“Get out your pocketbooks and remember it’s all for charity.” – Groundhog Day
I told that joke to my blind friend and he didn’t see the humor in it.
As we pass through this next week, I’d like to remind everyone that Trump hasn’t been in office even a single month (seventeen years for GloboLeftists) at this point. One argument that I’ve seen the GloboLeft chattering class attempt to make is that USAID® is “too small to worry about, it’s less than 1% of the budget”.
This is a continual talking point, so you know that the GloboLeftElite is coordinating them to make this point.
So, we are presented with the Paradox of Federal Spending as presented by the GloboLeftElite: “Every small budget cut is too small to matter, and every large budget cut is impossible to make.” I supposed I should call it Schrödinger’s Budget.
But in context, USAID™ funding is fifty billion dollars. Doing the math, that’s $600 for a family of four. .
Every year.
So, too small to matter?
No, $600 would matter to a lot of folks. I mean, that’s a dozen eggs nowadays.
That seemed really funny in 2003.
But there is a much, much bigger picture here.
If the family of four had that extra $600, would they donate it?
- Would they donate it to an AIDS clinic in South Africa so that African prostitutes could get AIDS treatments?
- Would they donate it to Peruvian comic books to propagandize LGBT politics to Peruvian children?
- Would they give it to a luxury hotel in New York City to house illegal aliens with the nightly bed turndown service and the little mint on the pillow that they so rightly deserve?
- Would they donate it to a charity with several hundred million in the bank that pays their CEO $10 million a year so the charity could pay for oxygen for a 71-year-old with emphysema from smoking in Malaysia?
These are all real examples. Nothing I made up. This is where your tax dollars are going.
So, what would that family do? Would it give it so they could see how monkeys act when they’re on cocaine? Or would they use it for their own, selfish purposes, things like buying food for the family?
A guy I know quit coke. He said it was the end of the line.
Well, they don’t get to decide, because unelected (and, to listen to the GloboLeftElite) entirely independent bureaucrats whose decisions are unreviewable by anyone get to decide how to spend that money. Not the American public. Not the State Department. Not Donald Trump.
And certainly not you.
Back before Pa Wilder passed on, I’d go visit him when I could, and go to church with him. On one Sunday we went to church, and the pastor prayed, “Oh, and I pray that the president and congress don’t pass welfare reform. In the spirit of charity, those people need help.”
I’m sorry if you don’t like that meme. Welfare jokes hardly ever work.
I got very, very angry. I rarely get angry in church, except for those times I got burned with holy water, but that’s another story. In this particular case, though, what made me mad was the idea that charity comes from the government.
No, charity doesn’t come from the government. Charity is a conscious choice. If the government gives someone money, it took it from someone else. It wasn’t voluntarily given. And if you think taxes are voluntary, I encourage you to stop paying them and send me the result of that experiment.
No, welfare from the United States government is a cruel parody of the idea of charity. It is money taken by force from people who may not want to give it. That’s bad enough, but it gets worse. Since it’s given not by an individual or church but rather the government, the welfare is often resented by those that get it.
Yes. Resented. Because the act of welfare creates a system where the recipient is unconnected from the donor. Not only that, it is money given without any obligation on the part of the person receiving it, so they experience no growth. Additionally, there is no gateway to limit the recipient to people who are worthy.
I say it’s a parody of charity because real charity provides benefits to the giver as well as the receiver. It is a virtue, but when force is applied it is stripped of meaning to both.
Would Ferrous Bueller’s Day Off be considered an Iron Man prequel?
This, perhaps, is the greatest tragedy of USAID. It was taken over by GloboLeftElite bureaucrats. The most charitable interpretation is that the agency was then taken over by people that Jerry Pournelle wrote about in his Iron Law of Bureaucracy:
Pournelle’s Iron Law of Bureaucracy states that in any bureaucratic organization there will be two kinds of people”:
“First, there will be those who are devoted to the goals of the organization. Examples are dedicated classroom teachers in an educational bureaucracy, many of the engineers and launch technicians and scientists at NASA, even some agricultural scientists and advisors in the former Soviet Union collective farming administration.
