Another big problem is that advocates of efficiency and streamlining can be megalomaniacal idiots like Elon Musk

Posted on August 28, 2026 at 12:00:09 PM by Paul

From my stupidity book:

Does Elon Musk *really* think that nobody at the Social Security Administration has thought about the relative costs and benefits of purging the data base of Social Security numbers of people who have died? That this issue has just never come up before in the 90 years since the initial creation of the Social Security registry? That the people managing the database might not have asked themselves in-depths questions about this problem, during their decades as professionals dealing with it every day of their professional lives, rather than getting bored after ten minutes and moving on to another bong hit?

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Thread:

Ezra Klein episode with his spouse Annie Lowrey was very interesting to me… - By Craig August 28, 2026 at 11:44:05 AM
- Unfortunately Klein's idea of how good government should work is nothing more than fine tweaking the status quo... - By FleetwoodDiner August 28, 2026 at 01:12:09 PM
- People hate the government because they've been told to hate the government. Every talking head and political ad tells them how bad the government is. People hate the DMV... - By Kevin August 28, 2026 at 12:30:01 PM
  - DMV is more user friendly than State Farm claims or Zillow app* - By Cincywolve August 28, 2026 at 12:35:10 PM
  - DMV improvements aside, which I agree with, I don't think it's because they are told to just general distrust in organizations from govt to academia to big tech.* - By LewisBullox August 28, 2026 at 12:34:18 PM
- I think a big part of the problem is there is no constituency within the government advocating for reducing costs, red tape, and administrative bloat - By Alpo August 28, 2026 at 11:53:13 AM
  - That's the role of the inspectors general within the various departments. Then you have the GAO and the Senate/House committees with their own oversight - By Cutter August 28, 2026 at 12:49:32 PM
  - How could that possibly be the case when Trump has been the president for 6 of the last 10 years? - By mgaelster August 28, 2026 at 12:31:59 PM
  - Another big problem is that advocates of efficiency and streamlining can be megalomaniacal idiots like Elon Musk - By Paul August 28, 2026 at 12:00:09 PM
    - I totally get your point and agree in the main that DOGE was in ideologically driven mess - By Alpo August 28, 2026 at 12:19:31 PM
      - DOGE went after the VA and DOGE’s point person on the project got fired for publicly stating - By mgaelster August 28, 2026 at 12:37:53 PM
      - Bureaucrats don't make the rules for permitting, or design the immigration system. - By Charlie August 28, 2026 at 12:35:49 PM
        
        I'm not throwing off on the people that do their jobs within a system they themselves did not design - By Alpo August 28, 2026 at 01:42:52 PM
        
        If “the people running the system” are federal employees, they have almost no political power to prevent change - By mgaelster August 28, 2026 at 01:53:09 PM
      - They deleted my sisters HIV/Aids database because aids is for Fags. Decades of data lost* - By Cincywolve August 28, 2026 at 12:34:06 PM
        
        Saved at least $3 a year on cloud storage. (nm) - By suede August 28, 2026 at 12:34:56 PM
        
        My sister said they have huge numbers of stds being reported in rural Louisiana especially teen girls. - By Cincywolve August 28, 2026 at 12:43:30 PM
    - Right, none of it was done in good faith or carefully considered. He just wanted to destroy whatever he could.* - By LewisBullox August 28, 2026 at 12:12:09 PM
    - Right. An argument can be made for administrative bloat and inefficiency being the only thing currently saving us… - By Craig August 28, 2026 at 12:02:46 PM
  - DOGE did it and the liberal deep state kneecapped them. (nm) - By suede August 28, 2026 at 11:55:23 AM
    - DOGE was a band of monkeys with chainsaws.* - By Alpo August 28, 2026 at 12:12:13 PM
    - Big Ballz 2.0* - By Cincywolve August 28, 2026 at 11:59:22 AM
- They don’t support things that would help them because politicians lie to them, and they fall for it. Every time * - By tem August 28, 2026 at 11:49:24 AM

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Another big problem is that advocates of efficiency and streamlining can be megalomaniacal idiots like Elon Musk