Trending
The federal government has roughly 2.3 million civilian employees. Presently 75,000 have accepted Trump's offer of buy-out retirements. That amounts to about 3% of the federal workforce. In addition to this, Trump has ordered that four employees must depart government employment for each new hire. That's a 3% net reduction for every 4% leaving. Since about 7% of the federal work force leaves their jobs each year and therefore 28% in four years, if only one-in-four or 7% is replaced, that means a 21% work force reduction. Along with the 3% already quitting, that means Trump will have cleaned out a quarter of the federal employment bloat by doing almost nothing.
But massive active firings are also underway such as at USAID, and that's only the beginning. In four years Trump will probably fire at least another 10%, thereby ridding Washington of a third of its smugly underworked and vastly overpaid bureaucracy which is carried on the backs of American taxpayers like an immense economic tumor.
But if reducing Washington's workforce by 34% in four years seems impossible, Musk fired 75% of the Twitter staff in just a few months, and the result wasn't a wrecked company, but a more efficient and more profitable business. Half of Washington could be cleaned out, and nothing would happen — except Americans' taxes would fall, and Washington's rents would fall even faster. And the new symbol of America's capital would be rusting construction cranes. Happy in the background are liberated Americans out enjoying their freedom on the Mall, knowing they have more of their own dollars to spend, while the mighty white Capitol shines brightly guiding them like a light on the Hill!
ROBERT JACQUES
JAMES STUCHELL
Williamsport
Submitted by email