Given that Elon is now in the US Treasury IT infrastructure, I’m going to get fresh copies of my I-BOND values at TreasuryDirect, and also my and my wife’s Social Security statement, before they get stepped-on (accidentally or otherwise). Nothing more dangerous than having someone poke around in a live, production IT environment.
I know a guy who accidentally deleted off four years of downhole log information at an oil company. ooops.
I-BONDS at Treasury direct don’t really have a formal statement (a bad thing), but you print off the browser pages.
I know a little about information systems, I sold IBM mainframe systems, including to many US government accounts, for over over 20 years. We should all be worried, a lot.
This might be good general advice, but there has to be the ability to audit the SSA or any other government agency.
Given the massive fraud and waste they have already uncovered, I’m in favor of giving Elon Musk and his team as much access as they need to do their jobs.
The problem is that the ‘massive fraud’ is self-reported, thus no one has fact checked that. With all the security government, companys and individuals take to protect their data and identities, I see it as a massive issue to have young people with no real world experience (and no COBOL knowledge) meandering that data with no one managing them. I would almost guarantee then none of them know how to use a rotary dial, let along how to program in COBOL or ALGOL.
Being smart only helps if you also have experience. I suggest that is why Microsoft years ago had massive software issues having hired kids right out of college. They had book smarts but not actual usage experience.
This is nothing like an audit. For starters, auditors do not fire people or stop spending; they investigate, and report their specific findings to those that have the authority to make those decisions. They are not supposed to care WHAT the spending is for; they are supposed to care that it is going to the correct entity, and in the correct amounts. Except in the case of appointed positions, the executive branch does not have the authority to fire employees. As for changing appropriations, that authority rests with Congress, not the Executive.
Auditors are INDEPENDENT, working neither for, nor against the organization, and they definitely do not have conflicts of interest.
With the GOP controlling the Presidency, the House, and the Senate, getting what the president wants done is virtually certain. So why is all this being done in an unlawful and unconstitutional manner?
not because of “DOGE.” The IRS has been trying to modernize their system for 40 years. The projects always fail. IBM was a big part of this. They had a huge contract and face planted.
When a guy says “I alone can fix it,” and then recruits a guy who plays it fast and loose and takes crazy chances with business decisions who is at the same time CEO or primary executive of six very active companies, mistakes will be , and are being made.
One of the complexities of our collection and distribution of funds is Politicians.
Politicians get elected to office by making promises and being funded by people who have special interests. Granted most citizens have their own special interests but many of them align.
The baks want this, the constructions workers want that, there is a niche group that has to have something else and before you know it, we have losts of "IFs, ANDs and so on written into processes like our tax codes.
There is a ROTH but there is a Backdoor ROTH, and nuggets like this:
IRS.GOV: “Eligible taxpayers file this form to claim the railroad track maintenance credit (RTMC) for qualified railroad track maintenance expenditures (QRTME) paid or incurred during the tax year. If you are an assignor with respect to miles of eligible railroad track, you must file Form 8900 even if you do not claim any RTMC.”
Our tax code for example is so complicated that many people rely upon help to file their yearly taxes. State County and City taxes are complicated too. Sales taxes vrs consumption taxes add to the mix.
If we could simplify how we calculate and collect and distribute money it would help. However it needs to be done with lots of input and thought.
completely agree. I read a long article about how often the IRS tries to “fix” their tax software. Sorry, no matter how much lipstick you put on a pig, all you have is future bacon. IBM failed. HP failed. MS failed.
Want to know why the government doesn’t want the fair tax? All of the secret taxes are going to get revealed. We have NO idea what our tax burden is.
Now what you wrote really disturbs me: "If we could simplify how we calculate and collect and distribute money "
Who the heck is we? That’s the problem right there. I might be taking you out of context, but you said it twice.
Speaking of pardons…Trump is such a great guy. On January 6 I heard that it wasn’t MAGA that attacked the capitol…it was Antifa portraying MAGA. so when Trump pardoned everyone from January 6, he pardoned Antifa. What a guy!