More Purging Please

By Martin H. Levinson

In his 1981 inaugural address, Ronald Reagan said, “government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem.” President Trump, channeling the Gipper, has asked DOGE to solve that problem by putting the government out of business and their stats show they are doing an okay job.  But much more can be done. To wit:

Get Rid of Congress

The US Congress costs over a $1 billion a year to run. That money could be saved by an executive order that abolishes the legislature, a body that basically rubber stamps anything Trump wants. Besides saving a billion plus, cutting Congress would save the public from having to watch and listen to Congressional windbags pontificate about stuff they are never going to do and having their hopes crushed every time one of these morons moves their lips. As a bonus, the Senate and House buildings could be converted into hotels for visiting foreign dignitaries, the revenue of which could be sent to the Treasury with a percentage going to Trump if he allowed his name to be used in branding the structures. The US Congress has had a good run but for the economic and political health of the country, and in the interest of government efficiency, it’s got to go.

Eliminate the Courts

The US federal court system’s funding for FY 2025 is approximately 9 billion dollars. That dough is totally wasted as can be seen by looking at some of the dingbat decisions and remarks made by federal judges such as erecting roadblocks to immediately whisking anyone accused of being an illegal immigrant out of the country, rulings that the 2020 presidential election was not rigged, and saying that judges should not be impeached when they issue opinions that go against the wishes of the president. The black-robed, black-hearted heathens who run the courts have pledged their loyalty to the Constitution, an 18^th-century legal relic devised by a group of guys who wanted to make sure the US wouldn’t be run by a king. That ship has sailed, as many Americans think democracy sucks and a king, or the equivalent of a king, is just what the country needs. We certainly don’t need judges to tell presidents what to do. We need yes-men and women to carry out presidential orders. You can take that to the bank, and so the can the US government by booting federal judges from the bench and ensconcing them in line at the unemployment office.

Do Away with Embassies

The US has 163 embassies spread throughout the world, which is crazy since in this era of digital communications foreign relations and tourist related matters can be conducted virtually. The only US embassies one could make a case for are those located in Russia, China, Hungary, Turkey, and India, as we share common values with those countries like hostility to immigrants, disdain for the rule of law, and hatred of democracy. Having five embassies rather than 163 would save the US  a boatload of money and send a signal to foreign governments that America is becoming part of a new world order that looks to strongmen (or biologic women) to make decisions for the people they rule. That’s a twofer and a great example for the nation of the US government showing fiscal restraint and a view that the president has the final word on everything.

Outsource Medicaid

In FY 2023, total Medicaid spending reached $880 billion, with the federal government contributing 69% ($606 billion) and states covering the remaining 31% ($274 billion). That money could be saved by shipping people on Medicaid to El Salvador, where their president has shown an eagerness to accept and house anyone America sends to his country and medical care is tons cheaper. The federal government, like the offer it gave to pay transportation costs to immigrants who leave the United States, could give one-way bus fare and a thousand pesos to Medicaid-eligible individuals who agreed to go and stay in El Salvador. This plan would be a win-win for those on Medicaid and also for the US Treasury, which, if something such as this is not done, will soon be on life support.