I truly cannot understand why so many far left-wing democrats are so upset with DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) and where they are finding billions of dollars of your wasted tax dollars.
So many of them are complaining about Elon Musk, who President Donald Trump placed in charge of auditing this government and the wasteful spending.
It is just common sense.
Have you seen some of the things our federal government has spent USAID money on?
How about New York spending $59 million of FEMA money to house illegal immigrants in “luxury hotels?” Meanwhile, flood victims in North Carolina are still in tents and small campers!
There was $2 million for Morrocan pottery classes, $20 million for a Sesame Street show in Iraq, $15 million for DEI (Diversity, equity and inclusion) in Serbia, $2 million for sex change operations in Guatemala, millions for contraceptives and condoms for the Taliban, $47,000 for a transgender opera in Columbia, millions to EcoHealth Alliance — which was involved in research at the Wuhan lab (where COVID started) … you can’t make this stuff up! There are so many more examples of this wasteful spending.
If the USAID money had been spent on a natural disaster for relief after an earthquake, hurricane or something like that, I am sure many of you would have been okay with it. Or to provide food and medicine for those who need it in poor countries. But the list of wasteful spending is just totally ridiculous.
I reiterate that some of the items I’ve read about are just a waste of our tax money. Asking for some accountability is not asking for much.
Let’s talk about more government waste. I recently read that the Pentagon’s books show they spent $6 million on raw lobster tail and $16.6 million on rib-eye steak. Last year saw some real doozies in spending, including $113,230 on ice cream and $117,787 on fresh doughnuts.
It just makes me shake my head.
Some of that money could be well spent on the water plant issues in our region. Mingo and Martin County residents have suffered from a lack of good drinking water. Other counties in this area have the same issues with bad water or a lack of water coming out of their faucets.
How about some of that money being spent on our rural roads, bridges and other infrastructure?
Our school systems can always use more funds for teachers, school improvements, school officers and much more.
Some of the liberal arguments are saying the new administration will cut Social Security and Medicare. They have never said this and I don’t think this is true. I think it is fake news or false information.
In fact, if they save all of this money being wasted and sent to other countries for ridiculous and absurd things, that money can be put back into the coffers for Social Security and other necessary funds like Medicare and Medicaid.
President Trump created DOGE on Jan. 20 with a mission to slash federal spending. Since then, the task force, led by billionaire Elon Musk, says it has saved billions by canceling needless spending, according to DOGE’s social media account.
Cutting this waste has nothing to do with party affiliations or things like race and ethnicity.
I posted something similar on social media last week and most of the comments were positive and people agreed. But I had a couple of folks who were not happy and may have “unfriended” me. But that is okay. I have no hard feelings.
That is why we live in a free country and we are all entitled to free speech and to have various opinions. Everyone has a right to their own opinions.
Another issue is the thousands of government workers who have been at home “working” in their pajamas were asked to return to work in an office. I am sure many of them have been milking the system. Most of them were offered good buyouts if they didn’t want to come back to work. There are buildings in Washington where rent and utilities are being paid, but they are empty and vacant of workers.
I don’t think this is much to ask. If you have a good-paying job and your employer wants you to come into the office for work, then you should jump at the chance. I guess a lot of this started happening during the COVID-19 pandemic. But that has been over for a long time. These “workers” are just milking the system and your tax dollars are paying for it.
I am sure I’ve stepped on a few toes with this column. I’m sorry if I offended any of you.
Charity begins at home.
But, like I said, it is just common sense.
(Kyle Lovern is a longtime journalist in the Tug Valley. He is now a retired freelance writer and columnist for the Mountain Citizen.)
Editor’s Note: The views and opinions expressed in the Op-Ed section are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the newspaper’s management, staff or ownership. We encourage a diversity of perspectives and foster open dialogue on important issues, but these opinions are solely the responsibility of the contributors.