If you believe that, then I have a bridge to sell you. Interested?

Why Musk and the tech bros are burrowing in the government

If you believe that, then I have a bridge to sell you. Interested?

Why Musk and the tech bros are burrowing in the government

I ponder why Musk is so interested in “government efficiency” when he has more money that he could ever spend in 100,000 lifetimes. Is he really interested in efficiency or something else? What is it he is really seeking? If you think he is looking out for us, then I have a bridge to sell you. Interested?

Michale Lewis penned a book back in 2018, called The Fifth Risk. This was a study he conducted to examine the transition between the Obama administration and the first Trump term. Obama and his team had gone to great links to prepare a most well informed and structured transition for the new administration building upon the well-structured transition from Bush II to his. Obama wanted this to be smooth and seamless. However, the new administration was not interested. And Lewis explains much of that in the book, but what he really, really discovered was something the federal government possesses that Musk covets and now has unfettered access.

During the writing of the book, Lewis discovered the treasure trove of data the U.S. government has accumulated over its history on virtually every topic in the country that enables the government to prepare for events and plan for the future. The data allows for the government to respond to disasters, to plan for the needs for pandemics, terrorists attacks, track weather trends, animal migrations, agriculture needs, and so much more. As Lewis discovered, this data was used to benefit Americans as businesses and individuals were able to access it mostly free, but sometimes for a small fee. The data was used overall to make life better for Americans. It was enormous and could be used for more nefarious purposes in the wrong hands, but it was protected with rigid regulations and something that Musk and people like him have a hard time understanding: highly dedicated people that saw their jobs as a service to people. They respected the power they controlled and dedicated their profession as a calling.

What Lewis described were a large number of first-generation Americans who were working for the government and appreciated ours as they had lived without a functioning government previously. They found more meaning in the American government as it served the people, not the other way around. (page 24) Sadly, now we see a country that has never experienced a collapsing state which leads them to not appreciate what they have. If you believe they are looking for waste and fraud, I have a bridge to sell you.

Musk sees the availability of this data and knows full well access to it would be an instrument of power unlike no other. With his security clearance from his SpaceX contract he got glimpses of government data and some of the government data capabilities. Wanting to have more access, he most likely found he was denied by the Biden administration and there are stories out there that document that. By getting close to Trump, he solved that issue. I would presume that his connections with Putin, his money and the hackers he had on his payroll, allowed for some serious machinations to happen in those swing states. Musk knew that if he could get Trump back in the White House, access to the data would be secured and it has.

Please note there is no transparency of DOGE. There is no personnel vetting for security. They claim to be searching for fraud, but produce not actual evidence. They make these outrageous claims and show nothing. They are in the data systems doing as Senator Whitehouse states “Who knows what, creating back doors to access the information later?”

People that go to work for these agencies are required to pass extensive background checks. I have known several federal employees over the years and the background checks are extensive. These DOGE guys have ZERO checks and have been given access to all of this government data with no vetting. This is a quadrillion dollar rip-off, not a trillion dollar. Quadrillion. The data the government has was bought with American tax dollars, watched over by dedicated career employees that performed their jobs with a passion none of these youngsters or Musk possess. None. The government employees never looked at their jobs as just a job, but a service to Americans.

Our republican party leadership abdicates their sworn responsibilities when they allow this to happen. Looking for efficiency? Hardly. Mining centuries of collected data of the government paid for with American tax dollars? You can bet on it. IF you believe otherwise, I have a bridge to sell you. Interested?

P.S. You should pick up a copy of Michael Lewis’s book The Fifth Risk to fully understand what he found in what the government data possess, He scratches the surface, but you will be able to fully understand why a smooth transition can be a difference maker. Also, David Cay Johnston’s It Worse Than You Think, The Lewis Powel Memo and Project 2025.