What You Do and How You Do It

I believe it fair to say that a healthy majority of the American people support Trump’s efforts to shrink the size of our government and make it more efficient.  It is perfectly legit for him to state that he was elected on that premise and he fully intends to pursue it.  That being said, the American people are notorious for supporting political initiatives without thinking them all the way through to their practical application impacts.  I think this is what Trump’s DOGE effort is encountering at this point and if he is not careful, it can significantly damage the momentum he has created for his ambitious crusade.  In this piece, I want to focus on the shrinking aspect and leave the efficiency angle for another day.

 

I spent 30 years working as a lower-level, civil service office manager.  I saw many presidents come and go over my career; I watched many politically-appointed State Directors serve short terms in their offices; and I experienced the phenomenon of each and every new president and congress believing that they had all the answers to all the questions.  They felt they could learn nothing of use from previous efforts to address the same problems and there was simply no point in consulting with career employees to gain any useful perspective on how certain reforms might impact operations.  

 

I have no illusion about my knowledge and experience gained from a federal employment career qualifying me as some type of expert on the DOGE targets of shrinking and improving our government; I am not.  But I can tell you for a fact that over the years, it is pretty clear for any reasonable person to see some undeniable truths that are simply too clear to ignore.  And yet…they continue to be ignored.   

 

The mission (what they do) of government departments and agencies is dictated by congressional legislation and the manner in which they deliver their services (how they do it) is managed by a large group of career (civil service) employees who are by and large supervised by a sizeable group of political (patronage appointees) employees.  As I have written before, the abuse of Executive Actions by recent presidents has to some degree warped this mode of operations; but the basic premise remains largely unchanged.  Ideally, political appointees arrive in their offices as people competent and qualified to do their jobs.  In a perfect world, they ease into their positions of authority and observe the lay of the land before reinventing the wheel with major and dramatic actions. The really smart ones take the time to locate quality career employees who can provide them with valuable insight as to how their departments and agencies currently function and how they have evolved over the years. 

 

Though it is somewhat an oversimplification, the DOGE effort at shrinking the government can be broken down into two broad categories known as rightsizing and downsizing.  Simply put, rightsizing is matching the proper number of personnel required to do the assigned tasks to the assigned tasks.  Downsizing is a result of a department or agency, in response to a prime directive from high levels of management, having to reduce its number of personnel or offices by a certain amount.  Sometimes these two processes occur simultaneously and sometimes that occur independent of each other.  But there are certain principles that should apply to either process BEFORE the process is implemented.

 

The primary issue to be addressed in any effort at government reform is whether or not the problem being addressed and the department/agency addressing it are necessary.  Is this a matter that the government (public sector) is uniquely qualified to confront at the expense of the taxpayer or is it a matter that is best left to the market place, driven by capitalistic principles (private sector)?  If the results of this consideration are that a department/agency is not required as part of our government, then the rightsizing and downsizing solutions are taken to the extreme. However, in most cases, and if the department/agency is determined to be vital to our government’s function, then the answer to the question is to reform it through a combination of legislation, rightsizing, and downsizing.  Legislation is the proper initial step remedy for this scenario.  The Executive Action is an often used aberration. Trump/Musk/DOGE must never lose sight of the fact that while many private sector business principles can apply seamlessly over to the public sector…many others simply do not transfer effectively.  

 

It is estimated there are 2.25 million civil servants working in our government in over 400 departments and agencies.  These are career employees and not political appointees.  If they pursue their jobs through to retirement, they will typically work within the system for 30 years or so.  It is patently foolish to arbitrarily prescribe a certain number of employees needed for a certain federal department or agency without first determining WHAT they should do and HOW they should do it.  Once those priorities are satisfied, then the first steps towards shrinking the personnel numbers are rightsizing and downsizing.  If you have an individual civil servant who has been a solid employee for 15-20 years and the department or agency in which they work is targeted for rightsizing or downsizing, then there are established procedures in place to decide who goes and who stays.  It is critical to the future of maintaining a reliable, competent, and experienced federal workforce that career employees be treated with fairness and respect.  Failure to do this will result in a federal workforce that is not of the quality that our government desires and needs to deliver its prescribed missions.

