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And? This means all immigrants are evil and bad? I assume that’s the point of randomly highlighting a Somali.
When you understand "the deep state" simply refers to the rule of law, it makes much more sense.
The article is built around a partisan campaign estimate, not a neutral audit proving California lost $425 billion to fraud. The number comes from a paper by Republican controller candidate Herb Morgan, who combines fraud, improper payments, inefficiency, cost overruns, and disputed policy spending into one large “exposure” figure. Even his own framing does not treat every dollar in that total as proven fraud.
That said, some of the underlying problems are real. California’s auditor has flagged major weaknesses in programs like EDD, Medi-Cal, and CalFresh, and the state’s homelessness oversight has also been criticized for failing to track costs and outcomes well enough to judge effectiveness. So the article is using real oversight failures to support a highly exaggerated political narrative, rather than offering a clean factual accounting of fraud.
The most defensible officially documented failure amount is roughly $46.2 billion in EDD paid ineligible benefits, plus narrower figures like $1.013 billion potentially fraudulent LWA payments and $1.9 billion in questionable Medi-Cal payments. The much bigger numbers in that article come from bundling those with broader policy spending and inefficiency *claims*.
In other words, California can do better, but this is a political piece, not a neutral accounting. Only about 10% of what he’s claiming is concrete official loss figures, and the rest is political aggregation. It takes real failures and packages them into a more inflammatory narrative by mixing documented losses with estimates of waste, inefficiency, and policy spending the Republican opposes.
When you understand "the deep state" simply refers to the rule of law, it makes much more sense.
If you can’t see the difference between Ukraine and Russia and try to ‘both sides’ this conflict, you are woefully ignorant. I’m sorry Mick. I don’t even know where to begin. The crimes of Russia are legion. They are a mafia in charge of a country. Ukraine has been trying to embrace the West and democratic reforms. It doesn’t happen over night. Taiwan and South Korea were pretty corrupt back in the da. With a lot of carrots and sticks they eventually embraced democracy. The same is happening with Ukraine.
Ukraine signed a major trade deal with Europe that required major reforms. It was one of the reasons Putin put this war in motion in 2014. He saw Ukraine slipping from his orbit. And the entire reason Ukraine has a legacy of corruption is precisely because of their Russian history. Look at the countries that are friendly with Russia. It’s corrupt all down the line — Belarus, Hungary, Serbia, Iran, North Korea… But of course, instead of embracing Ukraine and Western Europe, Trump is inviting Lukashenko to the White House, lifting sanctions on all these countries, rolling out the red carpet for Putin, and trying to cut huge deals with these guys, while ranting about democratic Western European countries and tariffing everyone else but these countries.
Meanwhile you defend Trump or at least normalize him or pretend he’s just another politician — the guy who is absolutely engaged in the most corrupt shit this country has ever seen — by far. Whatever Hunter Biden (a private citizen) did is a tiny blip on the radar compared to the shit Trump and his family are doing. I literally could write 100 page tomb detailing the endless shit he does. It happens so often that it’s not talked about because he’s normalized it. Or he has intimidated the press into not writing about it.
I cannot fathom how anyone can not see the difference. Biden spent 50+ years as the most milquetoast politician. The worst thing he did was plagiarize something apparently. I’m sure you can nitpick a few other things over 50 years. Trump is the complete inverse. There is no equivalence.
When you understand "the deep state" simply refers to the rule of law, it makes much more sense.
Yep. Another hypocrite on the right. Defile democracy. Disrupt the peaceful transfer of power central to democracy and then use the democratic process for your own benefit.
When you understand "the deep state" simply refers to the rule of law, it makes much more sense.
Remember this fucking shameful cringe moment in the White House? I still can’t believe this actually happened. Absolutely fucking disgusting:
In a clip full of cringe, “You don’t have the cards” was probably the most benign part of it.
When you understand "the deep state" simply refers to the rule of law, it makes much more sense.
Almost forgot to link:
U.S. dismissed Ukraine deal for anti-Iran drone tech last year
I guess we now know what the “D’s” are in the 4D chess Trump is always playing: Dumb, Dumber, Dumbest, Delusional.
