1 week Ago By Moriah Brooks, Duluth
The April 6 letter, “ DOGE doing an excellent job of cutting fat ,” stated that, “We cannot afford to play sugardaddy to the entire world anymore.” The letter reflected our country's political polarization but replaced evidence with hyperbole and serious policy discussions with inflammatory rhetoric. ADVERTISEMENT Criticizing the media or opposition parties is fair in a democracy, but equating the Jan.
6, 2021, Capitol attack with unverified vandalism linked to Democrats is irresponsible. There is no credible evidence that Democratic leaders promote violence against Tesla dealerships or endorse Molotov cocktails as political speech. The national debt requires attention, as it's a bipartisan issue with both parties contributing to long-term deficit spending.
Solutions need collaboration, not blame. The Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, established under President Donald Trump with Elon Musk, has implemented sweeping workforce reductions , eliminating nearly 280,000 federal jobs across 27 agencies, leading to a 672% increase in layoffs. Although DOGE claims savings, these cuts disrupt vital services, such as closing 34 mine-safety and health-administration offices, raising serious safety concerns.
Despite claimed savings, independent audits reveal inflated figures or mistakes from accounting errors. Some “savings” resulted from canceling no-cost contracts. Despite aggressive cuts, federal spending surged to $603 billion in February, undermining claims of fiscal discipline.
Cuts have led to legal challenges from unions and affected agencies, delaying initiatives and forcing reversals, ironically creating more inefficiency. Meanwhile, cuts to libraries and public health disproportionately harm low-income communities, while “DOGE Dividends” primarily benefit wealthier households, worsening inequality. ADVERTISEMENT Improving efficiency is a worthy goal, but drastic, unbalanced cuts without strategic planning result in disrupted services, mounting legal costs, and increased inequality.
Government reform should be data-driven, collaborative, and equitable, not reactionary. Moriah Brooks Duluth Email submissions to: [email protected] Include a full name, address and daytime phone number.
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