There has been much conversation about the Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE, and the what, why, and how of this crusade against supposed waste in the federal government. This slightly more liberal thinker believes it is because Elon Musk is using a broadaxe, or a chainsaw like he displayed at a recent rally, where a deftly maneuvered scalpel would elicit better results without all of the ancillary damage. He’s like a surgeon, without an X-ray or MRI to go by, using a meat cleaver to remove an inflamed appendix and in doing so taking out a liver or kidney as well. He does get the appendix, but at what cost to the patient?

I care little that he is the richest man in the world, since at least the bulk of his fortune was legally obtained. Nor do I worry because he is, by far, not the smartest man in the room, although some of his ideas have added to his wealth, or that he was hired to lead the DOGE by a president who has proven to be, as some have said, not the sharpest knife in the drawer. No, what bothers me is his determined penchant for complete disruption of the workings of our government by a native of the Republic of South Africa.

To be sure, there is waste at every level of government. It’s part of the institution’s DNA, but removing whole departments without regard for whatever serious work that they perform simply weakens the entire structure. There is much to be said about “institutional knowledge”, that is, people with experience in their area who know how things work. Rather than eliminating these folks, how about recruiting them to help find cost savings? Who knows, some of them may have ideas that Musk hasn’t thought of. He needs to slow down and investigate before closing down agencies that do have a positive aspects both internally and externally, like USAID, which provides food and medicine to poverty ravaged developing countries. Humanitarian aid is always money well spent. Some of their other activities maybe should be cut, but use the scalpel, not the axe, or chainsaw.

Musk and his DOGE group would get much less blowback from the Democrats and the public at large with a more restrained approach to their crusade. We all want our government to be fiscally responsible with our tax dollars. A Congress that can pass an annual budget by the beginning of the fiscal year, negating the need for continuing resolutions, which lead to one party or the other threatening a shutdown, would be a start.

I don’t claim to be a genius, but I do have an idea that just might be workable regarding the way Social Security and Medicare are funded and could be kept solvent without destroying the programs, as some Republicans have proposed. That would be to eliminate the cap limit on salaries subject to withholding. That would mean that all wages would be subject to Social Security and Medicare withholding, including those of athletes, corporate heads, and others who earn millions in salaries each year. That would fund the Social Security trust fund in perpetuity. Once the cap is removed, the percentage for contributions could be reduced for employees and employers from the current 7.5% to 5% or maybe even lower. That would help those who are lower wage earners, and especially small businesses.

— Bill Kennedy, Taneytown