Fortunately Ukraine is offering again. Hopefully Trump isn’t dumb enough to reject this again. But I wouldn’t bet on it. Trump is probably more interested in his supposed $14-trillion dollar amazing deal with Russia. You know — the one that is about six times Russia’s entire GDP. But of course Trump is falling for it. It will make his family even more rich, no doubt (though, of course it will never be anywhere near that large — but large enough for the Trump crime family to grift).
He’s already lifting most of the sanctions on Russia and Belarus (lifing sanctions on Belarus is basically lifting sanctions on Russia). As I predicted. I wish I had been wrong.
Mick you may want to revisit this thread. http://currenteventsboard.com/forums/topic/putin-probably-shouldnt-have-kept-trump-waiting-for-an-hour/
It was so obvious Trump would lift sanctions. The country isn’t for it, so he slow played it and waited until he had an ‘excuse’. But here we are. The guy is so far up Putin’s ass it’s gross. Not a peep on this board, though, when he quite literally rolled out the red carpet for Putin and rehabilitated Putin’s image and normalized relations.
Trump — the guy who insults literally everyone has never said a bad word against Putin (but did a big dressing down of Zelenskyy). And his negotiations to end the Russian invasion always include meeting Russia one-on-one to get their stories straight before they all meet with Ukraine. Do you seriously think Trump is not in the tank for Russia? Surely you’re not that naive still.
When you understand "the deep state" simply refers to the rule of law, it makes much more sense.
Hey Johnnyo, I gave you some credit in my prior comment. Re-read the first comment in this thread. I was actually blaming others.
Mick, when the country is being absolutely wrecked, I really don’t care who identifies as MAGA or not. But if you’re right, that is damning evidence of just how far our country has fallen. Then again, by definition about half the country is below median intelligence, so I guess it’s not surprising. Scare people into worrying about that trans guy they’ll never meet in their life and those supposed immigrants eating the cats and dogs. Our country has plenty of problems, but immigrants and trans people aren’t among them.
Are you all in denial or just not paying attention to the utter disaster unfolding? Do I need to spell out how badly Trump has completely Fucked up this war? How badly this is going? How bad it is for our country? This is just the beginning.
Oh, and remember when Trump scared all you into not voting for Clinton and Harris because they were going to start a war and send your kids to Iran. So much projection. My bad for not recognizing that as an admission that he was going to do exactly that.
Trump clearly learned absolutely nothing from four years of Ukraine fighting Russia. Not a perfect analogy, but in the age of drones it’s not easy to defeat a well armed country on their own turf. And when it comes to drones, Iran is one of the more advanced countries. Meanwhile Russia’s economy has been absolutely destroyed by the war with Ukraine, but Trump took a look and said “hold my beer”. I mean what a fucking idiot. That’s what happens when you axe all the competent people and run the military and the country on vibes. Idiocracy.
Since Trump is a Putin cuck, he probably still thinks Russia is winning, though. And now he’s even copying Putin’s “Special Military Operation” lingo. We’re not at war with Iran; according to Trump it’s also just a “Military Operation”.
But hey, we have Pete Kegseth who is going to win this war with alcohol and testosterone because we have “War fighters” that can do pushups and run the track. None of that ‘woke’ stuff like intelligence, coalitions, allies, and planning.
Trump clearly never read Sunzi’s Art of War — win before the battle starts. A year ago Ukraine even offered to help us with their drone technology, but Trump is so far up Putin’s ass that he declined. That was probably around the time they were telling Zelenskyy “You don’t have the cards” and trying to humiliate him. How fucking cringe. What a piece of shit. But Zelenskyy is the adult in the room and maintained his dignity. But Trump probably still hasn’t approached Ukraine for help with drones.
This is what happens when you’re country is an idiocracy.
Here’s a great mashup of Trump promising (many times) he won’t start WW3, explaining (many times) he’ll settle the Ukraine/Russia war in 24 hours, and explaining (several times) how Obama will start a war with Iran because he’s too stupid to negotiate a deal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjwmitPhCfo&t=220s
Trump aka Nostra-Dumbass. Every fucking thing he has ever criticized people for are things he ends up doing. What a nasty man.