At this point, I want to briefly address the Musk idea of each employee submitting a weekly report of five things they did the previous week.  Within the civil service system, there exists an established method of performance review.  Over my career, they were multi-paged, extensive summaries of an employee's performance over, at a minimum, the previous year.  These reviews were conducted by an employee's immediate supervisor and were then entered into that employee's permanent employment file.  Their future promotion options and salary increases were based upon this review.  These reviews are also the basis for required employee performance improvement and, in extreme cases, employee dismissals.  There were times within my 30-year career when these reviews were required on a semi-annual basis.  If this process is executed properly, it is a very effective way to ensure adequate employee performance and address shortcomings on the job.  It was detailed, explicit, and time consuming.  There is really very little reason to add another layer of bureaucracy to this existing process; taking up valuable time that is better spent performing assigned tasks and duties.  If a federal employee is not doing their job, it is the responsibility of their immediate supervisor to bring them up to speed or, failing that, dismiss them.  If this protocol does not work, it is not a failure of the system; it is a failure of the supervisor.  

If a thoughtful and deliberate process leads to a decision requiring the shrinking of personnel numbers in a department/agency, then the initial step in that direction should be a hiring freeze.  If you have too many employees, do not hire any new ones.  This will allow the department/agency to reduce its number of employees over time due to the natural attrition of retirements and people voluntarily leaving their jobs.  Over the last several years, the attrition rate for federal employees has been between 115,000 and 150,000 each year.  As you can plainly see, this is an extremely effective way to reduce the size of the federal workforce over time.  The downside is that when you have such a large workforce, time is not always available. Politicians love their quick solutions.

 

Another downsizing solution is the ability of civil service employees to transfer from one federal job to another…from one department/agency to another.  This is an extremely effective way to create reasonable career alternatives to displaced federal employees with a significant amount of service and who would like to continue their federal employment through to retirement.  A critical element is this particular process is that displaced federal employees seeking to fill federal job openings must be given priority status over candidates who are not currently federal employees; assuming they are qualified for the job opening.  As you can see, this option makes a lot of sense when you balance the need for a competent and experienced federal workforce with the obligation for fair treatment of employees with the necessity of reducing the overall number of federal employees.  Displaced federal employees are not always willing to uproot their lives and relocate to a new job location.  Sometimes the distance is small and sometimes the distance is large.  But the point is that the employee is given an option that can result in a win/win situation for both the employee and the government. They can take it or leave it.

 

The final procedure I want to address in the government’s downsizing toolbox is the use of federal employee buyouts.  It is simply a fact that oftentimes, it makes good fiscal sense to provide a current employee a modest financial incentive to voluntarily quit their job.   This can work because (A), it has been determined that a certain number of employees must be eliminated and (B) the employee’s choice to accept the modest buyout offer rather than work through to a full retirement can result in significant long term dollar savings for the employer (government).  In a broad sense, the buyout offer is the equivalent of the severance payment in the private sector.  It is a bridge to the employee’s next employment chapter in their life.  Over my 30 years as a federal employee, I saw the use of the buyout used many, many times.  The key to the effective use of the buyout is making certain that the position being vacated due to the buyout is not refilled. 

 

As you can readily see, once a proper determination is made by our elected officials that the size of our government must shrink; there are many sensible and reasonable options available to them to accomplish this goal.  The two fundamental requirements in making this process a productive effort that accomplishes targeting goals through the use of fair employee actions are…first to be wise in determining the need for federal departments/agencies and secondly…determining how many federal employees are needed to deliver the solution to that need. 

 

The Trump Administration is currently receiving high marks for its DOGE efforts.  However, I am concerned that in their haste to reform our government, they are both neglecting the fundamental questions of department/agency relevance and the existence of good options to achieve their employment targets.  I applaud their efforts and goals; goodness knows that our government is too large and highly inefficient.  However, some of the methods they are employing ignore both respect for career employee institutional knowledge/experience and proven methods that are readily available to them to accomplish their stated goals.  It is useful to note that as the portion of those 2.25 million federal employees that are dismissed or displaced has to deal with reordering the lives of their families, those impacted people will be scattered all across this country in every state and county.  The pain will be significant and it will be real.  Regardless of the perceived immediate need to do this, it is far more important to do it in a way that is thoughtful, deliberate, and fair to the people involved.

