‘Wealthy people have, it is true, always played an outsized role in American politics, as they do almost everywhere. But from the beginning of the second Trump term, one wealthy person was given a role that seems to have no precedent in American history. Elon Musk, who had no mandate other than the personal blessing of the president, was given enormous influence over the very same government institutions that had long subsidized and regulated his companies. Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency slashed jobs at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the federal agency that oversees auto safety and crash investigations, including those involving his own company, Tesla. The mass firings Musk oversaw at other regulatory agencies stalled over 30 investigations into his companies, including SpaceX, Tesla, and Neuralink as well. At the same time, Musk was pushing for Starlink, a product of SpaceX, to provide communications for major US government agencies, including the General Services Administration and the Federal Aviation Authority, and for the State Department to buy armored Teslas.
Federal policy also made a sudden shift, in favor of opaque business practices and against ordinary Americans. The Treasury Department announced it would no longer penalize U.S. businesses that fail to disclose ownership information under the Corporate Transparency Act, hampering anti-money laundering efforts. Trump ordered a full work stoppage at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which had been created to protect consumers from manipulation by banks and other financial institutions. He also fired top officials overseeing ethics, whistleblower protections, and labor rights.’ (from her Substack)
Shundo David Haye - Zen Priest 
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