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Tag: Government Efficiency

DOGE flags $370B in waste: Social Security purges 12.3M phantom accounts aged 120+
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Approved, Breitbart, National

DOGE flags $370B in waste: Social Security purges 12.3M phantom accounts aged 120+

By Hannah Knudsen | Breitbart Social Security has removed from its rolls 12.3 million individuals listed as 120 years old or older, according to the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The discrepancies in the Social Security figures and the alarming ages of some of the individuals listed have garnered national attention over the last several months. As a result, in March DOGE began to update the American people on the massive cleanup begun by Social Security. In a March 18 update, DOGE said Social Security had marked 3.2 million social security number holders aged 120 or older as deceased, warning that there was still more work to be done. https://twitter.com/DOGE/status/1901882509463630073 Over one month later, on April 24, DOGE provided another update, reve...
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Minary: Common principles of Conservatism and why they matter in Colorado
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Minary: Common principles of Conservatism and why they matter in Colorado

By Russ Minary | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice The majority of Coloradans have become disengaged and disillusioned with Party politics and rhetoric, for good reasons. Both major parties, R and D, have lost their way. So, the largest bloc of voters in CO is now “Unaffiliated.” In political discussions, we often use ‘labels’ to describe ourselves and others. These labels include terms like Republican, Democrat, Moderate, Right, Left, Liberal and Conservative. Unfortunately, if you ask 10 people to define exactly what their own political label means, only one can do it with any clarity. That leads very quickly to stereotyping, misunderstandings and disagreement. Rather than listening, we talk over, rather than with, each other. For the record, I am a Constitutional Conservat...
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Cole: Bureaucracy is crushing the people SSDI was meant to help
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Approved, Commentary, National, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Cole: Bureaucracy is crushing the people SSDI was meant to help

By Shaina Cole | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice When my mom applied for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) in the ‘90s, it was a grueling multi-year ordeal that left her feeling invisible. She was sick, unable to work, and the wait for help stretched across years, each one heavier than the last.  Now, a loved one who applied for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) in August 2024 is still waiting for an initial decision, caught in the same slow grind. The SSDI system, meant to be a lifeline, feels like a treadmill you can’t step off—exhausting, endless, and indifferent to the people it’s supposed to lift up. The numbers paint a stark picture.  On average, it takes about 7.5 months—roughly 225 days—to get a decision on an initial SSDI application, accord...
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Treta: Denver’s broken permitting system is driving up housing costs—and it’s time to fix it
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Commentary, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories

Treta: Denver’s broken permitting system is driving up housing costs—and it’s time to fix it

By Robert Treta | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice I’ve been designing and building homes in Denver for 28 years. I pulled my first permit in 1997—for a small room addition on a house. It took one day. One. That kind of efficiency used to be the norm. Permitting was straightforward, business-friendly, and a basic example of how local government should work. But over the past two decades, I’ve watched the city’s permit approval process become increasingly bloated, inefficient, and damaging—not just to builders like me, but to every Denverite who rents or buys a home. This problem isn’t new. Denver’s permit delays became a real issue as far back as 2007, when the wait time for a standard permit grew to four months. Now, in 2024, the average wait time is 385 days. That’s more t...
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DOGE sparks international government efficiency push
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AMAC, Approved, National

DOGE sparks international government efficiency push

By Amac The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has taken Washington D.C. by storm, dominating the news cycle and discussions on Capitol Hill. But the impact of President Donald Trump’s waste-cutting initiative may soon be felt internationally as well. Reducing the size and power of government bureaucracies has become an increasingly popular trend among global conservatives in recent years, a phenomenon perhaps most colorfully displayed by Argentine President Javier Milei. During his captivating run for office in 2023, Milei famously used a chainsaw as a metaphor for what he planned to do to his country’s bloated bureaucracy. But while Milei became an internet sensation and invigorated conservatives, it is Trump’s war on “waste, fraud, and abuse” that is leading the way. As...
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