Regarding “Stop the DOGE outrage” (Feb. 25 edition): I have nothing against examining the federal budget for waste, but the actions of DOGE have had the subtlety and nuance of a sledgehammer, with the misguided attitude of tech disruptors and reckless disregard for the consequences. Such examinations must be done carefully, with precision and due consideration of possible damage, to avoid doing more harm than good and adversely affecting countless citizens, businesses and research institutions who need federal programs to survive (including many people who voted for Trump and are not happy now; too bad they didn’t do a little more research, such as Project 2025, before voting).
Instead, we get indiscriminate firings of federal employees and a sudden and chaotic freeze of federal funding. Thousands of IRS workers are fired indiscriminately during tax time, critical medical research is suspended, fire prevention efforts by the Bureau of Land Management are halted, it becomes much more difficult for prospective home buyers to secure FHA loans, air traffic control operations are compromised, and the Food and Drug Administration is less able to review food safety. The list goes on. DOGE seems more interested in satisfying Trump’s culturally conservative base than in finding the most effective and least damaging ways to save money.
The nicest thing I can say about Trump, is that he neither knows what he is doing, nor understands what he is saying. The worst thing I can say, is that he does!
If we don't cut government spending it'll require more government borrowing which will add to inflation and the need for more borrowing. The rate off borrowing is already growing faster the our economy does. Interest on our debt now is more than all Defense Department spending. Increasing taxes would only reduce economic growth, jobs, exports and future tax collections. According to The Washington Post the US has the most progressive tax system in the world.
Changing the suggestion "Be nice" to a mandatory "Keep the discussion civilized" was a great move. Thanks, Jon. No one will be prohibited from expressing their POV, but moving forward, comments will have to focus on positions not personalities. Albert J. Nock, maybe a hundred years ago, encouraged young journalists to have a point and make sure it was well written in clear, idiomatic English. DJ readers can do so without insults.
Oops! This post was supposed to follow Jon's column. My error. Sorry.
Now, that we're in the DOGE discussion... Brian's remark, "DOGE seems more interested in satisfying Trump’s culturally conservative base than in finding the most effective and least damaging ways to save money," may not be insulting, but it certainly is annoying.
Thanks for your letter, Mr. Wright, but in reality, what has America been missing from the federal government in the past month? Are we missing critical services, critical payments (for Americans, not NGO’s or foreign companies). Sure, there will be mistakes made in regards to firing valuable people but these firings are akin to non-government companies going through “re-orgs” or firing entire departments because projects have been scrapped. These non-federal companies are considerably smaller but their percentages of people let go may be comparable to those of the federal workforce, which has what, 10 million employees? It seems to me that the reduction in force has a ways to go, and I look forward to it, along with freezing of federal funding. That being said, I’d recommend you visit doge.gov to see what Elon Musk and his band of merry men have been up to.
Mr. Wright - Re:The list goes on. DOGE seems more interested in satisfying Trump’s culturally conservative base than in finding the most effective and least damaging ways to save money" Do you have some suggestions on "finding the most effective and least damaging ways to save money...as you say? Certainly you must have some solutions in mind! We're listening!
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(6) comments
The nicest thing I can say about Trump, is that he neither knows what he is doing, nor understands what he is saying. The worst thing I can say, is that he does!
If we don't cut government spending it'll require more government borrowing which will add to inflation and the need for more borrowing. The rate off borrowing is already growing faster the our economy does. Interest on our debt now is more than all Defense Department spending. Increasing taxes would only reduce economic growth, jobs, exports and future tax collections. According to The Washington Post the US has the most progressive tax system in the world.
Changing the suggestion "Be nice" to a mandatory "Keep the discussion civilized" was a great move. Thanks, Jon. No one will be prohibited from expressing their POV, but moving forward, comments will have to focus on positions not personalities. Albert J. Nock, maybe a hundred years ago, encouraged young journalists to have a point and make sure it was well written in clear, idiomatic English. DJ readers can do so without insults.
Oops! This post was supposed to follow Jon's column. My error. Sorry.
Now, that we're in the DOGE discussion... Brian's remark, "DOGE seems more interested in satisfying Trump’s culturally conservative base than in finding the most effective and least damaging ways to save money," may not be insulting, but it certainly is annoying.
Thanks for your letter, Mr. Wright, but in reality, what has America been missing from the federal government in the past month? Are we missing critical services, critical payments (for Americans, not NGO’s or foreign companies). Sure, there will be mistakes made in regards to firing valuable people but these firings are akin to non-government companies going through “re-orgs” or firing entire departments because projects have been scrapped. These non-federal companies are considerably smaller but their percentages of people let go may be comparable to those of the federal workforce, which has what, 10 million employees? It seems to me that the reduction in force has a ways to go, and I look forward to it, along with freezing of federal funding. That being said, I’d recommend you visit doge.gov to see what Elon Musk and his band of merry men have been up to.
Mr. Wright - Re:The list goes on. DOGE seems more interested in satisfying Trump’s culturally conservative base than in finding the most effective and least damaging ways to save money" Do you have some suggestions on "finding the most effective and least damaging ways to save money...as you say? Certainly you must have some solutions in mind! We're listening!
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.