Elon Needs to Go

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

Elon Musk and his merry band of teenage mutant ninja nerds have been working overtime and literally sleeping in federal offices as they ruthlessly eliminate whole agencies and programs, drive workers from their jobs, and shred contracts with wild abandon, and so far the DOGE boys show no signs of relenting in their gang rape of our government.   But Musk, an oligarch who is a world economic force in his own right and a major contractor with the United States government, is so personally enmeshed in the US budget that conflicts of interest between his DOGE power trip and his own economic interests are sure to arise on a regular basis. 

The comminglings of Musk's personal business ventures and the operations of his adopted country, the United States of America, rose into evidence this week when news stories broke about a line-item in the current US State Department budget for FY 2025 which revealed $400 million being set earmarked for the purchase of "armored Teslas."    The budget, which had been drafted during the reign of the previous administration, was nonetheless an apparent embarrassment to Marco Rubio's State Department, and after the news story broke ,the word "Tesla" was quickly removed from the budget document.

(Will the Musk team void that contract and render the matter moot?  Or will he withdraw Tesla from the list of potential providers?  Or will he leave it all alone and hold his pocket open just in case?)

Another conflict between the businesses of Elon Musk and those of our government also emerged this week when news began breaking of the new "X Wallet," a way for the general public to send and receive money and handle transactions online.   The service would be much like Paypal, Venmo, and Apple Pay.  Those services fall under the supervisory control of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CPFB), a government watchdog that was essentially gutted and shut down by Elon and his crew this past week.  What a great time to start a financial service company, just after you've killed the government agency that would have overseen its operations!

Maybe the best interests of the nation require the purchase of a fleet of armored electric vehicles, and perhaps Tesla is the best and most logical provider, I honestly don't know.  I do know that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has saved consumers billions of dollars from predatory lenders and shady financial services providers, and I also know that billionaire oligarchs who generate much of their income off of the American government should not have unfettered access to the levers of power of that operate that same government.

As long as Elon Musk is worming his way through the intestines of our national government, corruption and self-dealing are certain to be a major focuses of public concern.  If public faith in government is ever to be restored, Elon will have to go.