 

A couple of quick hits on the evolution of national education…

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/college-closures-are-nothing-to-worry-about/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/college-doesnt-have-to-take-so-long/

 

The East European theatre of American foreign policy is in a critical state of flux and will have momentous implications for future generations…

 

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2025/02/the-german-election-green-dreams-in-the-dustbin.php

 

https://amgreatness.com/2025/02/21/temper-tantrums-by-zelensky-and-european-leaders-could-scuttle-trumps-ukraine-peace-efforts/

 

https://www.reuters.com/world/zelenskiy-plans-travel-us-meet-trump-minerals-deal-sources-say-2025-02-25/

 

So far…a refreshing change that we see in the Trump Administration as compared to the Biden Administration is the transformation of a censorship/disinformation-centric administration (Biden) to a free speech/transparent administration (Trump).  Although the AP/Gulf of America kerfuffle gives me pause about the sincerity of the Trump folks in this area…they have certainly changed the mood in the room.

 

https://jonathanturley.org/2025/02/24/the-american-ronin-how-displaced-disinformation-experts-are-seeking-new-opportunities-in-europe-and-academia/#more-229152

 

https://amgreatness.com/2025/02/23/the-three-amigos-give-a-progress-report/

 

You may not agree with what President Trump is trying to accomplish, but you have to admit that he is certainly not trying to hide it.

Congress is Our One Layer Cake

I have previously written about my disdain for Executive Orders (EOs).  Admittedly, there are times (like NOW) when EOs are used to unwind nonsensical federal rules and regulations and we get a sugar high reaction of celebration and joy.  Alas, the problem with sugar highs is that they go away when the sugar dissolves.  Also alas, the problem with EOs is that they get tossed out by subsequent Executives…i.e. Presidents.  Ergo, EOs are the sugar highs of the political world.

 

The sudden surge of Executive Orders began with Obama and has accelerated since that time.  Trump undid Obama’s EOs.  Biden undid Trump’s EOs.  Trump undoes Biden’s EOs.  Does anyone actually believe that the next Democrat president won’t undo Trump’s recent EOs (Yes…that will eventually occur)?  The rare and thoughtful application of Executive Orders is a remedy permitted by our Constitution that allows independent presidential actions necessitated by unusual circumstances…but yet respects the critical balance of power among our three branches of government.  The exercise of EOs we have witnessed by our last four presidential administrations is neither rare nor thoughtful.  Notwithstanding the wisdom and common sense exhibited by several of the EOs, they are nonetheless aberrations of the way our government is supposed to work and the spiraling use of them by our presidents is not a good trend for our nation.

 

Anyone who has ever attempted to bake a cake easily understands the additional challenges presented by building one layer upon another when creating this culinary product.  The layers must be uniform and symmetrical; the icing must be evenly distributed with just the right touch of flourish in just the right spots.  It might be easy for some, but the few times I have attempted it in my life…it has been quite a challenge.  Give me a single layer and I can reasonably manage it.  Give me one or two more layers and it gets comical real fast. 

 

In some ways, the method that our Congress uses to pass legislation is analogous to baking a cake.  Far too often, they stick to the one layer model.  Even when the subject of the debate is of critical importance, they pontificate endlessly, spouting empty and shallow platitudes.  In their ego-driven minds, the mere fact of doing something is far too often their singular goal.  Simply doing something often results in a watered-down bill that would be better off dying on the floor.  What their proper goal should be is doing something well.  They are too lazy, too simple-minded, or too frustrated to go for the two (wow…that’s a lot of 2s) or three-layer masterpiece that our country really needs.  That second and third layer requires a lot of thought, debate, compromise, and statesmanship and that is simply a bridge too far for today’s congressional representative. 

