For as long as I can remember I have voiced concerns about the bloat in our Federal Government. The unnecessary red tape. Duplication of efforts between departments. The inability for the right hand to make a decision without the left hand’s permission.
The bloat does not exist at just the Federal Government levels. I am going to use the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles as an example.
I moved to Florida directly after the height of Covid. Florida, a well-known non-believer state, still made changes to the way they did business.
I needed obtain a Florida driver’s license and car registration. First, I went on line find the documents I needed and the process to follow .I found all the information I needed. Guessing it took someone all of three minutes to write the instructions.:
1) Schedule an appointment.
2)Arrive 5 minutes early.
3) Sign in.
4) Wait to be called upon.
5) Bring proof of address and current driver’s license.
6) Bring a method of payment.
I made my appointment. Morning of, I gathered my paperwork and went to the DMA. I got there early. I signed in. I waited exactly five minutes before I was called. A young woman brought me into her office, following a specific path. We sat at her desk. She collected my information. Had me pick out a license plate style. Within 10 minutes I had my car registered. plates in hand.
As memory serves, she then gave me an eye screening at her desk. We processed more paperwork. I wrote her a check and she escorted me out. I was out of the DMV in less than 20 minutes.
Come to learn that they slimmed down the process to avoid unnecessary contact with other people. A Covid concession.
I filled out the same paperwork. I paid the same amount of money. I saw 3 fewer people. Spent less time. I walked out with my car registration and a new drivers license.
If the DMV can figure out how to streamline their processes, any government entity can. The DMV had no choice but to make a system. It had to accomplish their goals. It also needed to meet the requirements of their customers without negatively impacting the outcomes.
Now let us look at what has happened thus far with the Elon Musk led effort to trim the government.
He did not know the role each department plays. He did not know who works in each division of each department. He did not know the roles and responsibilities of the workers. He just cut. He knew department names, knew which departments he or Trump did not like. He cut.
In his willy-nilly manner, he has terminated people that were needed, and they had to rehire. He terminated people in critical positions that, when vacated, problems started to occur. Live has been lost.
Am I okay with a thinning of the Government payroll? Yes. Is there redundancies that are not needed. 100%.
You do not let a blindman with a machete perform open heart
surgery.
The approach Musk is using to dismantle the government bloat is blindman with a machete. He isn’t removing bloat. He is removing what he wants to. The goal of his actions should be a leaner, more effective, more efficient government.
What needs to happen for DOGE to be effective is clear. First off DOGE needs to become an official department. As it is now, everything being done is illegal.
Once an official department, Musk must be properly vetted, as required by law.
If DOGE is just a government contacting job, Musk or one of his businesses can bid to get the job. Just like any other company wanting a government contact.
Trump has given Musk carte blanche to do what he wants, awarding him with new contracts. Trump is basing many of these cutback decisions and information provided by Musk. Information that is consistently being proven as overreaches and blatant lies. A clearer case of conflict of interest has never been seen in any government process.
What should happen?
1) DOGE becomes a department
2) Musk is vetted and approved
3) Each Department given 3 months two create a reduction plan. These plans include the following:
a) A detailed description of every single function they carry out.
b) A detailed list of all job descriptions, down to the specific roles and responsibilities of the workers.
c) A list of all employees, with their job GS level, job descriptions and latest performance review. (Instead of using names, each employee file is coded with only a department name, job title and code).
Each department is given 3 months to create detailed instructions on how each of their tasks are performed. If someone does something, that something gets documented in a detailed process document.
We now have detailed departmental information. We have detailed job descriptions. We have a list of everyone doing each job. We have a list of all the processes being followed. The next 3 months are used to identify redundant work efforts, tagging those jobs (NOT PEOPLE JOBS) that overlap.
Each job is rated on a critical scale of 1 to 10. 10 being he pushes the button on the nukes to 1 being the person that cleans the Congressional snuff room.
Job are then ranked. Aassessments done to determine how many people are needed to maintain a proper service and safety standard.
Within the next month, knowing how many positions for each job are needed, a review of the employees is done. Based on job performance only, the top performers are maintained.
The last month, everyone not on the maintained employee status list, is terminated. The termination date will be based on:
1) How long it will take to reposition the role.
2) The value of the position .
3) The quality of the detailed process documents.
ONE YEAR to properly prepare, organize and execute a fully functioning plan. A plan that identifies government work force reduction by anywhere from 10 to 40%.
Also, during this year, put in a hiring freeze. No replacement employees at ANY LEVEL. Someone is are fired, quits, retires, or otherwise no longer remains on government payroll, no replacement.
There should be no savings goal. There should be no workforce reduction goal. The only goal should be:
“Create a government work force structure that effectively, efficiently serves the needs of the United States of America.”
When making cuts and changes, prioritize jobs that serve people, not paperwork.
Accuracy can not surfer. Accountability must increase. Standards must be improved.
Cutting government spending should not start at the citizen’s needed program level. Cuts should begin at the highest levels and trickle top down. How many undersecretaries are really needed for any one Department? How many Congressional aides are really needed?
Once government redundancies are eliminated, costs are contained. As things are right sized, there will be sufficient funds. This will avert the extensive program reductions being discussed.
Think about a government serving its people. It should aim to give each person the MOST. This needs to be done while spending the least.
There exists a need to make cuts. But there is a way to go about it.
Where there is vision there is success.
Where there is a blind man with a machete, there is only blood.
We are awash in the blood being drawn by a blind man.
Things Tom Thinks You Should Think 