The end—the stated goal of some government program—doesn’t justify the means—theft and fraud—that are used to pay for it. From Eric Peters at autopetersautos.com:
We are supposed to be grateful that Elon Musk’s Whiz Kids have discovered so much “government waste” – as for example at USAID. But what does it matter? More finely, does it matter – to the average taxpayer – whether the money extracted from him is “wasted”?
Or does it matter more that it was taken?
“Wasted” implies there are legitimate things government spends our money on. That we ought not to mind being robbed (or extorted or whatever word you prefer to describe the theft that is taxation) so long as the money taken from us without our consent, via implicit threats of brutal consequences if we do not meekly hand it over, is not “wasted.”
Stalin’s chicken, phone home.
The Department of Government Efficiency – another new federal apparat – is there to do just that. Make government efficient. This is like – but worse than – “mending” rather than ending Obamacare in that efficient government means more vicious, all-encompassing government. Imagine the EyeRess run by tireless AI rather than by a few thousand bored and not-so-efficient bureaucrats. Imagine every penny you ever earn noticed as soon as you earn it, so as to assure you pay every penny you “owe” – as our abusers (and those who favor such abuse) like to style it. It will be extremely efficient.
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