When you understand "the deep state" simply refers to the rule of law, it makes much more sense.
Oh, and how could I forget:
Kash Patel gutted FBI counterintelligence team tasked with tracking Iranian threats days before US strikes, sources say
https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/03/politics/patel-fbi-national-security-division-firings-iran
You can’t make this shit up. I mean, I hope it turns out to actually be ‘fake news’, otherwise it’s just exhibit A of the incompetence of this administration. But that’s what you get when being ‘anti-Woke’ and Trump sycophancy are the only two qualifications for serving in the regime.
When you understand "the deep state" simply refers to the rule of law, it makes much more sense.
You’re missing the point Mick. Of course Republicans never stopped spending. I’m talking about their rhetoric. We all know Republicans just say whatever the fuck will get them elected. The “party of small government” was their big thing back in the day because it was a nice slogan the rubes would eat up. Another great one was the party of family values. Nice way of bring in the Christians.
Do Republicans ever actually believe any of this crap? No. They believer in whatever message will sell.
When you understand "the deep state" simply refers to the rule of law, it makes much more sense.
Republicans have never been the party of small government. Never. Not ever, or atleast not since Lincoln.
Mick,
This is the most ignorant comment I’ve ever seen from you. I spent decades hearing Republicans explicitly refer to themselves as “the party of small government”. It was mentioned on the CEB endless times. It was all over the news and political commentary for most of my life. It was a point of pride.
Republicans spent decades branding themselves as the party of small government: limit federal power, cut taxes, deregulate, and return authority to states. Goldwater started it. And Reagan made this identity iconic among Republicans and conservatives for decades. And it remained a standard GOP message through the 1990s, the Bush era, and the Tea Party backlash against Obama-era spending, regulation, and executive action.
After 2016 (Trump), the emphasis shifted: Republicans increasingly accepted centralized federal power, especially a stronger presidency — framed via unitary executive theory (aka authoritarianism dressed up in a fancy ‘theory’). Not to digress, but this is precisely why I don’t expect Democrats will ever occupy the White House in my lifetime. Do you really think Republicans are going to consolidate all this power under the guise of “unitary executive theory” — and then just hand it over to Gavin Newsome or some other Democrat?
But back to the main topic — the “party of small government”: don’t take my word for it. Type in “party of small government” into Google and see what you get: endless links to articles and social media threads about conservatives being the party of small government.
It’s a bit of a semantic issue and probably not the biggest debate worth having. But I simply don’t know where you’ve been if you don’t know this.
When you understand "the deep state" simply refers to the rule of law, it makes much more sense.
Maybe,if you had a biz and assets in Portland, you’d be more appreciative instead being a whiny little libtard beotch
Don’t ever change, johnnyo. If you ever post something intelligent I’ll get concerned that something’s wrong.
I do own property. Not in Portland, but in Hawaii. I know first hand the implications of Trump’s idiotic policies. Canadian — and other international tourism — is WAY down (almost 30% in Hawaii) because Canadians and others don’t want to travel to the U.S. after Trump’s fascistic remarks about Canada as the 51st state, after Trump slapped large tariffs on Canada because he didn’t like the deal he himself negotiated in his prior term, because he’s threatening NATO allies, and for many other reasons.
As I said nearly a year ago, Trump is turning the USA into a pariah country. I think I started an thread specifically about that.
My bookings are down and I’ve had to drop my nightly prices significantly to compete for the remaining tourists. So, yeah, I understand first hand what this dipshit is doing to our economy, small businesses like mine, and our country’s reputation.
Thanks Trump. And thank all of you who support this authoritarian. I don’t really blame ignorant MAGA dipshits (e.g., “Trump über alles” people like johnnyo*) who don’t know any better. But it’s unfathomable how the rest of you well educated, well informed voters are still on this Trump train and can barely even muster the tiniest bit of criticism — even occasionally.
