More money doesn’t solve all problems*.
I’ve been thinking about this in the aftermath of Trump’s DOGE firings, budget cuts, department reorganizations, and funding cancellations.
Almost every day, the news includes interviews with someone whose job, department, or program has been impacted. I think of these as “the sob stories”. These reports use hyperbole and heart tugging anecdotes of people affected to appeal to our emotions and position the actions as inhumane with devastating consequences.
They might be. Sometimes.
Especially for those personally affected.
I get it. When your own paycheck is on the line it is devastating.
As I listened to these news stories, I also learned about nonprofits, research studies, training programs, and educational/outreach organizations that sounded to me like a bad use of taxpayer dollars.
Some duplicated efforts I know other organizations were already handling. Some were downright silly. Some sounded like “nice to haves” vs. “need to haves.” Others sounded like studies for the purpose of paying researchers with no valuable deliverables.
Many clearly have not the solved the problems they were purported to be addressing. Programs addressing homelessness, drug addiction, education, affordable housing and crime have spent lots of money for years (and always say they need more) – yet they have had minimal impact in solving the problems. There might be a better way – for example see my suggestion for prisoner rehab.
If more money solved these problems, then why aren’t things getting better?
It’s time to try something different than throwing money at problems. Even if those affected don’t want to they are now presented with a different set of choices:
- Address the problems with less money.
- Find new sources of money and keep doing what you’ve always done.
- Quit.
It’s like real life. When you lose your job, have a salary cut or are directly impacted by something outside of your control, you have to make changes too.
*Sometimes more money does solve problems, obviously. I’m not an idiot.