 

When our Legislative Branch fails to pass legislation that is complete, specific, and thoroughly detailed…it presents a significant degree of discretionary authority that is passed onto the Executive Branch and its army of political appointees; it is baked in the cake.  Since Obama, presidents and their minions have been far too eager to take this discretionary authority and run with it.  They have filled in the legislative gaps with their own political agendas and by doing so; have effectively usurped the authoritarian power that is constitutionally placed in the Legislative Branch.

 

Why would the House and Senate do this to themselves?  Why would they relegate themselves to being either lockstep disciples of a same-party regal president or the wailing and constant critics of an opposite-party pariah chief executive?  Why would they voluntarily relinquish the power, authority, and responsibility granted to them by our nation’s blueprint…handing it over to a governmental branch that is officially and legally designed to be nothing more than their equal…and certainly not their superior? 

 

It is because of all those 2s I mentioned earlier.  Above all else, they lust for power and longevity.  They are political animals and have lost sight of their clearly simple and admittedly complex task of passing 12 appropriation bills annually to keep our government running.  Twelve!  Not only that, but they have given up on writing legislation that reflects a clear and concise vision for the subject matter of the legislation.  America has 435 Representatives in the House and 100 Senators with hundreds of staffers.  The simple challenge is ONE APPROPRIATION BILL PER MONTH.  This … should … not … be … difficult.

 

The first layer of this legislative cake is the over-arching idea.  It might be national defense; it might be national health care; it might be national immigration policy.  The second layer builds upon that first layer with a plan that actually transforms this idea into a reality for our citizenry; a real solution for a real problem.  The third layer is on top and deservedly the most visible layer of all.  It is the federal workforce, the everyday civil servants that will be tasked with the delivery of these great ideas. 

 

Our Congress has devolved to the point where it spends all of its time and energy on the base layer, takes a quick celebratory lap around the Capitol kitchen, and then goes home to brag about their perceived accomplishment.  They send their masterpiece over to the White House and, in their minds…their cake is always blue ribbon worthy.  It is typically half-baked.  The second layer is never fully completed by Congress and the job of finishing it up falls upon the Executive Branch and its Cabinet Secretaries, along with their assorted Department Heads and Assistants.  They fill in the gaps through the use of EOs and administrative actions so that the great venture can continue its life and bend towards their own political agendas.  Sometimes their layer is consistent with the first; but many times it is quite different and simply serves to distort the sweet treat.  This two-layered effort that is clearly an unfinished confectionary product is now passed down to the grass-root grunts who will face off with the public and try to explain exactly how this bureaucratic bundle of complexity and contradiction will make their lives … so…much …better.  Far too often, the resulting cake is misshapen, slapped together, and frankly not too damn appetizing.

 

The correct response to this glut of EOs lies with Congress simply doing its job.  Stop baking dozens of cupcakes and assorted pastries when your only job is turning out twelve three-layer cakes.  Don’t stop at the single layer; take the time to add that second and third layer so it is a finished product.  Give the President the detailed map of what your legislation is supposed to solve and how that legislation is to be administered.  Do the work.  Do your job.  If Congress will do that, and if the Judicial Branch will support them as constitutionally required, then the President will have little choice but to do his or her job and stay off the Legislative Branch’s yard.  Or to put it another way…out of the Congressional Kitchen.

 

And of course…there are times when others get in the President’s kitchen: https://reason.com/2025/02/19/trump-has-good-reason-to-complain-about-limits-on-his-ability-to-fire-executive-officers/

 

There is a serious and timely national and international debate ongoing about what constitutes freedom of speech…

As CBS beclowns itself: https://jonathanturley.org/2025/02/18/the-american-moment-critics-prove-vances-point-on-the-threat-of-the-anti-free-speech-movement/#more-228902

Our Vice-President is shining on the world stage: https://jonathanturley.org/2025/02/17/the-threat-from-within-j-d-vance-delivers-a-historic-defense-of-free-speech/

 

Be careful Mr. President that you practice what you preach: https://reason.com/2025/02/14/trumps-white-house-says-gulf-of-mexico-is-misinformation/

 

A moment of moral clarity would be welcome from our President…

 

