No problem, man. You’re one of the few people I can actually have a discussion with on Reddit without running into a total jerk.

I agree that detailed receipts would be ideal, but given the state we’re in—$36 trillion in debt, out-of-control spending, and a deeply corrupt government bureaucracy—it’s likely they only have a short window, maybe two years, to get anything meaningful done. The level of fraud, waste, and abuse in government spending is staggering, so like Kevin O’Leary said, you need to go in with a chainsaw and start cutting everything. Once the bulk of the unnecessary spending is gone, you can take a step back and see what’s truly essential, keeping the programs that are popular or actually beneficial. To Elon’s credit, he acknowledges there will be mistakes, but they can be corrected in real time.

As for any sweetheart deals or investigations being dropped in his favor, I’d need to see actual receipts. But from a practical standpoint, why would he even need to do this? He’s the richest guy in the world, and before all this, his products were loved by the very people who now want to destroy him. DOGE was just a joke six months ago, but now it’s helped shift public perception on government transparency, leading to one of the most radical transparency initiatives in history. Trump’s win was largely tied to the expectation that Elon would be involved in exactly what’s happening now. Some argue he’s doing this for government contracts or regulatory favors, but realistically, he would’ve gotten those anyway. He’s at the cutting edge of multiple industries, and even his critics know it. NASA is practically dependent on him, and Ukraine wouldn’t have lasted more than a week without Starlink (and to be clear, I don’t support the war at all).

After everything that’s happened in the last month, I wouldn’t have blamed him if he just walked away. If you watch his interviews, you can tell he’s visibly shaken by it all. It’s not unrealistic to think he’s putting himself at serious risk—he’s interfering with a lot of powerful people’s money, and in some cases, he’s an even bigger target than Trump.

Gas prices are dropping where I am, and that’s saying something since Michigan usually has some of the highest in the country. I think crude hit $65 a barrel today, which is great news and largely thanks to Trump negotiating increased production from Saudi Arabia while we ramp back up domestically. Lower energy costs will drive down inflation across the board. As for the so-called “trade wars,” they’re really just about leveling tariffs we’ve been unfairly hit with for decades. These countries want to do business with us, and if they set up factories here, they avoid tariffs altogether—everyone wins.

The CHIPS Act was a bad move because it handed billions to corporations with no real guarantee they’d deliver. Realistically, a lot of that money will just be laundered, kicked back, or disappear without producing much of anything. Trump’s approach is different—he believes these companies should be paying us to invest, which is exactly what TSMC did with their $100 billion investment and their massive new Arizona plant.

Totally agree, man. Good conversation!

This keeps your core points intact but refines the structure for clarity and flow. Let me know if you want any tweaks!