In a move that has surely left even the most optimistic capitalists scratching their heads, President Trump’s administration is shamelessly trying to cut government jobs under the banner of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, yes, you heard that right, it’s like they just tossed a bunch of industry buzzwords into a hat and picked out the most ridiculous combo. Led by none other than Elon Musk, the unelected billionaire who thinks he’s too good for the political grind, this initiative is raising eyebrows and the collective anxiety of anyone who cares about democracy.

Let’s pause for a moment to acknowledge how insane this is. For decades, the GOP has been spouting about cutting the government, but actually pushing those cuts through? That’s the horse that’s mostly been left in the barn. Yet here comes Musk with his “efficiency” mantra, determined to waltz past those pesky voters and straight into the coffers of government.

Even fiscal conservatives, who generally love the idea of slashing spending, are uneasy. Jessica Riedl of The Manhattan Institute said, “No one who has to face voters again is determining spending levels”. Bravo, Jessica! Because if it’s up to these top-tier business moguls, who needs pesky representatives to check their whims?

Here’s the kicker: Musk allegedly was blindsided by Congress’s insistence that he actually work with them to implement these cuts via a process called recission, this isn’t just a cute little term; it’s the legal way Congress has to reclaim funds they previously allocated. Picture Musk at a congressional meeting, nodding along while googling “recission” under the table.

Musk’s drastic measures to trim the fat are reminiscent of his infamous Twitter remodels, where employees were axed as if the company was entering a flavor-of-the-month diet plan. His tendency to disrupt industries could lead us to think he’s on a crusade against anything remotely resembling a bureaucracy. But don’t worry, he’s doing it for efficiency and the thrill of it all.

Not everyone is sold on this corporate revolution of government. Don Moynihan, a public policy professor, warns this is about more than trimming the fat; it’s an effort to elbow Congress out of the picture completely. Meanwhile, anti-tax activist Grover Norquist is rooting for DOGE and dreaming of a day when the government is so lean it could audition for the next Hunger Games.

As the clock ticks and Congress finally warms up to Musk’s high-speed proposals (you know, the usual three-year plan), let’s hope that those in power realize that cutting government down to size isn’t just about numbers; it’s about people, accountability, and living in a democracy, something that can’t be solved with a business merger.