As I have written many times before, very few people are truly qualified to comment intelligently about America’s foreign policy.  The world of international politics is a multi-layered, onion-like challenge that requires wisdom, patience, experience, and courage.  The one place where a layman observer might venture in and make a valid comment is in the area of moral clarity.  I am not sufficiently studied to comment on the character of Zelenskyy; I simply understand that he is the recognized leader of Ukraine.  I have a difficult time understanding how these public comments by the Trump Administration serve to settle the Russia-Ukraine war: https://www.newsmax.com/world/globaltalk/zelenskyy-dictator-envoy/2025/02/20/id/1199788/

 

Ukraine is not a democracy like America.  It does however share many of the values that Americans hold dear.  Although the Ukrainian government might be corrupt, inept, and perhaps have a darker side…they are not the bad guys in this conflict.  Russian leadership is one small step away from the evil organization that I will discuss below in this piece that is known as Hamas.  They share essentially none of the values that Americans cling to.  They have repeatedly invaded their neighbors with impunity and barbarous intent…and with no apologies.  They are clearly the aggressors and the bad guys in this war.

 

I can appreciate the high degree of difficulty the Trump Administration is dealing with in trying solve this riddle.  Biden handed them a colossal mess and the European nations have been literal bystanders.  Trump’s bragging about how the war would not have occurred had he been president is self-serving and arrogant, but nonetheless bears some truth.  The manner in which the Biden Administration slow-walked U.S. aid to Ukraine early in the war was a crucial mistake and it bypassed an opportunity to end the war relatively quickly.  Instead, it has drug on for over three years with unimaginable carnage.

 

But Trump’s lecturing to the Ukrainian leaders should not be occurring in the public arena; this type of rhetoric should be behind closed doors in private negotiations.  Regardless of his remarks lauding the bravery of the Ukrainian people, they are also rightly offended by his clumsy comments regarding the status of their homeland.  If Trump wants to talk publicly about this war, I would love to see him stand up before the world and call out Russian leadership for being the barbarians and warmongers that they are; the same way he talks about Hamas.  I would love to hear him admire the courage and sacrifice of the Ukrainian people as they have defended their homeland; much as Americans did in their struggle for independence.  Yes, the conflict must end and yes, there must likely be some compromise on the part of the Ukrainians.  But let there be no mistake about it: Russia started this war; Russia is the bad guy in this conflict; and any settlement that does not shout those facts out to the world with conviction and clarity will only encourage future incursions by Russian leadership.

 

Trump’s DOGE continues to drain the swamp and turn over rocks…

 

https://amgreatness.com/2025/02/18/dont-let-up/

 

https://freebeacon.com/trump-administration/the-inspector-general-scandal-that-wasnt/

 

https://amgreatness.com/2025/02/15/cleaning-out-the-federal-stables-trump-style/

 

https://reason.com/2025/02/14/the-5-worst-things-about-the-consumer-financial-protection-bureau/

 

https://reason.com/2025/02/14/why-is-foreign-aid-going-to-american-farmers/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/no-more-student-loan-forgiveness/

 

And it is driving the Democrats bat shit crazy…

 

https://jonathanturley.org/2025/02/19/were-winning-across-the-board-raskin-takes-a-slightly-premature-victory-lap-just-before-a-slew-of-court-losses/

 

https://amgreatness.com/2025/02/20/tom-hanks-margaret-brennan-and-the-european-ministers-reveal-it-all/

 

A few quick hits on the way out the door…

 

Competition in education can be a good thing: https://reason.com/2025/02/15/could-school-choice-work-at-the-federal-level/

 

Much like the Democrat Party, the NCAA continues to dig its hole deeper and expand its aura of irrelevance: https://sports.yahoo.com/sources-sec-big-ten-building-momentum-to-further-expand-college-football-playoff-to-14-or-16-teams-235759195.html

 

This organization should be exterminated:

 

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2025/02/the-bibas-murders.php

 

https://nypost.com/2025/02/20/world-news/hamas-releases-bodies-of-four-israelis-including-toddlers-kfir-ariel-bibas-and-their-mom-after-they-were-killed-in-gaza/

 

