Summary

Elon Musk sparked controversy by falsely claiming entitlement programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid have “$700 billion” in fraud annually, vastly exaggerating the actual figure (~$10 billion/year).

Musk labeled Social Security a “Ponzi scheme” and spread conspiracies about immigrants exploiting the system.

Critics argue Musk’s ignorance and conspiracy-mongering threaten essential public programs and data privacy, while his inflammatory rhetoric—such as calling Senator Mark Kelly, a former astronaut and combat veteran, a “traitor”—reinforces demands for his immediate removal from government.

    • billwashere
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      3 months ago

      I have a theory his kid is a human shield so he doesn’t get luigi’ed.

      • ysjet
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        3 months ago

        He’s been wearing that kid like a hat ever since that CEO got shot. First time anyone had EVER seen the kid in public, too, and suddenly he hasn’t been seen anywhere without him.

        • billwashere
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          2 months ago

          I just saw this and had to share. Seems you’re right….

        • frunch
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          3 months ago

          I hope he continues to give that kid rides on his shoulders, that someday it’ll be a full-grown man getting rides from his pops. He’ll have to duck to get through doors

      • BassTurd
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        3 months ago

        All it does is puts a second person on that side of the trolly tracks.

      • in4apenny@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        3 months ago

        It’s a strange tactic coming from someone who supports Israel, where “human shield” is used as justification to destroy said shield along with the target.

      • ChickenLadyLovesLife
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        3 months ago

        I feel like he’s a lot more at risk of getting Luigi-ed by his own kids than most people are.

    • Nightwingdragon
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      3 months ago

      And doesn’t the man have like a zillion kids with multiple different women?

      Imagine being one of Musk’s other children. You know, the ones who don’t get their attention from their father while this one random kid gets all of it.

      • in4apenny@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        3 months ago

        “Imagine being one of Musk’s other children. You know, the ones who don’t get picked to be daddy’s human shield due to their small size and ability to be held up in front of bullets.”

  • DragonAce
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    3 months ago

    The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

  • DarkFuture
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    3 months ago

    Social Security is a non-partisan red line.

    If this chode killed it his chances of survival would plummet.

    • PyroNeurosis@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      3 months ago

      That the case may be, but he’d be a martyr for the ultra-capitalistic sorts that make these efforts their life’s work.

      A despicable end, but one that may appeal to Musk himself.

      • ZoopZeZoop
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        3 months ago

        Nah. No one would mourn him. The next ultra rich person would learn from his mistakes, but continue on with his work.

    • InvertedParallax@lemm.ee
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      3 months ago

      I really hope he fucks with it.

      I would buy all the popcorn to watch 2 million boomers walk up Pennsylvania Avenue to Gaddafi his ass for days.

      • ChillPenguin
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        3 months ago

        Same, I truly believe Americans won’t be on the same page about anything. Unless they fuck with it.

  • numlok
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    3 months ago

    before his slash-and-burn nonsense and warped views of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid cause a spike in the sale of pitchforks.

    Ha. I’d argue the time for pitchforks is already here.

  • CharlesDarwin
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    3 months ago

    He needs to be able to steal that money, you guyzzzzz!

    Enriching fElon is about “efficiency”, at least according to MOE - the Ministry of Efficiency, where up is down, black is white.

    • BassTurd
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      3 months ago

      POS Nazi

      Redundant statement is redundant.

    • barneypiccolo@lemm.ee
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      3 months ago

      At the first missed payment, they’ll start burning down Social Security offices.

      You don’t want to piss off the old people. For many of them, its all they have. If you take that away, they’ll have nothing left to lose, and lot of them are armed. That’s a bad combination.

    • slaneesh_is_right@lemmy.org
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      3 months ago

      They’ll just hold a press conference and tell the people how that’s Obama’s (the black man, remember) fault.

  • meowmeowbeanz@sopuli.xyz
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    3 months ago

    Unelected tech lord deciding grandma’s retirement funds is exactly the cyberpunk hellscape novels warned us about.

    🐱

  • werefreeatlastBanned
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    3 months ago

    Republicans are doing a great job on both sides…social security in case your luck fucks out, and the market in case your thought you could get away:

    Who said retirement? That’s illegal! You and I will be working for elon until we both end up 6’ under. (By that I mean fucking dead like a month Python parrot)

  • aceshigh
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    3 months ago

    He’ll be replaced with another billionaire. Why are people focused on musk instead of at the root of the problem?

    • in4apenny@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      3 months ago

      Perhaps if we made a strong enough example of him it’ll make other billionaires think twice. The De Witt Brothers come to mind, tell them “It’s either this or 92% wealth tax on assets, you pick.”

      • aceshigh
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        3 months ago

        There will always be a billionaire somewhere out there who’d be willing to give it a go. They don’t need to be a wealthy American who doesn’t want to pay taxes to do it. They can be a Russian oligarch. We need to get to the root source.

        • in4apenny@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          3 months ago

          Then perhaps we should be so ruthless against that sort of practice, that it just doesn’t look worth the gamble. Yes I agree, we need to get to the root source, but the billionaires are standing in the way of that arent they. Once upon a time they used to call social programs and such “Riot Tax” so we don’t go after them, but we’ve clearly proven we don’t even need a “riot tax” since we’ve proven to them we won’t brutally deal with them in the most humiliating and painfully scary way possible. They’re not worried about maintaining their social code because we’re not giving them the appropriate consequences, so yes, as long as we don’t sufficiently scare them another billionaire will take a crack at it.

        • in4apenny@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          3 months ago

          Hello there, random from another thread. Don’t you have better things to do than combing through strangers posts?

          • TachyonTele@lemm.ee
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            3 months ago

            If looking at posts Ive already commented in is “combing through strangers posts”… well, I suppose. Somehow. Or something.

  • Foofighter@discuss.tchncs.de
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    3 months ago

    Musk is a symptom! Trump is the elected guy responsible for the actions of his “employee”. Get him out and fix the nation!

      • SabinStargem@lemmings.world
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        3 months ago

        Specifically, he is just one a dozen+ members what I dub Yarvin’s Cabal, a group of elites trying to implement Project 2025. They all need to be hanging out with Mussolini, else the enshittification of America will continue unabated.

      • MelodiousFunk@slrpnk.net
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        3 months ago

        While playing whack a mole with symptoms won’t fix the problem, once enough moles are whacked the problem becomes clearer. So let’s not let perfect be the enemy of progress.

  • Anivia@feddit.org
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    3 months ago

    Musk labeled Social Security a “Ponzi scheme”

    Well, he is correct about that. But in true republican fashion his solution is to get rid of it, instead of reforming it to be more sustainable without infinite population growth