this post was submitted on 31 Jan 2025
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Summary

David Lebryk, the longest-serving career official at the U.S. Treasury, is resigning after a conflict with Elon Musk’s allies over access to a key government payment system.

Musk’s team has sought control of the system, which distributes $6 trillion annually in Social Security, Medicare, federal salaries, and other payments.

Traditionally, only career officials handle it.

Lebryk’s departure raises concerns, as he served under multiple administrations, including Trump’s, and was widely respected for his nonpartisan leadership.

His exit signals growing instability in financial governance.

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[–] [email protected] 32 points 14 hours ago

Ya know I guessed that Musk and Trump were going to try to take control of the federal payment system, which I will guess theyll cause a soviet style break up soon after because theyll refuse to pay anyone. I swear to fuck if my guess comes true im taking whatever prophetic abilities I was cursed with and I am going to beat the Allfather with it. Because while the specifics were blury this is matching up to a what was apparently a vision I had when I was ten, upside is I mau get to shell a city woo!

[–] xenomor 16 points 13 hours ago (4 children)

Thought exercise: Which would be the most effective assassination target, trump, Musk, someone else?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

A nicely timed bomb when they are all centrally located in probably your best bet bud.

[–] Serinus 9 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

The only thing we know about Vance is that he'll lie for power and position. He's demeaning toward rural and poor people, but that could be another lie.

There are worse people for the office.

[–] Stern 2 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago)

Vance lacks the cult. He does not have the charisma for them to coalesce around him should Donald die. I'm not saying MAGA would die with Trump but the damage would be devastating.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

If I was in the military and had access to a bomber I would just carpet bomb mar a largo on any given weekend.

[–] poo 4 points 13 hours ago

Sounds like a dream come true

[–] [email protected] 80 points 18 hours ago (2 children)

Don’t resign you fucking cowards.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago)

Why is the job of these guys to somehow dive on the grenade at this stage? American voted for this. Whether these people resign or make whatever glorious last stand you envision doesn't matter. This is happening.

[–] Allonzee 33 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago)

We didnt show up to stop this at the ballot box to kick the can of neoliberal mediocrity and capitalist servitude for one more cycle.

We're too cowardly for necessary revolution to cut the capitalists down and make a constitution that guards against antisocial greed.

Why is it up to these career civil servants to Weekend at Bernie's a 50 years dead corpse of a nation for us and face clearly extreme consequences for it?

We could have voted for continued quiet capitalist slaughter, I did out of the cowardice though that hardly matters, but we failed to. So loud, braggadocious slaughter it is.

At least there's a silver lining in them dissecting and pillaging the rotted corpse. More will stop pretending this nation didn't utterly, irrevocably fall under Reagan, which is good, because the leftover momentum has been a hindrance to revolution and making something just for future generations. Step zero is recognition of the situation.

You'd either have to be willfully ignorant (Republican voters) or clinically delusional not to acknowledge the United States has fallen as anything more than a military platform for expanding global capitalist exploitation and domination. It's over. It's been over. It's so over that the vultures are busy doing what they do best to the carcass, which is what this story is reporting on. Get the net.

[–] njm1314 10 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

I don't understand how they're physically doing this. Like don't these places have security? They don't work there they don't have any legal right to be there. Why not have security throw them out?

[–] kautau 3 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago)

Step 1: Set up every employee beyond the rich to have to constantly worry about healthcare, housing, food, etc, and it’s always tied to your employment

Step 2: Ensure these systems have no fallback so without a job you will just die

Step 3: Ensure that those who are working blame the class struggle on the “freeloaders” or “illegals” not holding a legal job rather than the wealthy who have built the system

Step 4: Make it so that while you are working to seize power, said people know that you control whether or not they will have a job, and therefore it’s literally a life or death choice to fight back or roll over

Step 5: Seize power. Those who roll over keep their mediocre healthcare, housing, paycheck (for now). The others you have the power to oust from employment, therefore becoming the enemies from step 3, keeping the struggle between everyone you step on as you do so

Step 6: Rape all of them. Dismantle all the services, minimize the chances of them ever fighting back because now they’re enemies of the state, keep them hating each other. Take whatever money was pooled for their benefit for the rich. Reward those who turn in anyone who speaks out with pittances. Turn the system into neofeudalism.

