both party’s experience with SSA. It would be a a clear red flag. Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not saying he wouldn’t do a bad thing, it’s just that there’s no value in doing that and it would be an obvious who is responsible.
IbogaProject
(5,879 posts)Red MAGA areas will still get their checks, other areas and demographics that the GOP dislike will take the brunt. They may even be somewhat random and not cut all of a cohort off just here and there to sew confusion and stress in the Social Security dependent populations.
Baron2024
(1,492 posts)I had thought of that also but I have been reluctant to post about it because I did not want that idea out in the ether. But DOGE could simply use AI to cut out payments to their enemies and pay their allies. I think the only solution is an uprising and the lawful use of force.
A Plan For Lawful Resistance--
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219988610
lostnfound
(17,511 posts)Not red MAGA ‘areas’ but red MAGAs.
They will end up using AI to respond to individuals complaining, after the fact, with bullshit non-answers
Maybe we will hear about a glitch affecting some finite number of people which they are working to correct
Systems “failing from hardware unrelated to DOGE”
Create confusion for the masses and rob some of it blind
Irish_Dem
(81,143 posts)a couple of months ago.
gab13by13
(32,237 posts)This came from people who worked administering these huge government programs. These computer experts said that because the coding is so old maybe Musk and his 4 cronies won't be able to figure it out, but don't count on it.
lostnfound
(17,511 posts)Not as opaque as the man interviewed might think. It’s proven itself useful for decoding and recoding COBOL.
I wouldn’t trust airplane traffic to AI-written code.. but Elon might.
TommyT139
(2,349 posts)DOGE Could Compromise America’s Nuclear Weapons
The risk of messing with the wrong computer system
By Ross Andersen Feb. 5, 2025
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2025/02/elon-musk-doge-nuclear-weapons/681581/
Archive:
https://archive.is/OViLI
Diraven
(1,892 posts)This is what the crypto bros really want - Musk is going to start buying up crypto (and Trump's dumb memecoin) with US Treasury funds, claiming he's making an "investment" which will erase the national debt when crypto prices rise. In reality this is just so the bros can dump all their volatile crypto at premium prices for steady value cash.
yellow dahlia
(5,807 posts)
bronxiteforever
(11,212 posts)Bluethroughu
(7,215 posts)Last edited Thu Feb 6, 2025, 12:04 AM - Edit history (1)
Along with the Republicans watch with carelessness...they broke the oath and the law, it's theft of government property...and they were part of the plan. Military police arrest them all.
question everything
(52,104 posts)yellow dahlia
(5,807 posts)question everything
(52,104 posts)yellow dahlia
(5,807 posts)Relentlessly calling and emailing Senators, especially these past three days.
How much of the damage he does will live on?
Puppyjive
(985 posts)Can they siphon the money if we just went back to paper checks? It's not the most efficient way to distribute payments, but it it's less vulnerable than electronic transfer of funds.
yellow dahlia
(5,807 posts)https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2025/02/elon-musk-bureaucratic-coup/681559/
Sorry, I don't know how to do the archive thing to make it a free read.
dweller
(28,370 posts)yellow dahlia
(5,807 posts)patphil
(9,040 posts)Trump is overseeing the destruction of the United States out of his need for revenge. Musk is the perfect tool to effect that heist.
milestogo
(23,061 posts)when they realized they were made for each other. 
Figarosmom
(11,869 posts)BREWSTERS MILLIONS? Richard Pryor figured our a way to bank all the 1/2 cents by siphoning them off accounts. No one noticed because the fractions of interest were rounded off on people's statements.
He could siphon off amounts people wouldn't notice and it could be millions a month. Or one of his flunky kids working for him could do it.
How would we know?