New ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ is Musk’s latest hustle

In May of 2021 Elon Musk hosted the long running skit comedy show, Saturday Night Live. One of the sketches included Musk appearing on the Weekend Update segment as the shows fictional Crypto currency expert, Lloyd Ostertag.

The premise highlighted the opacity of cryptocurrency, dubious origins and fungible understanding of the value and convertibility of the asset. Co-anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che questioned Musk, seeking answers to these questions regarding Dogecoin. While the much of the exchange was scripted, raucous audience reaction followed whenever Musk included the prefix Doge when opining on the subject of Crypto.

Why? Musk labeled himself “Dogefather” and has played a role in hyping Dogecoin and cryptocurrency in general.

Fast forward to this week when the new administration appointed Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a new commission, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) designed to root out government waste and lead to a reported $2 trillion in savings. Proposals include ending the Department of Education as well as mind-boggling changes to the Internal Revenue Service.

Oh, and Musk’s final answer to Jost and Che on what is Crypto and Dogecoin? “It’s a “hustle.”

The DOGE … a hustle indeed.

Pat O’Malley

Cedar Rapids