Elon Musk has an uncanny means to kind out which of America’s guidelines are actual. It seems punishment from the National Labor Relations Board isn’t actual, punishment from NASA isn’t actual, and punishment from the FAA isn’t actual. The Delaware Chancery Court is extraordinarily actual. Based on the previous two weeks, the Delaware Chancery Court often is the solely actual factor in your complete American authorities.
Here’s a fast recap. While putative President Donald Trump was busy alienating allies via tariffs and losing water in California — actual mad king hours — Musk pushed out the top of the FAA. Then the experiences got here quick and thick: Federal staff obtained a “fork within the highway” electronic mail extremely harking back to Musk’s Twitter ultimatum, encouraging them to resign, despatched from an insecure server. A bunch of goons, a few of them precise youngsters, reportedly bought entry to the US Treasury methods. (Read-only, reportedly, for now.) Longtime civil servants have been locked out of the personnel methods that, by the way in which, home the non-public information for presidency staff. Musk’s lackeys are in charge of the Office of Personnel Management and the General Services Administration. They’ve gotten ahold of categorised data, and are actually shutting down the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Musk stated he “spent the weekend feeding USAID into the wooden chipper.”
Did I get all the pieces? Probably not. For occasion, Musk has made statements that he “deleted” a division, as an example, however since he’s a identified liar, that might not be true. Between no matter Musk is posting about on X, the tempo at which occasions are occurring, and the overall confusion amongst authorities staff, giving a full summation of occasions is not possible. Perhaps between the time that is revealed and also you learn it, there shall be extra bullshit.
The clear objective right here quantities to a coup over the executive state
Still, primarily based on the occasions which have transpired up to now, it appears the clear objective right here quantities to a coup over the executive state. My editor jogs my memory that a lot of you weren’t paying consideration in civics class and so: our authorities’s famed checks and balances system depends on Congress controlling spending. Musk’s job was initially framed as making suggestions for applications that Congress may minimize.
The current Trump administration, which additionally didn’t listen in civics class, both doesn’t know or doesn’t care about checks and balances. First, it tried to freeze spending with a authorized pronouncement. That was rapidly halted by a number of courts. Then Musk determined to bust into the paperwork and begin ripping out wires — a technical answer to a authorized downside.
If I wished to destroy democracy within the US, I’m unsure what I’d do in another way.
Does that sound like liberal hysteria? Okay, right here’s Brian Riedl, an economist who works for the conservative Manhattan Institute, and earlier than that, the Heritage Foundation and Republican Senator Rob Portman: “I see lots of people need to throw out 230 years of constitutional authorities and substitute it with an authoritarian dictator as a result of they’ve massive emotions concerning the funds and may’t be bothered to work via Congress.”
Musk’s chaos is compounding different crises
At Musk’s practical corporations — SpaceX and to a point, Tesla — he’s put in a playpen the place he can’t harm the actual work. At Twitter, we noticed what occurred when there was no padding between him and the corporate: he started switching issues off at random, firing engineers willy-nilly (after which making an attempt to rehire them), and turning its income into a large bonfire. Now Musk has introduced this technique to the federal authorities.
The most speedy penalties have been borne by USAID, whose applications embrace George W. Bush’s effort to look after HIV sufferers in Africa — one that’s reputed to have saved 20 million lives up to now. The constructing housing USAID has been shuttered. An electronic mail explaining the transfer attributed it to “company management,” and replies to the e-mail “needs to be directed to an electronic mail handle that seems to be related to Gavin Kliger, whose LinkedIn profile identifies him as a particular adviser to the director of the Office of Personnel Management and who works for DOGE,” in accordance with The Wall Street Journal.
And Musk’s chaos is compounding different crises. Take the 2 airplane crashes in main cities final week — one in DC and one in Philadelphia. Days earlier, Musk had pushed out the top of the FAA, who had fined SpaceX for not getting its launch modifications accredited. The overwhelming majority of air site visitors management amenities are understaffed, so it does appear bizarre that simply days earlier than the primary crash, those that have been on workers had been provided buyouts. After the second crash, a observe went out saying air site visitors controllers have been exempt from a hiring freeze that happened after Trump took workplace.
Consider once more the Twitter playbook — as a result of that is only the start. Let’s say Musk will get direct entry to treasury funds, which appears very more likely to be his intention. Will he cease paying payments, as he did with Twitter’s leases? Might be enjoyable to find what the army does once they don’t get their paychecks, or what number of grandparents get evicted when the Social Security checks don’t exit. How a lot of Musk’s unsecured servers do you suppose international spies have penetrated already? All of them, possibly?
The actual query is: who will cease him?
As for the Treasury stuff — effectively, if I have been a authorities contractor that wasn’t SpaceX, I’d be nervous. I imply, if you happen to upset Musk, do you suppose he’s going to pay out your contracts on time?
Does Musk have the authority to do that? Doesn’t matter. As we all know from earlier Musk expertise, the actual query is: who will cease him? So far the reply seems to be nobody. The CIA, FBI, and NSA look like doing nothing. The US lawyer’s workplace in DC is threatening people and teams who “seem to violate the legislation in concentrating on DOGE staff.” The Democratic occasion is making strongly worded statements and issuing letters of concern.
The stiffest resistance Musk is attending to his unconstitutional romp via the inside workings of the American authorities is from the employees themselves — each via union lawsuits and thru a easy refusal to do as he asks. Some staff are additionally suing over the insecure server for the “fork within the highway” electronic mail. Two unions, the AFL-CIO and the SEIU, are suing the Treasury and Scott Bessent “to halt Defendants’ illegal ongoing, systematic, and steady disclosure of non-public and monetary data contained in Defendants’ data to Elon Musk.”
We are all purported to fake that is taking place within the title of effectivity and cost-savings, and never as a manner for Musk to pursue his shitty private feuds. How posting to X in any respect hours of the day is environment friendly is a query I’m unsure anybody can reply, however then, it’s form of one of many extra minor questions on this state of affairs. And after I say “this state of affairs,” I imply that Elon Musk goes to do no matter he desires, and put up via it, and threaten anybody who tries to cease him with, apparently, a US lawyer.
“Regulations, principally, needs to be default gone.”
Donald Trump, Musk’s wholly owned puppet, has stated Musk gained’t do something with out his approval. Sure. Okay. I don’t see what distinction that makes. We all keep in mind “govt time,” don’t we? This man solely desires to golf and watch TV.
But don’t fear, there’s to be a brand new sovereign wealth fund, which looks as if an exquisite place for Musk and his Silicon Valley pals to siphon off authorities cash, cash that’s not getting used for wasteful functions like Meals on Wheels or the Head Start program. And Musk’s failing X might be propped up by making it the official supply of presidency communications. Oh, and “laws, principally, needs to be default gone,” Musk stated on a midnight rant on X. In this atmosphere, The Onion’s headline “Elon Musk Offers Self $10 Billion Federal Buyout” reads extra like a prediction than satire.
What’s good for Musk isn’t good for the remainder of us. His factories are famously unsafe locations to work. After he purchased Twitter, he drove out safety professionals — making the platform extra susceptible to fraud. SpaceX has been busily polluting Texas. Throughout the years he’s been very clear: he’s going to do no matter he desires, regardless of the penalties.
Now he’s bringing that sensibility to the federal authorities. As lengthy as Musk doesn’t have the facility to cease funds, he hasn’t fully succeeded. About 90-odd years after the unique Business Plot — to overthrow President Franklin Roosevelt and set up a dictator — Musk seems to be fairly near ending the job. So right here’s the query: are there any actual guidelines in America, in any respect?
