Since President Trump took office just under a month ago, Elon Musk and his team of privateers have rampaged through government, demolishing agencies, rifling through private data, firing thousands of career federal employees and even changing signage on federal buildings and historic sites.
The White House has justified Musk’s authority under the label “special government employee.” The media has taken the bait to an alarming degree, covering Musk and his Department ...
Opinion
Democrats fighting Trump’s government reforms are waging a losing battle
Democrats have gone to the mattress against Donald Trump. Not to protest his immigration crackdown, his intention to shut down the Department of Education, his tariffs or any of the other controversial policies the new president has proposed in the past two weeks. No, Democrats are fighting tooth and nail to protect the federal bureaucracy.
Just recently, Senate Democrats took the extreme measure of filibustering through the night to decry the nomination of Russell...
A kicked DOGE hollers: Progressives telling response to an agency cutting spending
As a big fan of what the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is trying to accomplish, I have been heartily encouraged by its first two weeks on the job. All I need to hear to know it is getting traction is that the left has gone from accusing it of having no power to accusing it of having too much.
In Washington, when progressives yell that any conservative group has too much power, it usually means that things are starting to get interesting. Down South, ...
Trump’s tariffs model McKinley; his divided coalition models Grover Cleveland
In his 2025 inaugural address, Donald Trump compared himself to former President William McKinley boasting that he, like McKinley, would make “our country very rich through tariffs.”
A recent issue of The Economist drew a similar comparison, noting that McKinley was an imperialist who added Hawaii, Guam, the Philippines and Puerto Rico to U.S. territory and made Cuba a U.S. protectorate. Trump, of course, would like to annex Canada ...
Is Trump really unaccountable for his actions?
Like the Queen of Hearts in Alice's Wonderland, Donald Trump has established "Off with their heads!" as the modus operandi of his second presidency.
He is swinging his sword in every direction, striking at honorable prosecutors and supposedly protected federal employees, stabbing at the heart of vital federal programs and stealing domestic tranquility from millions of immigrant families. In doing so, he is applying a severe stress test to democracy and the legit...
Patients, not government, should set health care prices
One of us trained with a world-renowned neurosurgeon who practices outside of the U.S. and operates on “inoperable brain tumors” with outcomes that leave other neurosurgeons in awe. He provides free or discounted care to half of his patients. For others, he charges 10-100 times what Medicare pays. Patients from around the world eagerly wait to see him and gladly pay, with many even wanting to pay more after surgery. That’s the value of his labor.
If this neurosurgeon wer...
Our nation’s hard-fought right to preventive care is at risk
The Affordable Care Act has transformed healthcare in the U.S. by ensuring access to no-cost preventive care services, such as cancer screenings, immunizations and contraceptives, for millions of Americans. However, the Supreme Court's decision to review the constitutionality of this provision, as highlighted in Becerra v. Braidwood Management Inc., threatens to undermine a critical component of the law.
The implications of this case extend beyond legal nuances, touching the...
There’s a method to Trump’s madness; Democrats must respond with bold initiatives
President Trump has started his second term with many bold but divisive actions that could threaten his standing with the public.
He is a much different president than he was when he began his first term in 2017. Then he seemed happy just to be in the Oval Office, unaware of how to use his power. Now, he’s locked and loaded and ready to kick some progressive butt.
Trump has already gotten away with convictions on 34 counts of felony fraud. Will he be able to escape t...
3 creative tactics for DOGE to end wasteful government spending
A majority of Americans believe the government is inefficient, profligate, and “doing too much.” Every year, taxpayers foot the bill for programs that haven’t even been evaluated in decades. The newly formed House and Senate DOGE caucuses represent a fresh opportunity to smash the status quo.
But for these efficiency warriors to succeed, they must confront the same challenges that have long plagued government reformers: the public’s simultaneous disdain for “wasteful gov...
Gallup findings on USPS show what DOGE faces
A recent poll shows what DOGE is up against and why it must succeed.
Gallup found that among 15 government agencies, the U.S. Postal Service is the only one with majority support. Yet, USPS is a poster child of financial failure and inefficiency, thanks to its government monopoly and subsidy. It is also a microcosm of what DOGE faces and what the left will do with government if allowed.
According to Gallup, “the Postal Service has been the most high...