One of the things Elon Musk is famous for is Efficiency, whether in government, business, or space exploration. Recently, Musk and his DOGE team have been sounding the alarm on something that should concern every taxpayer: the massive levels of waste, fraud, and abuse inside the federal government.
Every few years, reports surface revealing billions of dollars mismanaged or spent without accountability. From duplicate programs and bloated budgets to outright fraud, we’ve seen countless examples of government failing to act as a responsible steward of our money.
Yet, what’s truly frustrating — and borderline insulting — is that whenever discussions arise about expanding social programs, many progressive politicians, especially Democrats, jump straight to one solution: raise taxes on the rich.
Why is that the default?
Instead of asking, “Where is the money going?” or “How can we make our systems more efficient?”, the conversation often becomes a moral crusade against the wealthy — as if that alone solves the structural issues within government.
If you listen to Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, that all you hear. Their first knee jerk reaction is to tax the rich, instead of trying to find efficiencies in the economy.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t an anti-welfare state rant. Helping the vulnerable is a noble goal. But shouldn’t our first priority be to clean up the mess before demanding more money from anyone?
If a private company were hemorrhaging money due to incompetence or fraud, investors would pull out. Executives would be fired. But in the public sector, the answer seems to be: raise taxes and hope people don’t ask too many questions.
We’re not talking about small numbers, either. The Department of Defense has failed multiple audits. COVID-era relief programs lost hundreds of billions to fraud. Medicare and Medicaid regularly see tens of billions lost annually due to overpayments or scams.
And yet… the solution is to raise taxes?
It’s not about defending billionaires. It’s about defending common sense. Any household, business, or nonprofit knows that before you go looking for more income, you cut the fat. You plug the leaks. You become lean and efficient.
Why can’t our government do the same?
Musk, love him or hate him, is at least asking uncomfortable questions that most politicians won’t. And that’s a conversation we all should be having — regardless of our political leaning.
Before you tax more, show us that you can manage what you already have.
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