To the editor:

Elon Musk, (Remember him?) was notoriously charged with ferreting out the waste, fraud, and abuse in our federal government. Along the way Elon and his DOGE team with the blessings from the Oval Office threw out the baby with the bath water, and our country is only beginning to feel the ill effects of the willy-nilly, chainsawed, deep cuts into our democracy.

(Guess whose favorite absentee, “Where’s Waldo” District 1, U.S. rep joined the DOGE caucus in 2024…)

In considering the waste in Republican’s repetitious mantra, I’m reminded of the saying attributed to either George Bernard Shaw or Oscar Wilde: “What a pity it is that so much youth is wasted on the young.” I’d parody that to say, “What a pity it is that so much is wasted by the geriatric delinquents dismantling our democracy.”

The fraud and abuse that tag along with waste can be seen as antecedents when considering the administration’s own fraud, waste, and abuse. Another parody of the Shaw/Wilde quotation could be: Wealth is wasted on the rich. It causes social division and neglects the public’s needs. Concentration of wealth among the rich is criticized as wasteful. It fuels social inequality and societal anxiety rather than allowing for widespread prosperity.

Does this sound familiar? It’s Reaganomics 101. It’s been disproven to be an effective trickle-down strategy to encourage economic growth. Still 47 sees it as a viable strategy, especially since it enriches the 5% of the population, which has bought its way into the White House’s good graces.

The fraud — the president is supposed to be the president for all Americans.

The abuse — The president usurped Congressional power to start a war on speculation.

The waste — Money for vital needs of Americans is financing Trump’s War. (He likes his name on things.)

To paraphrase, the president is fraudulently abusing his presidential powers to waste taxpayers’ money. Fraud, waste, and abuse.

We need a New Deal: FDR — fairness, decency and respect.

Republicans, look up those words.

Keith R. Klawitter

Morgan