@johnnyo53, the term über alles* is not used in polite speech in Germany anymore. It’s viewed as a far right neo-Nazi allusion to Deutschland über alles, with all the Nazi connotations. I know you don’t give a shit, though. Its a feature, not a bug, for some MAGA.* I’m referring to this thread, in which the term is used several times.
When you understand "the deep state" simply refers to the rule of law, it makes much more sense.
Then fucking buy it. Or make an offer at least. But stop acting like a fascist bully dictator suggesting to our (former?) friends and allies that the U.S. might need to invade. JFC.
I’d love to own my neighbors property too. But I’m not going to start telling him I may need to just move my family in and kick his family out.
What planet do you guys live on where Trump’s behavior is acceptable.
A few times in the past week, Trump bluntly said the U.S. is going to make a move on Greenland “whether they like it or not”. The Trump regime has publicly said the U.S. military is “always an option” for acquiring Greenland. That’s not normal diplomatic language. WTF.
Is there not an ounce of criticism any of you can muster, or are y’all completely drinking the Kool Aide now and can no longer understand how insane this approach is?
When you understand "the deep state" simply refers to the rule of law, it makes much more sense.
rogpodge, not surprising since ICE agents are running around without identifying themselves.
Huger man accused of posing as ICE officer in viral video excused from court Friday
Man arrested in attempted rape after allegedly posing as ICE agent in Brooklyn
Man accused of posing as ICE agent, sexually assaulting woman at motel: report
They are acting like the Gestapo. Are people in America supposed to accept that this is a valid form of law enforcement and just assume it’s fine when random dudes with face coverings, no ID, no badge, no uniform, no vests, and no warrant grab people off the streets and force people into unmarked vehicles?
It might be a bit less frightening if the Trump regime had demonstrated some level of adherence to the rule of law. But as you know, they’ve been grabbing people and deporting them to gulags with no due process.
Speaking of which, is there any justification for sending the gay makeup artist to CECOT without a trial?
When you understand "the deep state" simply refers to the rule of law, it makes much more sense.
rogpodge, what do you expect when ICE agents are acting like the Gestapo and running around without any identification. It opens up
Huger man accused of posing as ICE officer in viral video excused from court Friday
Man arrested in attempted rape after allegedly posing as ICE agent in Brooklyn
Man accused of posing as ICE agent, sexually assaulting woman at motel: report
Have you seen the shit they are doing recently? It’s frightening. Sorry if I can’t get beyond the idea that Americans are now supposed to accept that this is a valid form of law enforcement, and just assume it’s fine when random dudes with face coverings, no ID, no badge, no vests, no warrant, and no uniform grab people off the street and force them into unmarked vehicles. It just looks like a bunch of random dudes kidnapping people.
By the way, I’m still wondering what you think of the deportation to the El Salvador gulag with no due process of people like this guy? Do you believe this gay hairdresser is really some gangbanger?
When you understand "the deep state" simply refers to the rule of law, it makes much more sense.
… not even Donald Trump would have gone that far.
Mick, you have to be kidding. Or you are much more naive than I thought. This is peanuts compared to what Trump does — what he has always done. This kind of thing is literally his M.O. — except he does it much more egregiously and is personally involved.
Trump regularly tries to manipulate the media — and usually succeeds. I’ll lay out a number of examples below, but the list is almost endless, so these are just a few:
Do you remember his ‘man of the people’ Chick-fil-A appearance earlier this year? Trump was greeted by a Black woman who enthusiastically hugged him, creating a viral moment that was widely shared as evidence of his support among Black voters. It turned out that the ‘spontaneous’ encounter was orchestrated by Michaelah Montgomery, a conservative Republican operative who works with Charlie Kirk and Candace Owens.
The Fox headline of course dutifully parroted the talking point: “Trump meets everyday Americans at Chick-fil-A”
She actually goes around to different events and does photo-ops with Trump so that the Trump campaign can post “Truths” about their “grassroots” support by the black community because there’s a black lady in the photo. On almost every road trip to an event or rally, the Trump campaign sets up an excursion to a fast food restaurant either before or after his speech and plants a bunch of activists there.
