"I Have A Big Head And Little Arms. I'm Just Not Sure How Well This Plan Was Thought Through." – The T-Rex in Meet The Robinsons (2007)
I could not help but think, as the mercenaries of DOGE pursue, access and extract all types of financial and operating data about businesses and personal information of citizens in U.S. Government databases, about this humorous quote coming from one of Disney’s lesser known but charming animated movies, “Meet The Robinsons. Even though our young hero, Lewis, is being chased by a massive T-Rex that is being controlled by his “frenemy” Goob, we can easily see the T-Rex is not suited to capture Lewis, because Lewis has found the best place just out of his pursuer’s reach. Except in real life, it’s not the humorous at all. It is –
Enraging
Irresponsible
Unprecedented
Destructive
Illegal (violates the U.S. Privacy Act of 1974)
The DOGE Commission access to U.S. Treasury Payment and other IRS Systems (covering Social Security, Medicare, tax refunds, and payments to government contractors). This matters because these systems are a centerpiece of maintaining U.S economic stability and maintaining public trust, domestically and abroad, in U.S. government institutions (and the systems and data that they run on).
These technocratic barbarians have crashed the gates, not with the brute force of vast number with swords and spears, but with brute force hacking. We wonder if the (5th century CE) Roman Emperor Honorius watching the Visigoths coming over the seventh hill truly realized that the Roman Empire was about to fall.
This isn’t simply weeding out fraud, excess in the name of efficiency and cost-cutting, it’s systematic, intentional, insidious and chaotic overtaking of our government’s payment, financial management and administrative systems. Throughout likely undermining the security protections in place, as an open invitation to less intended attacks or breaches. The implications for accountability, oversight and public trust in our democratic systems of checks and balances, are vast and suggest staggering multi-generational damage. A remaking of the country in imagination of a few, the “unfounding fathers”. These technocratic barbarians have crashed the gates of the systems holding sensitive about each of us.
It feels chaotic, but how destructive is it really? I’m reminded of comedian John Mulaney’s bit a few years back, “There’s a horse in the Hospital”, mucking about and causing messes, merely confused, inept and relatively benign. No one knows what the horse is going to do next. But this time, it’s not horses in hospitals, its velociraptors in the Treasury. Velociraptors, featured prominently in the Jurassic Park films, are highly intelligent problem-solvers with vicious, destructive intentions and actions. Sound familiar? In the movies, these are fictionalized, amalgamated versions of prehistoric creatures. The invaders into U.S. financial systems are very real, but no less destructive. What conclusions – correct or faulty – might analysis of these data sets prompt? The actual problems and damage remain less understandable, visible and difficult to calculate. Ongoing, persistent actions and vigilant scrutiny of such analyses, by Congress, citizens and U.S. State officials, must take place to protect our financial security and trust in public institutions. While the idea of saving democracy may feel abstract, saving the integrity of the systems and data contained and used in them in countless ways that keep our country running while proiding benefits and services for its citizens is not abstract. It is real and both our elected officials plus American citizens must advocate, protest and act. Here is where to find your elected official: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials
While we’ve been told DOGE is retreating, it’s unclear what that means in practice. It’s been reported that the executive office wishes to use the access to IRS data enabled by DOGE for unprecedented political purposes and grudges. The many actions by DOGE minions and the gaping holes created could take years to repair, rebuild and reconstruct from the damage they have caused.
The modern version of a velociraptor? It’s thought to be a much smaller in size, that of a turkey.