The recent creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”) has caused an unexpected stir. And it’s weird, because of the pushback by those in power.
Imagine being a customer in a bank to deposit your paycheck. A bank robber bursts in and grabs your paycheck. The security guard and bank personnel try and stop the thief – but you, the victim, not only encourage the criminal to take YOUR paycheck, you encourage the taking of the other customers’ checks AND you provide cover for the robber as he escapes the bank out the back door.
Or imagine the bank calling you and telling you there has been a fraud on your account … and you tell the bank to let the fraud continue.
Inconceivable, right?
Well, this is exactly what is happening. The revelation that billions of dollars have gone missing, remain unaccounted for, or have been used for projects wholly unrelated to American interests at home has been eye-opening, to say the least.
What has loudly come to the forefront is how impossibly rich Washington, D.C., politicians have become — funded by you, the taxpayer, without your knowledge or consent.
Washington, D.C., has turned into District 1 from “The Hunger Games,” feeding off the hard labor of the rest of us.
I have no doubt that this is a scam that has been ongoing for years.
At best, lawmakers on both sides were unaware of what they were voting for; at worst, they are benefitting from it. I am talking about both parties as well as Democratic and Republican members of the House Appropriations Committee — like Republican Ken Calvert of Riverside, who has sat on the committee for 14 years, and Democrat Rosa DeLauro, who has sat on the appropriations oversight committee since 1993!
What oversight, exactly, has been exercised? Any? And how exactly does someone like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez take office being approximately $8,000 in debt in 2019, work in Congress for $174,000 a year, and four years later be worth just under $30 MILLION?
HOW!
Plainly, the American people have been scammed by their representatives who have voted for and passed giant 5,000-page continuing resolution bill or omnibus bills that provide appropriate funding for military and veterans, but also billions of dollars for other purposes.
Here is how it works: A CR funds an entity like USAID. In 2023 USAID received $43.4 billion. USAID grants billions of dollars in grants to non-government organizations to pay $10 million for medical male circumcision in Mozambique, $32 million to the Prague Civil Society Center, $14 million to improve public procurement in Serbia, $21 million to improve voter turnout in India, $20 million for “fiscal federalism” in Nepal, $1.5 million for “voter confidence” in Liberia, $14 million for “social cohesion” in Mali … and the list goes on.
The NGOs that receive these funds are run by Danielle and Dennis, who are married and they each earn $300,000 in salary. They take home $750,000 combined — or, if they’re lucky, they are compensated like the CEO of the Kennedy Center who “earned” $1.5 million of your tax dollars.
Dennis wants a free ski vacation, so he finds a conference in Switzerland, and the nonprofit covers his airfare, accommodations, and meals. To “confer” … on the slopes.
Then Dennis and Danielle cut their kids in on the scam. Their children start a “foundation” or a “business” that the nonprofit hires or contracts with.
See for example, Chelsea Clinton.
What about Dennis and Danielle’s friends who are in government positions? They too get in on the grift –getting paid “speaker fees” by the nonprofit to attend events.
See how it works?
All of these billions in expenditures like USAID have been approved by our so-called “representatives.”
Representatives like Hal Rogers (R) serving since 1981, Nancy Pelosi (D) serving since 1987, Maxine Waters (D) serving since 1991, Chris Smith (R) serving since 1981, Bernie Sanders (D) serving since 2007, Chuck Grassley (R) serving since 1981, Mitch McConnell (R) serving since 1985 and many, many more in office for the last 40-plus years.
They stay in office until they die, like Dianne Feinstein did, because the grift is too good.
We, the People, have had our eyes opened.
Here are some solutions to end the waste of OUR hard-earned money: (1) Demand absolute transparency – All bills that appropriate taxpayer money must be made public at least seven days before a vote and posted online; (2) Single-subject bills only – Bills must be limited to one issue and not exceed 20 pages; (3) Public accountability – Every representative’s vote on every bill must be posted online; (4) Term limits – No representative should serve more than eight years total in the House and/or Senate, just like the president; (5) Prohibit taxpayer money from funding NGO; (5) Forensic audits – Every government department must undergo a forensic audit every 24 months.
It’s time to put an end to this corruption. Enough is enough. The average American taxpayer pays $500,000 in taxes in their lifetime for this nonsense.
If you want to complain about DOGE, and the work they are doing, go ahead and send your next paycheck to Liberia direct.
I will provide the postage. I want to keep my paycheck.
Denise Lite is a Santa Clarita resident. “Right Here, Right Now” appears Saturdays and rotates among local Republicans.
