Staff Reports
The saga of Elon Musk battling against the bureaucratic tycoons of Washington, D.C. is a classic tale of innovation versus mediocrity. According to the New York Times, the federal government finds itself in a tug-of-war, desperately trying to utilize Musk’s genius while simultaneously attempting to rein him in. Here lies a paradox: Musk is a pillar of American progress, yet he represents a serious threat to the entrenched, dysfunctional bureaucracy that has held sway for too long.
SpaceX is shaking things up in a major way, with the company’s achievements practically dictating NASA’s launch plans. The Defense Department has become reliant on Musk to place its satellites into orbit. To sweeten the deal, federal agencies rolled out nearly $3 billion in contracts to his companies last year, showcasing how Musk’s ventures are not just thriving but are absolutely critical to national interests. Some voices have even estimated that SpaceX will be responsible for about 80% of all mass deliveries to orbit this year, utterly dwarfing China’s measly 12% and the rest of the world at just 8%, which includes giants like Boeing and Lockheed.
Belmont Club:
Excellence in the Service of Mediocrity
“How can Kamala Harris, who has not connected a single person to the internet ‘using the $42.45 billion allocated for the BEAD program,’ meaningfully supervise a man whose Starlink satellite had 4 million users worldwide?"…— Ertist (@Ertist) October 22, 2024
The New York Times, however, spins a narrative filled with fear and dread—suggesting that Musk, who has aligned himself with former President Trump, is becoming a threat to the status quo. Trump has hinted at placing Musk at the helm of a new government efficiency commission, tasked with slashing wasteful spending across federal agencies. Given how the current Democratic narrative paints Trump as a reincarnation of Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini combined, they seem to believe Musk is the next ominous figure poised to upset their carefully constructed apple cart.
Musk stands as a unique figure in the political landscape—part ally, part adversary to the tired government establishment. Controlling someone of Musk’s caliber is about as likely as a goldfish taking charge of a Komodo dragon. For instance, how can the current Vice President Kamala Harris, who has reportedly failed to connect even a single soul to the internet using funds allocated to her, effectively supervise a visionary like Musk who’s connecting millions via his Starlink satellites? This mismatch is essentially setting the Detroit Public Schools loose on genius like Einstein.
As simplicity would have it, bureaucratic systems fail miserably when tasked with governing those gifted with exceptional talents. Musk is hardly the first example; history is littered with instances of mediocre leaders trying to navigate the brilliance of true innovators. The concern here is two-fold: not only do these bureaucrats struggle with controlling Musk, but the rising tide of artificial intelligence presents an even greater challenge. Can an antiquated bureaucratic system truly wield power over something potentially smarter than itself? The reality suggests that the bureaucrats’ influence may prove untenable, as history indicates that regulatory frameworks often crumble under the pressure of creative ingenuity.
In an age of increasing complexity, the mantra should be clear—fostering multiple superintelligences is essential for humanity’s progress. The solution isn’t dousing the flames of innovation with watered-down bureaucratic red tape but rather encouraging and cultivating more individuals like Musk. The future should be a race to the summit of achievement, not a catastrophic drift into mediocrity led by wokeness and DEI initiatives that paralyze ambition and stifle the brilliant minds driving America forward. The stakes couldn’t be higher, nor the resolve any greater.
