DOGE: Change Agent or Wrecking Ball?

Abstract: In Mythology, Literature, and Mind Mapping, I discussed the power of myth in mind mapping since it is foundational to western literature. Myths and fairy tales also provide a powerful of symbols and keys that resonate throughout a culture. The myths of alchemy, the Firebird, and Beauty and the Beast are especially appropriate with DOGE. I don’t think we want DOGE to be just a wrecking ball. If DOGE is not a change agent then the Trump administration needs to identify the change agent(s) and develop change management plans. Someone needs to be the architects that re-build government with the Constitution as a blueprint. If we do not rebuild, the tear down will leave us to the barbarians at the gates. Is DOGE a change agent, an audit agent, or just a wrecking ball?

In alchemy, there is a saying: solve et coagula. It means to separate, purify the components and then put them back together into a better state. Now, I doubt this was about turning lead into gold, although that metaphor may be appropriate as well. Our government is a mess. It is a beast. As a minimum, it spends far more than it takes in. DOGE’s $2Trillion in savings is a goal just to get to a balanced budget. These savings will not touch the deficit. To do that, we need to do much more. We need to remake our government. We have to rebuild our government using the original blueprint.

In Beauty and the Beast, the princess gets to understand the Beast and transforms him back into the prince he once was. This is like the government. It was originally a prince that transformed into the Beast through some ill-advised constitutional amendments and reforms, as well as outright corruption. As Lord Acton said, “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” The government is corrupted and needs to be transformed and rise from its ashes like the mythical Firebird.

At the moment, DOGE is the wrecking ball—solve, with little or no hint of coagula, Belle, or the Firebird. Without these, DOGE is a force for destruction and not resurrection and purification. Now alchemists worked in secret, afraid others would steal their secrets. I suppose DOGE could do this to catch the perpetrators of corruption. But we live in a representative republic, and, if I recall correctly, the Trump campaign promised openness and transparency. We need at least an outline of the plan and their goals and objectives. Perhaps we need more Belle and Firebird.

In the third part of this series, DOGE: How we Arrived at this Point, I provided some institutional recommendations. Here, I’ll provide some structural recommendations to generate the Firebird that resurrects a free, transparent, and clean government. Belle transforming the Beast. The original constitutionally based government still lives inside the Beast. It needs to be refined, freed, and resurrected. A few thoughts to help this along.

• Bring some transparency to DOGE. Publish a DOGE concept plan with goals, objectives, timelines, and a concept of operations. Will DOGE go away or become a continuous operating entity.
• Publish an assessment of government departments and agencies. Assess how well they align to the purpose of the US government as outlined in the Preamble to the Constitution: “form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity”.
• Some of these are aspirational and ill-defined such as a “more perfect union”—that was accomplished by shifting from the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution, but if federalism is “more perfect union” and we’ve diluted federalism, perhaps the reforms should restore the balance between the states and the central government.
• Some may be in conflict and need to be balanced, such as do transfer taxes deny liberty to some while increasing “general Welfare”?
• Some may need moderation or adaptation such “provide for the common defense”. How much is enough?
• Engage in stakeholder relations and communications—especially with the citizens of the US that are the country’s owner-operators.
• Determine how to reform the government.
• Which departments and agencies should be eliminated and why?
• Which departments and agencies should be reduced and why?
• Which government functions can be combined to increase efficiency?
• Develop action plans for these departments and agencies to implement the changes.
• How do we reduce operating costs?
• How do we put safeguards in place to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse?
• How do we make systems more effective and eliminate the conditions that can generate fraud or confusion, such as the case with the treasury codes?

If DOGE is a change agent, it must address the bullets above and identify who is responsible for these actions. If it is not a change agent, then the Trump administration needs to identify the change agent(s) and have them develop a change management plan with the accepted change processes and controls.

This must be open and transparent, unless the change is within a classified program and the elements of change are classified.