For a gas turbine, this is relatively simple-- how much electrical power do I generate per unit of fuel? Generally speaking there's only one output to measure. But can the purpose of government be distilled down into one parameter?
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Sure it can, but not in most circumstances. The purpose of government is purely a value judgement. I pay my taxes, and I expect a certain set of services in return. Someone a few States away, or even my neighbor, may expect a different set of services.
Someone might desire only one output from their government-- for example. A crime rate at zero, or a maximal GDP. But that strains the imagination. Generally we expect more than a few outcomes from our government.
But returning to "Government Efficiency," it will be impossible for the American public to ascertain the success of the DOGE unless the terms are defined.
While ideally these terms would be defined now, at the outset of this wide-reaching effort, allowing Americans to guide its progress, it may be that we'll have to divine them ourselves, as we look back at what has been slashed and burned.
One can only surmise what the favored priorities will be. It's already clear what is not the priority-- for example, foreign aid and the mutual goodwill that presumably comes with it.
Come 2026, we will each need to assess, as certain government outputs plummet, whether the gains elsewhere and presumably the reduction in inputs result in a net gain under our own personal laws of "government efficiency."
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