It goes on from there, but it’s a pretty obvious playbook. It just sucks that so many people willingly fell for the “us vs them” tribalism as the corporatocracy took control

[–] fluxion 180 points 22 hours ago (2 children)

Stop fucking resigning and just handing all this shit over to this nazi

[–] [email protected] 21 points 18 hours ago (2 children)

But this is the shit that America has voted for.
It's been writ large since 2016.
And America wanted more of it.
So if I was a career politician, and I saw this bullshit voted in twice, yeh. I'd quit as soon as it was against my ethos. Clearly my ethos isn't aligned with what Americans want.

[–] SoftestSapphic 13 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Most Americans don't pay attention.

It's what we deserve as a country, but very few people actually wanted this

[–] [email protected] 2 points 16 hours ago

Perhaps,now they will?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 12 hours ago

If you take into account the voter suppression we def didn't

[–] [email protected] 36 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago) (7 children)

"But but their lives and their families! What about the threats they'll deal with! They could end up killed like in Russia!"

And if not a single one of these motherfuckers makes that kind of sacrifice it will be just like Russia here in the US.

It's not nice to have to make that kind of sacrifice, but we the people are not in positions to do so. These people took these positions and an OATH OF OFFICE to protect the United States Consitution.

This is an outright abdication of that responsibility because it might be hard for them and their families.

I'm sure all the people who get lined up to be executed against the wall will really understand that they just needed to protect themselves and their families, right? Like you guys totally don't deserve that, only us in positions of power do.

Further, if they think rolling over is going to stop the harassment and abuse, they're fucking fools.

I'm sick of the defenses everyone gives each one of these chuckefucks that just rolls over.

Why the fuck did you want a Federal job if you didn't give a damn about the future of the country enough to stand for it you worthless fucks?

I have fucking cancer, god damn it I wish I was in a position where such a sacrifice wouldn't be in fucking vain.

(To any idiots out there, yes, Luigi's actions were in fucking vain assholes so don't say it)

[–] FlyingSquid 30 points 19 hours ago (3 children)

Why the fuck did you want a Federal job if you didn’t give a damn about the future of the country enough to stand for it you worthless fucks?

I mean... because it comes with a paycheck?

I'm not sure why you think everyone with a federal government job is motivated by patriotism.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 hour ago

Little reminder: You don’t have to be a patriot to do what’s right.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah it's all pretty silly. This guy is known for being nonpartisan and fools are demanding he suddenly be partisan. How about treating him like he isn't an actual person and sympathizing that his career is ending.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

I mean, I understand that to an extent, they are very stable jobs, but you have to literally take an oath of office to get the job.

https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdfimage/sf61.pdf

I might not believe in god, but I do believe in keeping promises, and it's why I've never approached a job that required such an oath myself. That and the fact that I have never had that kind of faith in the US government. But I'd like to believe if you did have the kind of faith in it, to get a job in the government, that you would take your oath seriously. Maybe that makes me naive, but the reality is at some point someone has to make some kind of sacrifice to stop people like Trump.

Biden and the Democrats weren't willing to sacrifice their principles and fight dirty, and here we are. As things progress, the sacrifices made to succeed get larger and larger. It's not nice, but it's reality.

I only wish I could have had that kind of faith in the US government. Because it would have been nice to stand for something instead of feeling like only good things we can stand for we have to cobble together on our own.

[–] FlyingSquid 2 points 10 hours ago

I would bet for a lot of people, a government oath means as much to them as agreeing to an EULA.

[–] Hawke 36 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago) (2 children)

To any idiots out there, yes, Luigi's actions were in fucking vain assholes so don't say it

Well I’ll be the idiot.

I think it’s hard to say that it was in vain. I feel like it demonstrated some important points clearly:

  • people are very upset with insurance companies and by extension the healthcare system. (Note the lack of negative reaction from the public even as the media tried hard to demonize Luigi)
  • megacorps arent invulnerable against those with nothing to lose. (I think it’s easy to draw the line between Luigi and companies backing off from a few over the top policies)
  • how much the media are in bed with and/or controlled by those same megacorps. (Again, the blatant attempt to demonize Luigi followed by dropping coverage as the public didn’t react the way they wanted)

If it was going to have true impact it needed to be followed up by more incidents and copycats. Without that it’s only a nudge, and maybe not a wake-up call, let alone the full-on revolution that may be needed to force change. (Not speaking of political overthrow of the government, that’s a whole other topic)

Luigi may not have been the pebble that launched an avalanche but neither was he nothing.

