Well, partner, I'm here to spin you a yarn about the high-tech cowboys of the modern world, folks like ol’ Elon Musk and his posse of tech billionaires. Now, these boys have got their shiny spurs jangling all the way up in those federal agencies, makin' sure their businesses are snug as a bug in a rug.
The Modern-Day Rodeo
Since the year kicked off, over three dozen folks who know Musk, Thiel, Andreessen, and Luckey have moseyed into roles at federal agencies. It's almost like watching a cattle drive of power from Silicon Valley to Washington. I reckon these fellas' companies bagging over $6 billion in federal contracts is enough dough to buy a ranch big enough to get lost in. Heck, it’s more money than my wife’s spent on cowboy boots in her lifetime, and that’s sayin’ somethin’!
Changes in the Wind
Now, let me tell ya, when Trump galloped into office, he decided to clean house at the Office of Government Ethics faster than a prairie twister. Fired seventeen folks, including the head honcho. Didn't add a lick of extra ethics rules neither, which means folks could tip their hats and wrangle deals in their favor quicker than my ol' hound dog chasing a hare.
The Wild, Wild Influence
And then there's this here Theodore Malaska. Ol' Theo's runnin’ between SpaceX and the Federal Aviation Administration with an ethics waiver. That's like letting a fox guard the henhouse, or letting my wife guard the pie jar – you know it ain't gonna end well!
SpaceX roped in $5.9 billion from the U.S. Space Force, which is nearly enough to buy a fleet of rocket-powered horses, folks. Palantir over there is rakin' in near $376 million from Health and Human Services since 2020, as if they won every poker hand at the saloon.
Pondering the Prairie
I reckon my friend Daniel Weiner would say, “This concentration of wealth and political power is as risky as riding a bull with one hand tied.” Can't say I disagree. With government makin’ decisions to protect big ol' companies, it feels like an untamed bronco. Instead of fostering competition, it’s all about protectin' their own herd.
So, partner, as the desert sun sets on our beloved Western world, remember – just because these tech folks built a successful gizmo doesn't mean they can run the Social Security Administration. It’s like sayin’ just 'cause I ride a horse I can also herd guinea pigs—it just don’t work that way.