Letter to the editor: The sky is not falling

Many people and some media outlets are running around saying the sky is falling. They are in a tizzy because DOGE and Elon Musk are examining records and making “illegal” cuts. One reason given is that DOGE and Musk haven’t been elected. There are 2.3 million civilian government workers looking at data and files every day, and none have been elected. DOGE and Musk are legally appointed.

Many people are drawing conclusions without having the facts. They have little or no knowledge of the project and its benefits. Likewise, most have no knowledge what the eliminated employees did, or the criticality of their roles.

The real problem facing the U.S. is debt, and taxes alone can’t address it. The fiscal year 2025 budget is over $6 trillion with a projected deficit of $1.8 trillion. This deficit will be added to the existing $36 trillion debt. We must reduce spending. Examples of reckless/stupid spending have always been identified, with little being done. Worse is that our entitlements are unsustainable. Much of it is caused by billions of dollars in fraud. Now that something is being done, people are screaming. Notice that many of the loudest are politicians and people who stand to lose something.

It’s understandable that people are upset and complain when cuts impact them. Whenever budgets or tax laws change, some will benefit and some will be hurt. You can’t please everyone, nor do everything everyone wants. However, if we do not reduce spending by a significant amount, the sky really will be falling.

Tom Cerra

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