Elon Musk and I don’t really get along.

But, believe it or not, we may actually agree on something. Let me explain.

Musk and fellow billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy have both been named by Donald Trump to lead the new “Department Of Government Efficiency” — or DOGE for short. After all, what’s more efficient than naming not one, but two, department heads? But I digress…

DOGE claims it will cut $2 trillion worth of what it thinks is waste and fraud in the government budget.

Is there “waste and fraud”? Could the government be more efficient and work better? Musk and DOGE may have a point.

But what’s often considered “waste and fraud” depends on whether one is looking downward or upward — and the billionaire DOGEs look only downward. 

In fact, the biggest waste and fraud is found at the highest rungs.

Musk of course won’t recommend eliminating tax loopholes — which resulted in the government losing out on at least $1.8 trillion worth of tax revenue in 2023 alone. That’s because most tax loopholes, like the carried interest loophole that reduces taxes for private equity and hedge fund managers, disproportionately benefit the rich.

I also doubt Musk will recommend cutting the billions in government contracts and subsidies his corporations receive. Or our bloated military budget that’s bigger than the next nine countries military budgets’ combined. Half of that goes to private defense contractors like Musk’s own SpaceX and Starlink. Many federal contractors, like Boeing and Raytheon, have histories of price gouging, largely because they face little or no competition.

And Musk of course won’t recommend that Republicans halt their plans to extend Trump’s tax cuts — which will add at least $5 trillion to the deficit and predominantly benefit billionaires like him. That’s more than twice the amount DOGE wants to cut in “wasteful” government spending, if you’re keeping track.

Instead, Musk wants to cut the government agencies that protect you by enforcing antitrust laws, labor laws, workplace safety laws, environmental protections, and guardrails against financial fraud. 

And because there’s no other place to find anything close to the $2 trillion he’s promising to cut from the federal budget, I expect Musk and DOGE will turn to cutting Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare, which comprise roughly 45% of the federal budget.

Now, Elon and DOGE won’t listen to a miniature wAnker like me. But I want to arm YOU with the truth.

As DOGE takes shape, you’re going to hear a lot about how we “can’t afford” to fund government agencies or programs that help millions of people. That’s rubbish. As I just pointed out there are ways to save the government $2 trillion without cutting critical programs that most Americans rely on — IF we instead cut the fat that Musk and his fellow billionaires rely on.

The fundamental issue that Musk and DOGE are failing to address isn’t the size of the government or how “efficient” it is — but who our government is for.

Should it work mainly for big corporations and billionaires — or for the rest of us?