Recently I sent noted Economist Stephen Moore my thoughts regarding the new department in the Trump Administration, the Department of Government Waste (DOGE).
Those thoughts are on how exactly DOGE can drain the swamp — and save big bucks.
I outlined how I spent eight years as Chairman of the Palm Tran Services Board, an unpaid advisory board for the public bus transportation system in Palm Beach County, Florida.
Yes, that Palm Beach County. "Trumpland."
One of the first things I learned was: Buses are free.
We bought them regularly; never paying a cent.
How does that happen?
The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) pays for all local buses, nationally.
Our Palm Tran buses never left our county. They certainly never left the state.
This means, it’s a totally local system. Again, the feds bought our buses.
The feds buy everybody’s buses They’re all "free."
If we want to save untold billions every year, have local governments pay for their own buses. We’ll have fewer bus systems and fewer buses in the remaining systems.
The price of buses will fall, and the maintenance will improve as the life of each bus gets extended. Why? Because every community would be paying its own way.
Some of our Palm Tran buses are used to connect to Tri-Rail, our regional train service.
Tri-Rail services three South Florida counties, Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade. The system covers 80 miles.
The fares are based on distance covered and can be $110 per month, for regular commuters. Again, these trains go nowhere else and do nothing else.
Who pays for the trains?
You do. That’s right.
The federal government pays the whole freight. (Pun intended).
And, in our upside-down world, Uncle Sam will only pay if you buy more train cars and provide more frequent service than the market requires.
So, all day long we have mostly or completely empty trains going back and forth between Miami and West Palm Beach.
The total federal subsidies amount to more than $100 per boarding.
In other words, a typical roundtrip runs about $5 for the commuter and $200 for the taxpayers. Did I mention that we have a private rail system that goes from Miami to Orlando?
Brightline.
It’s totally free for the taxpayers and fully paid for by the users. Yes, Brightline has higher fares than Tri-Rail. And, if there are commuters who simply can’t affords the private ride, remember, this is South Florida.
We have non-profits everywhere. Maybe we’ll have another one.
And, once we’re talking serious rail, the possibilities are endless.
Many Democrats lobbied President Biden to release additional billions for California’s train to nowhere.
Trust me, if California was responsible for its own trains, and couldn’t pawn the expense off on the rest of the country, the project would have never gotten off the ground.
That’s a perfect example of the need for DOGE. Indeed, every subway in the country is locally used and federally financed. The savings will be pouring out of the ceiling.
Here's the ultimate beauty of DOGE. It’s non-partisan and totally democratic.
Waste knows no party. It’s truly bipartisan.
If you’re a Democrat and you think DOGE is only for the GOP, think again.
The Department of Defense (DoD) is overflowing with $1,000 toilet seats. (Another pun intended).
And don’t forget the multi-million-dollar military base golf courses, just for generals.
You get the idea?
DOGE is a project whose time has come. Down with bureaucracies and up with citizen initiatives. Stop complaining and join the fun. Today’s government waste is tomorrow’s small business.
(Stephen Moore's Website: Steve@committeetounleashprosperity.com)
Sid Dinerstein is a former chairman of the Palm Beach County Republican Party. Read Sid Dinerstein's Reports — More Here.
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