Ask A Genius 1211: DOGE
Author(s): Rick Rosner and Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): Ask A Genius
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2024/12/06
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: How do you feel about the Trump situation coming up in a month?
Rick Rosner: Carole is more nervous than I am, but, you know, there are reasons for both optimism and pessimism.
On one hand, most Americans oppose many of his policy goals. On the other hand, many Americans aren’t paying much attention. For example, the tariff issue hasn’t significantly impacted the stock market. Many people think he’s bluffing and using it as a negotiating tactic.
He wants to impose a 25% tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada if certain demands aren’t met. However, in the case of Canada, it’s unclear what exactly he expects to be “fixed.” He also demands action on fentanyl, though it’s not clear if he understands how fentanyl enters the U.S. He has even threatened a 100% tariff on goods from certain countries—I can’t remember which ones.
Then there’s his stance on immigration. He has appointed individuals ranging from controversial to outright problematic to his cabinet. There are at least ten billionaires in his cabinet so far. While being wealthy doesn’t necessarily mean incompetence, their actions often raise questions.
For instance, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have discussed reducing government expenditures. They’re focusing on programs not mandated by legislation, including initiatives like Head Start, which costs about $12 billion annually—roughly $36 per American. Head Start serves around one million preschool children, helping prepare them for school.
Cutting programs like this seems harsh. It feels wrong that someone like Elon Musk, who is worth hundreds of billions of dollars, has a say in denying vital services to Americans.
Will these cuts happen? Their aim to make government employees work harder, quit, or face termination. The U.S. government has a work-from-home policy for tens of thousands of employees that allows them to work from home a couple of days a week if their role supports it. Musk and Ramaswamy want everyone to work in the office five days a week.
So Biden issued an executive order protecting 42,000 Social Security Administration employees, allowing them to continue working from home through 2019 without being forced into the office full-time. Do you call customer service much?
Jacobsen: No, never.
Rosner: All right, my wife and I call customer service occasionally, and sometimes you reach someone working from home. You might hear kids in the background while they’re sitting at their terminal. Instead of being in an office surrounded by 45 other people answering phones, they do the same job at home without spending an hour and a half commuting or wasting fuel. I think it’s reasonable for people to work from home when possible.
Also, in the U.S., productivity has increased by about 1,000% since World War II. We’re extremely productive but haven’t seen much benefit from working less. Americans still work long hours, take less vacation time than Europeans, and are often overworked.
People argue, “Europe is full of lazy workers,” but that’s nonsense. In our modern world, it’s entirely reasonable to expect someone to work 35–40 hours a week, earn a living, and not have to put in 55–60 hours to justify having a job. Yet, over the past few years, we’ve heard terrible stories about Amazon employees and delivery drivers. They’re held to such tight schedules and high quotas that some can’t even stop to find a bathroom—they have to urinate in bottles. Why does it have to be that way?
Jacobsen: Musk and Ramaswamy have also claimed they want “high-IQ individuals” to join them in their grand mission to reduce government expenditures.
Rosner: They’re looking for people willing to work 80 hours a week for no pay. And while it might sound like hyperbole, it reflects their attitude. No one—not even someone building their own small business—should have to work half the hours in a week to keep their job.
A week has 168 hours. These guys essentially want people to work two full-time jobs for zero compensation, all to help their “holy mission” to cut costs. It’s absurd. To try to purge government employees who aren’t willing to work overtime—or lose their jobs—is an insult.
Especially since Trump, their “big boss,” famously came to work at 11 AM and often worked only two to four hours daily. That’s supposedly the hardest job in the world.
There’s still a month and a half before Trump takes office. We’ll see how it unfolds.
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