Deep Something

What a Real Hillsborough County Efficiency Review Would Look Like

July 28, 2026 B. John 123 Views 0 Comments program outcomes, cost shifting, public accountability, Hillsborough County DOGE, county spending, government efficiency, audit standards, budget transparency, transaction testing

This entry is in the series Hillsborough DOGE Report Analysis

The Hillsborough County DOGE report raised important questions. However, a true efficiency review must go beyond highlighting large figures. It should test transactions, compare costs, assess workloads, evaluate results, and consider the impact of service reductions.

This final essay outlines the essential elements of a comprehensive review and emphasizes that public trust relies on evidence, not headlines. The objective should be a clear, substantiated case for how each dollar will be saved, rather than the largest possible savings claim.

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The DOGE Method: Lots of Documents, Limited Testing, Very Big Numbers

July 25, 2026 B. John 127 Views 0 Comments public accountability, Hillsborough County DOGE, county spending, audit standards, government waste, taxpayer oversight, contract review, budget transparency

This entry is in the series Hillsborough DOGE Report Analysis

The Hillsborough County DOGE committee reviewed a large volume of records and announced more than $678 million in possible savings. But its own report also admits that the work involved limited due diligence, no transaction-level testing, and no independent verification.

That does not make the report useless. It does mean the public should treat it as a list of leads, questions, and proposed cuts, not as proof that hundreds of millions of dollars were wasted. A lot of documents can produce a big number. They do not automatically produce an audit.

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Real Waste, Fake Waste, and Things Republicans Just Don’t Like

July 24, 2026July 25, 2026 B. John 132 Views 0 Comments political ideology, county grants, DEI programs, nonprofit funding, government waste, film incentives, public accountability, Hillsborough County DOGE

This entry is in the series Hillsborough DOGE Report Analysis

Not every proposed cut is the same. Unused software licenses, underused vehicles, vague contracts, and weak bidding rules are real places to look for waste.

But the Hillsborough County DOGE report also targets nonprofits, equity work, community outreach, and cultural programs. In this essay, I separate genuine control problems from programs that appear to have been labeled “waste” because committee members do not like their purpose.

Political opposition is fair. Calling it financial analysis is not.

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Who Chose the Watchdogs?

July 23, 2026July 25, 2026 B. John 151 Views 0 Comments budget review, Jake Hoffman, county spending, public accountability, Hillsborough County DOGE, committee appointments, government oversight, political influence

This entry is in the series Hillsborough DOGE Report Analysis

Before accepting the Hillsborough County DOGE committee’s findings as a neutral review of county spending, it is worth asking who selected the people doing the reviewing.

The five-member panel included several people with solid professional backgrounds, but only one had clear forensic accounting credentials. At least three had strong Republican Party ties, including committee chair Jake Hoffman, a former Republican candidate and Young Republican leader.

This essay looks at how the committee was formed, how its members were chosen, and why a politically tilted advisory panel should not be treated like an independent audit team.

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They Did Not Find $678 Million in Waste

July 22, 2026July 25, 2026 B. John 137 Views 0 Comments public accountability, Hillsborough County Commission, Hillsborough County DOGE, county budget, government waste, taxpayer spending, indigent health care, budget oversight, political ideology

This entry is in the series Hillsborough DOGE Report Analysis

The Hillsborough County DOGE committee says it found roughly $678 million in potential savings. That sounds impressive, until you look at what the number actually includes: entire public programs, contract limits, fund balances, possible management changes, and spending choices committee members simply do not support.

In my latest essay, I take a closer look at the report and the difference between finding real waste and labeling any disliked program as waste. The committee may have raised some fair questions about fleet use, software licenses, contracts, and oversight. But cutting a service is not the same as making government more efficient, and a large number is not proof.

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A Speech Built on Sand. Fact-Checking the President’s Address

December 18, 2025 B. John 634 Views 0 Comments inflation data, border policy, partisan rhetoric, public accountability, democratic norms, presidential address, fact check, political misinformation, economic claims

Last night’s prime-time presidential address was sold as a report to the nation. What it delivered was more like a campaign rally with a White House backdrop.

We were told inflation has been “stopped,” prices are “coming down fast,” the border is “fully secure,” wars have been ended, and the economy is suddenly the hottest in the world. The problem is that many of these claims aren’t true, and others are so exaggerated that they lose all contact with reality. Public data on inflation, jobs, migration, and global conflicts tell a far more complicated story than the one presented on screen.

The speech also leaned heavily into partisan attacks, repeatedly blaming Democrats and President Biden while offering little effort to speak to the country as a whole. Even new announcements, such as a promised cash payment to service members, were floated without any explanation of their legality or funding. Symbolism replaced substance. Confidence stood in for evidence.