Have you seen Elon Musk's recent interview with Joe Rogan? It is eye-opening, diving into what the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, uncovered in just over a month and ten days. And trust me, it is not pretty. Musk shared a jaw-dropping revelation about the U.S. Treasury: its outgoing payment systems had not been checked, audited, or overseen by an elected official or outsider since 1945, maybe even earlier. That is nearly 80 years of unmonitored cash--5 trillion dollars flowing out without any proof it was approved by Congress or authorized properly.

Musk explained that DOGE stepped in and fixed this, forcing the systems to follow standard business accounting rules. He estimates this single change could save 100 billion dollars. But here is the kicker: the old system had a bizarre flaw. It was easier to keep paying everyone--individuals, charities, companies--than to deal with the hassle of cutting anyone off, even if they protested. With unlimited money flowing and no one caring if it was spent wisely, or professionals stopping leaks, this could have gone on forever until the government went bankrupt. It would have, too, but for the Trump administration's demand for change.

For the first time since World War II, the Treasury now has a fiscal assistant secretary not picked from the bureaucracy's ranks. Over 85 years, only 15 people held this job, all insiders. This shift is huge, but turning it into a transparent system will take time. It does not help that federal judges are issuing panicked orders against DOGE, blocking access to some departments. Those legal battles are ongoing.

Musk admitted tackling waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government is the toughest challenge he has faced--bigger than SpaceX or Tesla. He is learning fast, but sounded frustrated and exhausted, not beaten, just overwhelmed by the scale. It is truly hard to imagine how massive this problem is. We might as well brace ourselves--this will not be fixed overnight. DOGE has barely scratched the surface, making recommendations under executive orders, but the plan, years in the making before the inauguration, is brilliant, breaking through decades of barriers between leaders and government operations. It is unprecedented since the war, but the results will take years to show.

Think about the secrecy around government money--payments going out, funds coming in. It is terrifying, sparking fear and dread about what is hidden behind closed doors. With trust in government at rock bottom, many people instinctively feel the whole system is a scam. Musk's findings confirm that suspicion.

He also shed light on nonprofits, or NGOs internationally, revealing a bizarre twist: many are funded by the government itself, which sounds contradictory. After all, you cannot have a government-funded non-government group, but that is precisely the point. Musk said NGOs emerged as a way for government to achieve goals it could not legally do directly, like censorship or meddling in elections. It is shocking this has gone on so long.

Another bombshell? Personnel issues. Last week, the Office of Personnel Management emailed all federal workers, asking them to list five things they did recently. One million replied, but over a million did not bother or missed it. A few days later, we learned why: DOGE suspected many on the payroll either do not exist or pretend to work. Now, a second email cross-checks responses. It is a good bet that only half will reply again--the same half. This will help the administration decide how to cut the payroll, maybe by 10 percent or maybe 50 percent. We just have to see.

These revelations shock us--how could the public tolerate such waste, fraud, and abuse for decades? Many are not new, but before, no one could do much. Politicians and voters had given up hope of fixing it. Now, there is hope, pent up for years, unleashed by today’s counterrevolutionary push. The big demand? Government should live by the same rules as us. That is not too much to ask, but most stopped asking long ago.

Today, statecraft’s curtain is lifting. A recent meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump, and J.D. Vance drew lots of attention on details, but the bigger picture matters. For over a century, diplomacy and government hid behind a fog of mystery, convincing us magical, untouchable powers were at work, beyond our grasp. That ended in the Oval Office, where we saw a raw, human drama--emotions, egos, anger--play out publicly, demystifying it all suddenly. That is the real breakthrough.

This ties to a broader push for transparency--budgets, payrolls, nonprofits, agencies, international deals. Right now, our ideological or philosophical differences matter less than knowing what is really happening behind closed doors. Until we see the books and hear the talks, we cannot debate what government should be. Until we are sure democracy puts people in charge, those differences pale compared to simply discovering what is going on behind the scenes.

So far, this administration’s biggest win is opening up, revealing, and demanding accountability for what has been hidden our entire lives. There is a long road ahead, and it will not be easy. Many want to keep state affairs veiled. We have made progress, maybe less than 50 percent but more than 0.5 percent. We will not know the full distance until we see it all. That is the job now, cleaning up and making government transparent. With just four years, if it works, it will be legendary.