Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy do not care whether the stories they tell about agencies are true. They’re useful for whipping up hostility to government so that regulations can be cut and the rich can do what they want.

Summary

Billionaires like Marc Andreessen, Elon Musk, and Vivek Ramaswamy are spreading false claims to discredit the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a federal agency protecting consumers from fraud and abuse.

Andreessen falsely accused the CFPB of politically motivated “debanking,” despite no evidence.

This rhetoric aligns with the “DOGE” project, led by Musk and Ramaswamy, which aims to slash government regulations and programs under the guise of efficiency.

Critics warn this effort will harm public services, benefit billionaires, and push privatization at the expense of ordinary Americans.

  • UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.mlEnglish
    1118·
    20 days ago

    The government has attacked me and my people throughout my life via the war on drugs using the “justice system”.

    Kind of hard to be invested in a organization like that.

    • pingveno@lemmy.worldEnglish
      23·
      20 days ago

      The CFPB and the DEA are a wee bit different, though. You can be angry at the latter and still want the protections of the former.

    • finitebanjo@lemmy.world
      18·
      20 days ago

      You think big companies are going to treat you better once law and order is out of their way? You’re going to face more hardship than ever before.

      • Schadrach@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
        11·
        19 days ago

        You’re going to face more hardship than ever before.

        Yeah, but private businesses won’t be arresting them for doing crack or meth or heroin or w/e. Just firing them for it showing up on a urine test, or just because they feel like it or w/e.

    • Bamboodpanda@lemmy.world
      14·
      20 days ago

      While frustration with the status quo is understandable, abandoning the mechanisms of government only cedes power to those who are already disproportionately influencing it—special interests and billionaires. The government, flawed as it may be, is still the primary tool, and often the only tool, for enacting systemic change. By participating—through voting, organizing, and holding leaders accountable—citizens can challenge the status quo and push for reforms that better reflect the collective will.

      Change doesn’t come from disengagement; it comes from working within and improving the systems that already exist. To give up on these mechanisms is to forfeit the opportunity to make meaningful progress.