I've grown accustomed to the ridiculous double standards that characterize what passes for political discourse.

Outraged by Trump's buyout offers to all federal employees? The practice was started by President Clinton who successfully reduced the government workforce by over 100,000 utilizing buyouts.

Appalled by the deportation of illegal immigrants? The descriptive title Deporter in Chief was given by Latino advocacy groups to President Obama.

Yet these exercises in selective memory are far less puzzling than the current outrage over Elon and his DOGE employees. I can't wrap my mind around the fact that Democrats are having apoplexy over 20 something year old code savants using AI to uncover improper or unjustifiable expenditures, rather than the acknowledged fact that in the past 20 years our government has payed out 2.7 TRILLION dollars in improper payments!!! Oh, and that phrase, improper payments, comes from the GAO, not me.

2.7 trillion. There were 236 billion in "improper payments," in fiscal 2023 alone!

Where is the national outrage over this? This should be a huge scandal. But it is not. Why? These payments are obviously fraudulent if not outright money laundering. Or do some think we were actually going to send 50 million condoms to Palestine, a nation of approximately 2-3 million. (my bad) These are our tax dollars being systematically stolen.

But no one cares.

Make it make sense.

ADDED VIA EDIT

I am ambivalent about this. Yes, the access to private information and to potentially classified data are legitimatize concerns. Of the two I am more concerned about the latter. As far as personal data privacy, that ship sailed long ago for everyone not living completely off the grid. And, as a small government conservative, I am opposed to the way the power of the Presidency has grown, and continues to grow, since FDR.

On the other hand, reducing the ridiculously bloated federal bureaucracy is a very good thing. And if these audits actually result in criminal charges being brought against the worst offenders, I will be ecstatic. I don't expect it, but one can hope.