11.12.24 - DOGE
I am of two minds
Initial instinctual reaction
- DOGE haha that's funny
- I like Musk and Ramaswamy, mostly
- Makes sense to give them this given their private sector backgrounds
- Good they didn't get a "real" posting given their inexperience
- Scaling back the administrative state is cool and based
Secondary, "waittaminute" reactions
- Musk is a major federal government contractor (and does business with state governments because of Tesla, Boring company, etc.)?
- Musk is the richest human being alive
- Musk owns a major medium of political communication
- AND he's going to help head a department which directly affects regulation in . . . all of those sectors??
- This feels like banana republic business
- This seems like it will make TeaPot Dome look like the Tiger Woods scandal
Is this allowed? It all seems strange. All in all, I think things will be fine. They'll cut the regulations that seem to run afoul of the major questions doctrine, and ones that weren't compelled by Congress. Scaling back administrative state will unleash faster growth. And genuinely important regulations (like things to combat climate change!) can be passed again as statutes with "clear statements" of delegation to agencies. So the executive doesn't have discretion to just remove or not enforce. So in the end we just have a leaner meaner government. So this is probably good. Right?
Right?