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After reading the news that Elon Musk said he is going to fire 75% of Twitter employees if/when he buys the company, I tweeted this hypothetical question. It went viral:

Emily Miller @emilymiller

If Elon Musk can run a company after getting rid of 75% of Twitter, can we elect someone to get rid of 75% of the federal government*? *excluding military

1:30 AM ∙ Oct 21, 2022

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3,651Likes478Retweets

I obviously was being snarky, but many people tweeting at me today are taking it literally.

The big government defenders argue that all of the two million people in the federal workforce are necessary.

Musk is planning on cutting Twitter staff from 7,500 to just over 2,000 when he takes over the company, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post. Musk and his investors are paying $44 billion for the social media company.

He said he plans to double revenue in three years. Musk obviously believes he can run the company and make a profit with the 25% remaining workers.

Meanwhile, many on Twitter think any cut to the massive federal government would be dire.

Jan Marie 💙 @i_am_jan_marie

@emilymiller Which part of the government? The part that makes sure our water is safe? The part that makes sure our airplanes take off and land safely? The part that makes sure terrorists don't fly? The part that inspects cargo for drugs? The part that helps after natural disasters?

7:00 PM ∙ Oct 21, 2022

Considering what excessive government spending has done to the economy, I was surprised by these people’s full-throated defense:

Amos52 ☮ @Amos5210

@emilymiller Which parts? The ones that don't allow you to cheat on taxes? Or the ones that don't allow you to sell bad food or dangerous vehicles? Or the ones that pay out your Social Security and Medicare? Or the ones that manage Obamacare? Which parts do you want to decimate?

3:32 PM ∙ Oct 21, 2022

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As I pointed out, we have proven repeatedly that the government can run juuust fine without most of the employees.

Emily Miller @emilymiller

The federal government runs just fine when there is a shutdown and only essential workers.

7:06 PM ∙ Oct 21, 2022

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There were many people saying we should cut the military. And then there are some who don’t seem to know that government spending — not cutting — is what is threatening the solvency of Social Security.

Keith Laughlin @KeithELaughlin

@emilymiller If you eliminated 75% of the federal government while excluding the military (and interest on the debt) there would be no Social Security or Medicare. You would drive almost every American over 65 into poverty.

2:42 PM ∙ Oct 21, 2022

Why do you think my tweet about cutting the federal government hit such a nerve?

What about the economy makes people think cutting spending is a bad thing now?

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