Reverse discrimination is still discrimination: https://reason.com/2025/02/20/education-department-orders-schools-to-stop-all-racial-discrimination/

 

An American National Immigration Policy must be established: https://americanmind.org/salvo/immigration-the-american-way/

 

DEOs, DOGE, and Duh

There’s bound to be an epidemic in twisted media necks given the extreme flip in transparency between the bygone Biden Administration and the full-bore Trump Administration.  While the journalistic community was rarely fortunate enough to get a handful of mumbled musings from old Slow Joe, it is receiving a daily dose of stream of consciousness monologues from President Trump…and he even takes questions!  In a matter of less than a month, we have gone from hide the ball bureaucracy to in your face daily executive orders (DEOs).  Say what you will about Trump…he damn sure ain’t bashful.

 

The DOGE is rolling along at a pretty frenetic clip these days.  While there is a good deal of attention being paid to this relatively new and robust effort at eliminating governmental waste and improving federal efficiency, it should be noted that the DOGE is not a new federal entity.  Rather, it is a re-imagined effort originating from an empty federal suit.  Originally born from the nexus of the Obama Administration, it has been refashioned as a cudgel in the Trumpian attack on all things deemed governmentally wrong-headed, nonsensical, or poorly designed.  Whether it be Elon Musk or some other federal individual heading it up, the true test for DOGE will not be its initial efforts at taming our behemoth government, but rather it’s yet to be determined ability to transform the long-term mindset of a burgeoning bureaucracy.

 

And then there is the third “D” in this piece…the Duh.  I suppose it could have been the “dumb”, or “dimwitted”, or “dopey”, or simply “downright stupid”; but I will stick with Duh as a natural reaction to the lunacy of the progressive elements in the Democrat Party as they come to terms with Donald Trump owning them, toying with them, and driving them to yield so totally to their sophomoric tendencies.  Like many, I would simply note that given the evolution of the Democrat Party since the inception of Obama, it is really not a surprise to see this type of pathetic, clueless, and self-destructive reaction to a political ass-whooping.  Thus the use of the term “Duh”…as in, what else did you expect?

 

Let us expand a bit on some of these topics.

 

For instance…Trump’s approach to governing and the DEOs…

 

https://amgreatness.com/2025/02/09/beyond-executive-orders-a-blueprint-for-america-2-0/

 

https://americanmind.org/salvo/an-america-first-agenda/

 

How those opposed to it will react…

 

https://thefederalist.com/2025/02/11/ousted-from-power-by-voters-dems-turn-to-activist-judges-to-defy-trump/

 

http://jewishworldreview.com/0225/hammer021425.php

 

And how Trump might change the political landscape long-term…

 

https://americanmind.org/salvo/how-trump-can-secure-the-supreme-court-for-a-generation/

 

https://americanmind.org/salvo/golden-calf-of-the-grand-old-party/

 

https://amgreatness.com/2025/02/12/the-realignment-of-unions/

 

https://amgreatness.com/2025/02/13/the-latest-in-dei-crt-and-gender-issues/

 

https://amgreatness.com/2025/02/11/president-trumps-gaza-plan-might-just-work/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/2025/02/jd-vances-strong-debut-in-paris/

 

Before there was the Department of Government Efficiency/DOGE, there was the United States Digital Service/USDS.

 

What it was: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Digital_Service

 

https://www.usds.gov/

 

What it is: https://doge.gov/

 

What it is doing…

 

https://amgreatness.com/2025/02/09/trump-musk-and-the-deep-state-the-battle-over-transparency-begins/

 

https://reason.com/2025/02/13/doge-is-good-its-not-enough/

 

https://thefederalist.com/2025/02/12/doge-is-uncovering-the-government-corruption-americas-media-spent-years-ignoring/

 

https://thefederalist.com/2025/02/10/media-should-investigate-federal-waste-instead-of-the-people-uncovering-it/

 

https://reason.com/2025/02/10/5-of-the-worst-usaid-scandals-in-history/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/the-department-of-education-keep-it-or-demolish-it/

 

https://reason.com/2025/02/10/kill-the-federal-department-of-education/

 

https://freebeacon.com/campus/exclusive-at-the-university-of-michigan-dei-now-hides-in-office-of-community-culture/