In September 2020, Trump held what was advertised as a union worker event in Michigan. It turned out that the event was held at a non-union plant, and many of the attendees were paid actors rather than actual union workers. The event was intended to create the impression of strong union support for Trump, which was misleading.
He did the same thing earlier this year at a staged event in Michigan which was presented as a rally for union members, specifically targeting auto workers. The event took place at a non-union facility, and many attendees were not union members but employees of the company that hosted the event. The AFL-CIO released the following statement about it:
“Having to pay twenty grand to rent a non-union facility because nobody wanted to host your event is literally so embarrassing. Trump’s whole bit is that he supports blue-collar Americans and wants to protect auto jobs but he couldn’t even find a real auto worker to hold up a rally sign. Scabbing has truly never looked so desperate.”
He’s done these thing so many times, it’s becoming hard to keep track and not mix them up. He did the same thing in 2023, for example, which you can read about here: https://newrepublic.com/post/175834/trump-uaw-michigan-speech-autoworkers-fake.
Then there was the time a few months ago where Donald Trump visited a bodega in Harlem that was portrayed as a spontaneous engagement — intended to create the appearance of support from the local black community. He shows up and there are people chanting his name. Of course, it later emerged that (surprise!) this event was carefully staged. The crowd that greeted him was organized by the New York Young Republican Club — just another attempt to deceptively manipulate the media.
Trump did something similar recently at a black church in Detroit. The event, which included a staged “roundtable” discussion, was more of a performance than a genuine grassroots gathering. The questions were canned and the audience was filled with people who had no affiliation with the church and were probably Republican activists: https://www.thedailybeast.com/white-crowds-fill-the-pews-for-trumps-visit-to-black-church-in-detroit.
Did you hear about the time the Trump campaign essentially ambushed a black-owned barber-shop with a bait and switch? The owner agreed to host a “black businesses roundtable”, but was never told it was a Trump campaign political event. Sure enough, Trump called into the event, trying to give himself the veneer of black “grassroots” support. Needless to say, the owner was humiliated and livid.
Do you remember some of the odd stories in the 2016 campaign? Some of them were ridiculous and obviously bullshit. But many gullible people gave credence to them. Some of them were even posted on the old CEB. I remember one of you started a thread about the stories questioning Hillary Clinton’s health — suggesting that she was seriously ill, near death, and unfit to serve as president.
Surprise: it turns out that these stories were made up out of whole cloth and published by Trump’s friend, David Pecker, with input and full knowledge of Trump. Some of the others you may recall included “Ben Carson’s violent past”; or the story about Ted Cruz’s father, who was supposedly linked to the JFK assassination — a story Trump repeated during the campaign, despite knowing it was total bullshit; or the fake rumors about Marco Rubio’s extra-marital affairs; etc., etc.
Lets not forget Trump’s “catch and kill” scheme, where he worked with his media buddy David Pecker to help him avoid scrutiny over damaging stories. Pecker testified about this in exchange for immunity in Trump’s New York fraud case, for which he was convicted earlier this year.
Then there are those odd times recently where Trump has been repeatedly caught waving to nobody: https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-waving-video-nobody-1914619 He’s been doing this at least half a dozen time recently. The only explanation is that it’s performative behavior meant to suggest he’s got some big crowd of fans fawning over him. It’s probably not an accident that it has coincided with his obsession with Kamala’s crowd sizes. In any case, it’s another attempt to use fakery to manipulate the election narrative.
But of course Trump gets graded on a curve by conservatives and the msm. If the Harris campaign j-walks, it’s a scandal; if Trump commits fraud it’s just Trump being Trump. No big deal. Where was the outrage about this — or at least an acknowledgement that Trump’s entire persona is a carefully fabricated sales pitch that depends on manipulating the media and making up bullshit stories? Instead, let’s pretend to be outraged by some staffer on Kamala’s campaign who j-walked on the Google platform.
For those of you who ignore the constant lies and manipulation by Trump and his campaign, please spare me the pearl clutching.
When you understand "the deep state" simply refers to the rule of law, it makes much more sense.