“Secondly, there will be those dedicated to the organization itself. Examples are many of the administrators in the education system, many professors of education, many teachers (sic) union officials, much of the NASA headquarters staff, etc.
“The Iron Law states that in every case the second group will gain and keep control of the organization. It will write the rules, and control promotions within the organization.”
But “iron woman” isn’t a superhero, it’s a command.
This is the very kindest way I could describe the situation.
In my opinion, the more likely reality of what happened at USAID is somewhat different. I think that $50 billion in funds dispersed on bureaucratic whims attracted corruption, and that corruption spread until nearly the entire organization was corrupt, top to bottom and fully in the hands of the GloboLeftElite to spend on themselves and to spend to increase their power.
But I’m betting they’d say my viewpoint is less than charitable.
I got to see Pournelle’s iron law of bureaucracy in action first hand at my last job and boy did he nail it. What was interesting at the time was that the company also conducted Myers Briggs personality testing, and you could see that the process people (group 2) tended to fall in one personality category, whereas the results focused people (group 1) were in another.
Well . . . do tell what the results were . . .
It mostly boiled down to certain clusters within the MBTI that represent certain archetypes. Those with the NT pairing tend to be more rational and results oriented and is where most engineers would fall. In contrast, those with the SJ pairing tend to be very organization and process focused (ISTJ and ESTJ types would be much more common in admin).
It wasn’t just our group that saw this as apparently it is well known in the MBTI testing world. Here is a description from Brave’s AI :
—————————————-
NT vs SJ Types
The relationship between SJ (Guardian) and NT (Rational) types in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) can be quite complex, often marked by significant differences in values, approaches to problem-solving, and communication styles.
Key Differences:
SJ (Guardian) Types:
Values and Focus: SJs tend to value tradition, stability, and order. They are often seen as responsible, organized, and detail-oriented. They prioritize practicality and often have a strong sense of duty.
Decision-Making: SJs rely heavily on their Sensing (S) and Judging (J) functions, which means they prefer concrete, tangible information and structured, planned approaches to tasks.
Communication: They are typically more direct and straightforward in their communication, often preferring clear rules and guidelines.
NT (Rational) Types:
Values and Focus: NTs value logic, efficiency, and innovation. They are often seen as strategic, analytical, and independent. They prioritize understanding systems and improving processes.
Decision-Making: NTs rely on their Intuition (N) and Thinking (T) functions, which means they prefer abstract, conceptual information and flexible, strategic approaches to tasks.
Communication: They are often more indirect and abstract in their communication, often preferring to discuss ideas and theories rather than concrete details.
Common Misunderstandings:
NTs and Rules: NTs may perceive SJs as overly rigid and rule-bound, which can lead to frustration. NTs often see rules as guidelines that can be adapted or broken if they are inefficient or illogical.
SJs and Flexibility: SJs may perceive NTs as rebellious or disrespectful of established norms. SJs value order and tradition, and they may see NTs’ desire for change and innovation as disruptive.
—————
I’m (probably no surprise) strongly NT. The E/I and P/J are balanced. NT is as far N and T as you can get. Surprise level at these: zero. I’d bet most readers here are NTs.
If you gave me that $600 I would light it on fire before I sent it to any of the projects from USAID.
“Iron Woman” is an archaic command. Who irons clothes these days?
My daughter.
So did a woman start the “iron deficient” trope?
Well, The Mrs. Not often, because most stuff is wrinkle-free.
Anyone, like me, that doesn’t want to appear in public, looking like a laundry bag of wrinkles, and no self respect.
Perfectly, perfectly said.
I would submit that Elon’s personal involvement in DOGE is the billionaire version of working the serving line in a charity soup kitchen. Since the flying vehicle he is working on to climb in and travel to Mars is made from Stainless Steel Alloy 30X, that makes him The Man Of Steel. Which is only logical; Iron Man is a Marvel character, while Superman is the most important person in the DC Universe.
