Jan. 27, 2025

Permission to republish original opeds and cartoons granted.

Efficiency Is Not Limited Government

By Rick Manning

Making the federal government more efficient is an idea whose time has come, but efficiency should not be confused with the idea of limited government. They are distinct as efficiency deals with the process of implementing the laws and policies of the federal government, while limited government is putting legal walls around what laws and policies the government passes and can enforce.

In his first term, President Donald Trump took action to streamline and upgrade federal management systems, and his creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) amplifies this effort.

The purpose statement of President Trump’s Executive Order establishing the DOGE firmly establishes the goal of making the federal government’s archaic systems more usable, manageable, and productive as it declares, “This Executive Order establishes the Department of Government Efficiency to implement the President’s DOGE Agenda, by modernizing Federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.”

Needless to say, this further empowerment and emphasis will help transform a set of moribund and incompatible federal computer and software systems.

It is astonishing that many government computing platforms still operate off of Pentium-based computer systems that were cutting edge the last time the Dallas Cowboys played in a National Football Conference championship game. 

This ancient system severely limits the federal government’s capacity to communicate between various agencies and analyze data across agency lines. Establishing a common intergovernmental communication system will cut costs and should improve the experience for Americans communicating with the federal government bureaucracy as a whole.

There are also some major cost savings opportunities that DOGE can potentially identify. Big ticket items like finding dead people who are currently collecting federal benefits or identifying the unlikely presence of hundreds of recipients who live at the same Post Office Box would finally deliver on the long staple of federal budgeting — ending waste, fraud and abuse — potentially saving taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars over time.

If allowed, it could also make certain that the fundamental one citizen-one vote principle that undergirds our election system is followed and enforceable in real-time. Accomplishing this would help reestablish trust that our nation’s election systems are honest and not rigged.

It is also hoped that DOGE will be allowed to pursue rooting out and identifying do-nothing contracts and grants so the President can end them.

But make no mistake: This is not limiting government. While it might allow some current federal and privately contracted jobs to be eliminated, limiting government is about restricting its size, scope, and reach, not how fast a phone call is returned.  

Efficient government means maximally. Managing the government that our elected leaders create through their lawmaking ultimately provides the firewall for freedom. 

This battle for limited government will not be won by achieving the admirable and necessary goal of making government work faster and, hopefully, less expensively. Winning the limited government battle will always depend on millions of citizens, Congress, the courts, and the President coming together to defend individual liberties and against federal usurpation of those rights. 

And, of course, the potential downside of new efficient computer systems and integrated government databases is that they are nothing more than a tool; just like any machine, DOGE should ensure they are secured as much as possible against cyber threats and other abuses and safeguards put in place to stop bad actors — especially bad actors in the government. Remembering the aggressive and illegal persecution of tea party groups during President Barack Obama’s time in office using tax records or the targeting of Donald Trump over the past eight years using FISA should at least give some pause about a runaway government efficiency train.

Limiting government means putting political energy and know-how to work to ensure that it stays within its legal walls. Congress’ appropriations and oversight prerogatives, along with a strongly limited government President, such as Mr. Trump, would ensure that the efficient government doesn’t later become a train that runs over civil liberties.

It is time for limited government supporters to roll up our sleeves and press ahead to encourage Congress and the White House in their fight to continue rolling back regulations and shrinking the federal government’s footprint during this unique time in history. 

While DOGE works overtime to identify and provide the information to the Trump team to stop waste, fraud, and abuse, the President’s separate hard fight for limiting government requires all of us to unwind the leviathan built over the past century.

The author is the president of Americans for Limited Government. 

To view online: https://townhall.com/columnists/rickmanning/2025/01/26/efficiency-is-not-limited-government-n2651129 

Trump’s Tariff And Travel Ban Threat Remains Undefeated As Colombia Caves And Accepts Deportees

By Robert Romano

Within hours of President Donald Trump’s threat to levy a 25 percent tariff, impose a travel ban on all Colombians including government officials and enhanced inspections on all Colombian goods shipped to the U.S. after two repatriation flights of deportees on military planes were not allowed to land, Colombia has accepted all of President Trump’s terms.

Trump informed the public on Truth Social on Jan. 26 of the situation, stating, “I was just informed that two repatriation flights from the United States, with a large number of Illegal Criminals, were not allowed to land in Colombia. This order was given by Colombia’s Socialist President Gustavo Petro, who is already very unpopular amongst his people.”

Trump said that the denial of cooperation with the U.S. threatened national security and outlined the immediate response that he would use tariffs, travel bans and sanctions: “Petro’s denial of these flights has jeopardized the National Security and Public Safety of the United States, so I have directed my Administration to immediately take the following urgent and decisive retaliatory measures… Emergency 25% tariffs on all goods coming into the United States. In one week, the 25% tariffs will be raised to 50%... A Travel Ban and immediate Visa Revocations on the Colombian Government Officials, and all Allies and Supporters… Visa Sanctions on all Party Members, Family Members, and Supporters of the Colombian Government… Enhanced Customs and Border Protection Inspections of all Colombian Nationals and Cargo on national security grounds… IEEPA Treasury, Banking and Financial Sanctions to be fully imposed.”

Trump warned, “These measures are just the beginning. We will not allow the Colombian Government to violate its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the Criminals they forced into the United States!”

And just like that, Colombia immediately caved and decided to accept the deported illegal immigrants after all, with Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo rapidly issuing a Jan. 26 statement saying, “The Government of Colombia reports that we have overcome the impasse with the Government of the United States… We will continue to receive Colombian men and women who return as deportees…”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt then immediately claimed victory in a Jan. 26 statement saying, “The Government of Colombia has agreed to all of President Trump’s terms, including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on U.S. military aircraft, without limitation or delay." 

This is Trump’s art of the deal as he continues his master class for future would-be presidents who want to be effective. The first step is to understand that the U.S. is very powerful and not to be trifled with. Good fences make good neighbors. 

Apparently, and it might have been easy to forget this during the four years of former President Joe Biden’s tenure, but the U.S. is a global superpower and unquestionably the most powerful country in the world and particularly the western hemisphere, and economically alone, has significant leverage on her neighbors that want to do trade with and otherwise have access to the U.S.

And when that leverage is wielded, as Trump continues to do, suddenly countries want to cooperate and have talks and negotiations, whether it’s over cooperating on the millions of illegal aliens that have traveled to the U.S. from these countries the past four years, international trade issues or access to waterways like the Panama Canal or icy strategic points like Greenland — key Trump sticking points that are all currently being addressed.

Trump is reasserting the 1823 Monroe Doctrine to keep foreign powers out and U.S. dominance in the Americas, especially as it relates to protecting national and economic security. 

Sometimes, as in the case of China, the tariffs come first and then the negotiations, but with other countries, Trump need only threaten to use tariffs, travel bans and other sanctions, and then relations and cooperation between the two countries are instantly improved, all by applying the same common sense that any good parent of children of understands.

On Truth Social, later on Jan. 26, Trump posted a meme of himself with a sign that read FAFO. You can look it up later.

Robert Romano is the Vice President of Public Policy at Americans for Limited Government Foundation. 

To view online: https://dailytorch.com/2025/01/trumps-tariff-and-travel-ban-threat-remains-undefeated-as-colombia-caves-and-accepts-deportees/