[–] YarHarSuperstar 6 points 17 hours ago

They're not saying that you're an idiot for believing that, they're warning against anyone suggesting that they follow in his (alleged) footsteps.

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

Big, tough words from another armchair revolutionist. It's easy to tell other people to put themselves and their families in harm's way when your "contribution" to the fight amounts to screaming at clouds. You call other people fools when you've thoroughly fooled yourself into believing that all your anger and hate in internet forums is comparable to real sacrifice.

[–] BeardedBlaze 6 points 18 hours ago

What are you, 12? Working for the feds doesn't mean you signed up to defend anyone or anything.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah, it's been a major disappointment seeing how utterly cowardly Americans are. Europeans take to the streets for far less.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago) (8 children)

To be fair, when Europeans take to the streets their government sometimes listens.

When Americans take to the streets, we don't get anything but get our eye sockets broken by rubber bullets and tear gas grenades.

https://reason.com/2021/05/14/he-lost-his-eye-after-a-cop-allegedly-fired-a-tear-gas-canister-at-his-face-the-officer-says-he-has-qualified-immunity/

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Soon that $6 trillion will be serviced through PayPal.

[–] Raiderkev 5 points 14 hours ago

No, X. The everything app

[–] [email protected] 28 points 19 hours ago

What could possibly go wrong? I'm sure the richest guy in the world intends to make us the richest country in the world right?

Wait, didnt we already do that? Wait, why does he need to control this?

[–] 18_24_61_b_17_17_4 55 points 21 hours ago (3 children)

What the fuck do they have over these people that they keep resigning instead of telling Elon and Co to fuck off?

[–] ultranaut 60 points 21 hours ago (2 children)

Fear. They don't want to become a target of the hate machine Elon will wield against them if they stand in his way.

[–] ThePowerOfGeek 29 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago)

Yup. He has a legion of frat bros who follow him like he's the Messiah. I suspect Lebryk was nearing retirement anyway, and he understandably just thought "fuck this shit, I'm out!", before Elon Xitler started spewing hateful memes to his cult about him.

Can't blame him at all. I hope he has a long and peaceful retirement, because it sounds like he deserves it.

But this is just one example in a deluge of other departures that is going to really fuck up the daily operation of this country. If you 'drain the swamp' too hard it'll turn into a hellish desert. And that's exactly what Musk and others coming in want. They want to bless everything dry and reform it in their own stupid, shitty image.

The one thing standing between us and that complete shitshow are the federal employees who have the passion, stubbornness, and resources to quietly resist. Regardless of whether they succeed or fail, I cannot express my gratitude for them enough.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 14 hours ago

Not to mention the private investigators he'll hire to follow you and your family's every move.

[–] Serinus 18 points 19 hours ago (1 children)
[–] RestrictedAccount 2 points 14 hours ago

It is easy to say, just go live under a bridge, but if that is your choice, you may think twice.

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[–] [email protected] 33 points 22 hours ago

literally trying to steal the government and take all its data on everyone

[–] MeekerThanBeaker 33 points 22 hours ago (2 children)

Get ready for the return of the barter system... or bartender system, whichever.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 22 hours ago (2 children)

It's cool, friend. If you need a reliable currency there's always the loonie, buddy. Feel free to use a more stable medium of exchange if you'd like, pal.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 14 hours ago

Just start using the yuan

[–] [email protected] 19 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago) (2 children)

Is the US trying to shock therapy itself?

If this is where things are going, prepare for .. checks notes .. GDP crashes and hyperinflation.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 22 hours ago

X everything app brought to you by the US Treasury.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 21 hours ago

Funny how now after years of comments and digs at federal employees being lazy and overpaid, all of a sudden people are like "oh no, please save us". This cull is a direct result of those outright false comments, allowing people to think that the tiny budget savings if the entire federal workforce went away is a good thing.

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