I guess that makes Starbase, TX on the Gulf of America Musk’s Fortress of Solitude.
When Musk puts on the Dark MAGA hat he becomes Batman. Who has tempting female villains like Poison Ivy and Catwoman; Musk has Grimes. And Vivik, who for a while was his Robin. And Starship as his Batmobile. And a whole slew of Congressional and media figures who come across as a literal Rogues Gallery of baddies.
This of course makes Trump into Commissioner Gordon. Who, if you watched the TV show Gotham, also fits. Sorta.
American politics has devolved into a comic book. Which of course is a uniquely American art form, whose price has sadly inflated from a mere dime to…whatever they cost nowdays, I don’t really know.
Let’s hope Trump and Elon keep up with the BIFF-POW-WHAM action we are seeing today.
“…from a mere dime to…whatever they cost nowdays, I don’t really know.”
It’s nothing, to about $50.
Webcomic to kickstarter.
The individual paper ones are somewhere in between. Haven’t bought one in monkey’s years.
Elon has done well playing the game on a grand scale. In the end, he’s still D.D. Harriman. RAH, RAH, RAH!
Wonderful column, John.
Tim Turner
Thank you, Tim!
When I hear another Libtard complain about doxxing USAID, it reminds me of the old Shakespeare quote about, “…he doth complain too much…”
It’s their funding mechanism, period. Like the old Fed Chairman who said his job was to remove the punch bowl when the party got too loud (or something like that). Take away the $$$$ and POOF go the cushy jobs.
And keep up the “Arrested Development” memes with “Amy Prentiss”. She aged rather well. Plus she told Michael that Tom Cruise was a “Scientist” after watching him on Regis & Kathy Lee. And I wonder what she’d do with a $10 banana. Other than re-opening the Banana Stand, where there was money.
https://www.npr.org/2024/11/29/nx-s1-5210800/6-million-banana-art-piece-eaten
Arrested Development was indeed a classic. Lindsay and Tobias set up some ludicrous charities that would have made even USAID jealous.
My favorite aspect of the show was Tobias deciding he was both an analyst and a therapist, so he decided to give himself the combined title of “anal-rapist”.
Anyone complaining is in on the grift.
There’s always money in the banana stand.
My most charitable view of the Bidens’ adventures in Ukraine is that they went there to fight corruption, and corruption won. If you think about it for a minute, it’s inevitable. Corruption in a foreign country is like an insurgency. You can’t fight it without owning the territory (even occupation isn’t enough). Fighting corruption in a foreign country is like trying to wipe a coral reef dry with paper towels.
We fed that corruption for years, in fact overthrowing an elected government to get the one we wanted. What could go wrong?
Tina Fey likes your recent memes. She is a really big fan of Irony, her mom’s maiden name.
Little known fact, Tina used to be on a sculling team. Their boat was called the “Sul”, short for “Sullivan”, the last name of the founder of the team. How did she do? I can’t find anyone who will tell me. I guess no one knows Fey rows Sul fate.
Them: Only 1% of the Federal Budget.
Me: So…. the waste is actually 100x worse than what they’ve found in USAID.
Exactly.
Just have to refer to your Oct. 9, 2024 column – The Government: Killing You With Their Compassion.
It foretold the majority of what led to the “Rise of DOGE”. Folks are finally tired of listening to the crazy liberals* telling us how THEY want us to live. If we don’t decide our own future, someone else will determine it for us. Voting in Mr. Trump is a first step to decide for ourselves.
* – Does not imply there are sane liberals.
What a crime for free people to make those decisions!
Government charity is false kindness.
Bureaucracy is the only truly human created life form. Unfortunately, it has much the same characteristics as cancer. It only wants to live and grow.
Jean
100% this.
I enjoy watching the likes of Warren and the ugly black chick, howl to the skies about what’s being brought into the sunlight. Reminds me of some of the old Hammer film Dracula movies.
Good times, watching them shriek!