The Crime Spree at the Federal Government

If it looks like a crime spree, and it sounds like a crime spree, is it a crime spree?

Or are they (including the 19-24 year old junior engineers who’ve invaded the government for Musk) just bumbling around in a complex system that they don’t understand?I think it’s a lot worse than that.

Is it just stupid?

In a recent New York Times article, David Brooks made a distinction between stupid behaviors and low intelligence. This was in the context of the horrid steps taken in the Trump administrations first few weeks – unconstitutional executive orders, unlawful actions by an unelected hundred-billionaire, and more. These steps certainly wouldn’t make America more prosperous and free. And while it would be easy to ascribe such choices to insufficient intelligence on the part of the perpetrators, Brooks suggests that there is another factor at play – the inability (or unwillingness) to consider carefully (or at all) the consequences of their actions.

Teenagers often consider future consequences less than adults. In fact, the frontal cortex typically continues development well into the twenties, and this part of the brain’s involvement is critical to long-term planning. We could theorize that otherwise intelligent people could behave stupidly if their brain development was arrested in some way. But here we don’t need to parse between nature and nurture – regardless of the cause, the new administration’s leaders are taking actions that bode poorly for the welfare of millions of Americans.

Do they even care?

There is another factor that seems to be missing in the actions of the new government and its DOGE “advisors”: any trace of empathy. I suspect that Elon Musk knows that closing down USAID, for instance, would result in many deaths in places like the Sudan. But he apparently doesn’t care. And Donald Trump’s history, during his prior presidency and before, does not indicate any interest in the welfare of humanity in general.

What’s going on?

While I could go on with greater details about the perfidy of particular actions, the greater priority should be dealing with the apparent takeover of key government functions by Musk and his apparatchiks. They either don’t know or don’t care about the terrible consequences of interrupting the ordinary functioning of our government departments. While we can disagree about tariffs and be appalled about the Federal government micromanaging educational choices, and many other policies, ignoring the law and surrendering the Federal government to these techbro invaders is fundamental, and is essentially a coup.

As Jamelle Bouie wrote in the New York Times, “Constitutional crisis” does not even begin to capture the radicalism of what is unfolding in the federal bureaucracy and of what Congress’s decision not to act may liquidate in terms of constitutional meaning.”This must stop. How can it?

The Alarm is Sounding

it seems to me that there are twin tracks of action on this point. The first, which is starting to be visible, is a public outcry. Constituents of our representatives in Washington must make clear to Congress that this is not acceptable. As was done effectively in Arizona and elsewhere, we need to loudly point to specific stories of individual who have been hurt already.

The second is to support legal action to prod courts to enjoin Musk et al. While news outlets have slowly been providing a focus on this invasion of government departments by DOGE, I have seen relatively little about who is fighting it in court, and what can be done to help. One such suit is brief described here and here, and it appears that there has been at least a short-term victory. But I hope that other organizations will work to publicize these suits and show ways that we can help.

In the meanwhile, speak out! Contact your representatives in Congress. Let them know that they should be making laws, and not letting unelected billionaires run things (and ignore the law).

The fire alarm is sounding.