 

Look…here is the deal: Trump’s definition of wasteful is spending on things that do not align with his priorities.  Yes, he will cut some spending.  Alas…he will also increase some spending.  I expect that the cuts and the increases will, in the long run, tend to even out.  Just like his Democrat counterparts, Trump takes the coward’s way out when he is confronted with entitlement spending.  And the hard, cold truth is that our nation’s debt and deficit spending jones will not be solved until someone in a leadership position has the courage to address the elephant in the room…entitlements.  I celebrate Trump’s DOGE because I largely agree with his spending priorities.  But I am sufficiently realistic to know that he is not cutting overall spending; rather, he is shifting overall spending. 

 

No doubt…there is a good deal of corruption in our government.  That much money cannot be sloshing around without some of it…a lot of it…spilling into someone’s pocket.  I would imagine that this particular brand of corruption is bipartisan in nature.  Perhaps it might be a bit more Democrat than Republican simply because there are more Democrats in the Deep State entity than Republicans.  If they are caught, they ought to be fried…regardless of their politics.

 

The most potentially beneficial magnifying glass wielded by DOGE will be the one held over government efficiency.  I worked for the government for 30 years and while I am not an expert, I know firsthand how wasteful the government can be.  I also know that, contrary to what some may believe, there are many government programs that are well conceived, well managed, and fairly well administered. DOGE needs to tread carefully, be thoughtful and deliberate, and exercise caution that it does not throw multiple babies out with the bath water.

 

How “Real” is the “Art of the Deal”

The dynamic political forces overwhelming WDC and the nation these days are truly wonders to behold.  Donald Trump had four years of battle-tested experience and four more years of planning to get ready for his re-entry into our nation’s White House.  Obviously, he did not waste that time.

 

Not only did Trump have a ready list of appointees in hand, he had apparently coordinated his agenda with them in an effort to maximize every…single…day of this upcoming administration.  There can be no doubt that his targets, goals, and policies are ambitious, to say the least.  The critical questions are, first off…how successful will his implementation of those policies be and secondly, how effective will those policies be in achieving the targets and goals?

 

Notwithstanding his experience and planning, Donald Trump in his second presidential term is the same Donald Trump from his first presidential term.  He is first and foremost a business-oriented, risk-taking, independent-minded chief executive.  These traits are channeled through his monstrous ego and then projected…machine gun style…through his flamboyant and blustering personal style of management.  The sum of these parts is what he and others have referred to as the Art of the Deal.   

 

Even considering the significant privilege of his youth, Donald Trump has clearly accomplished a great deal in the realm of business and real estate development.  At some point in his career, he reached a stage where he was playing with house money and that fact clearly emboldened him to negotiate in a no holds barred fashion  that began with a take it or leave it declaration, but typically ended with a let’s meet somewhere in the middle conclusion.  This win/win philosophy served him well in his business career, where the worst case scenarios were typically of a financial loss variety.  

 

The outcomes of applying that same strategy in the practice of his political career are yet to be determined.  There was nothing close to normal or routine about his first term as president.  He came into office totally unprepared and faced immediate and widespread opposition, criticism, and blatant sabotage of his presidential pursuits.  From the day he assumed the office, he never really had an opportunity to set forth a clear vision of where he wanted to go and how he wanted to get there.  He was constantly on the defense and literally fighting for his political life.  This time around, he is better prepared…he is better positioned with a Republican Congress…he has carefully considered and planned what he hopes to accomplish as president…and he enjoys the independence not only of significant public support, but also of the fact that he will not be standing for re-election in four years (trust me…there will be no third Trump term). 

 

Here is the mystery that is yet to unravel: Will the business approach that Trump has practiced his entire life translate into a presidential term of successful and effective political and diplomatic pursuits?  As CEO, failure resulted in a loss of revenue or investment capital.  As President, failure might very well translate to loss of life.  No doubt, the majority of Americans are just fine with Trump breaking some china (small “c” now…large “C” later) due to the fact that the progressive Democrat lunacy that has pervaded our country for the last four years has driven them to the point of intolerance.  I also believe that an overwhelming percentage of the policy initiatives flowing from Trump and his minions are supported by the majority of Americans. 

 

But what happens when the 10 to 20 percent of his initiatives that have not been thoroughly considered prior to announcement or lack broad public support go sideways or off the rails?  In governmental political games, there are always winners and there are always losers.  When the losers begin to squeal, how much attention will be paid to their complaints? Will a nation so hungry for change be willing to accept the reality that real and meaningful governmental reform will inevitably have a human cost and that cost will be borne by certain segments of our existing society and culture? President Trump has a historically-unique window of opportunity to accomplish some incredible things.  But while he is flying down the icy slopes of governmental, domestic, economic, and foreign policy reform and revision…he must be ever vigilant to avoid getting too far out over his skis and avoid a colossal tumble that might jeopardize the entire, downhill run.  Now…onto the news of the day…

 

The DOGE is in the Department of Education’s house and stirrings of educational reform are sweeping across the states.  Is an educational reckoning at hand?

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/what-to-do-about-college-accreditation-2/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/microcredentials-as-an-alternative-to-college/

 

https://reason.com/2025/01/31/years-after-the-pandemic-the-lowest-performing-students-are-still-significantly-behind/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/the-college-board-looks-to-expand/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/are-schools-really-politicized/

 

Lost in the maelstrom of national immigration policy is the fundamentally critical debate surrounding birthright citizenship.  How will this issue ultimately be settled? 

 

https://americanmind.org/features/the-case-against-birthright-citizenship-2/birthright-citizenship-and-the-american-founders/

 

https://americanmind.org/features/the-case-against-birthright-citizenship-2/solving-the-political-problem-of-birthright-citizenship/

 

https://americanmind.org/features/the-case-against-birthright-citizenship-2/wong-kim-ark-must-be-reversed/

 

From Gaza to Ukraine to Russia to Mexico to Canada and ultimately to China…where is America’s foreign policy headed?

 

https://amgreatness.com/2025/02/05/blessed-are-the-peacemakers/

 

https://amgreatness.com/2025/02/07/trump-is-forcing-the-world-to-face-its-hypocrisies-on-the-palestinians-and-gaza/

 

https://americanmind.org/salvo/trumps-historic-opportunity-in-the-middle-east/

 

https://amgreatness.com/2025/01/30/mexico-friend-enemy-neutral-or-something-else/

 

Whether it be the DOGE initiative or Trump’s “change agent” cabinet nominees, there can be little doubt that much needed governmental reform is not only on the way, but it is sorely overdue.

 

https://amgreatness.com/2025/02/04/trumps-spending-freeze-is-a-major-step-towards-making-america-great/

 

https://reason.com/2025/02/06/wasteful-fema-spending-topped-9-billion-during-the-pandemic/

 

https://reason.com/2025/02/01/a-big-beautiful-bill/

 

https://thefederalist.com/2025/02/05/defunding-usaid-isnt-about-reducing-the-deficit-its-about-shutting-down-left-wing-propaganda/

 

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2025/02/politico-and-the-ap-were-on-the-government-payroll.php

 

https://nypost.com/2025/01/29/opinion/miranda-devine-rfk-jr-hearings-reveal-the-border-crisis-under-the-biden-administration-is-why-our-healthcare-has-faltered/

 

https://thefederalist.com/2025/02/03/if-presidents-cant-control-executive-agencies-elections-are-fake/

 

The American public clearly demonstrated through their votes that they’ve had enough of the progressive, liberal stupidity championed by the Democrat Party and their allies.  But remarkably…there are apparently several Democrats who have not received the memo.

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/the-beginning-of-the-end-for-the-dei-madness/

 

You can run, but you cannot hide… https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2025/02/a-collusion-hoax-coda.php

 

https://thefederalist.com/2025/02/04/leftist-wisconsin-senator-confuses-coup-with-will-of-the-people/

 

https://jonathanturley.org/2025/02/05/murphys-law-how-new-jerseys-governor-turned-virtue-signaling-into-a-virtual-nightmare/#more-228484