United States Digital Service Origins
usdigitalserviceorigins.org
usdigitalserviceorigins.org
We just need it, there’s no question of the benefits and there were no negatives to speak about.
Thank you President Barack Obama! A true leader and patriot.
I am not sure it works like that. Destruction is easy, building is hard.
Meanwhile, healthcare housing and education got way more expensive and taxes for the wealthy went down.
- History of the United States public debt: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_United_States_p...
- https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2019/jul/29/tweets/rep... (2019) :
> The deficit is the difference between the money that the government makes and the money it spends. If the government spends more than it collects in revenues, then it’s running a deficit.
> The federal debt is the running total of the accumulated deficits. [Or surpluses]
"Federal Surplus or Deficit [-] (FYFSD)" https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/FYFSD#
"Federal Surplus or Deficit [-] as Percent of Gross Domestic Product (FYFSGDA188S)" https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/FYFSGDA188S
It's one certain party, and the situation is worse than that -- they don't want any of the opposing party's legislation succeed that would be recognized by the people as a good thing and make that party look good.
This is why partisan politics is a pox on the people -- loyalty to party over country is literally treason but is celebrated by party members.
We could have higher taxes on the wealthy and good healthcare. But to do that, the side that claims they want that and that they believe in "democracy" would have to not only post on Bluesky about it, they'd have to (A) vote, and (B) convince (rather than demonize) the moderates who are skeptical of them. We'll see in a while if they learned that lesson from 2024.
It stinks and we should change it, but until then one needs to do a simple weighing of options and cast a best effort ballot.
Really appreciate the 14 mentions of GDS and acknowledgment of the inspiration.
(The older but poorer cousin gets ahead of the younger, richer cousin for a change ;)
The reality is that the average american doesn't give a shit about the machines. They want better lives and they haven't gotten that for a long time. Talk to some old guy at a diner about why they were a Democratic voter and you won't hear "The Social Security Administation got my checks on time." You'll hear about the New Deal, wage increases, and how they can retire.
[0]https://www.nextgov.com/digital-government/2025/06/direct-fi...
Not in a meaningful way for most people
> The IRS deemphasized the program on its website, the report said, and the media coverage this filing season focused on the question of if the tool existed or would continue to in the future.
> Billionaire Elon Musk caused confusion in early February when he posted on X that the team powering Direct File was “deleted,” leading to headlines like “Elon Musk says he 'deleted' IRS Direct File. Can taxpayers still use the free service?” Direct File saw a drop in use after that.
To be honest, I'm impressed there was even a 16% traffic increase this year at all.
No? It was authorized by the IRA, which was only passed in 2022.
> Given where we are now, the stat I gave, and that only a small number of people are mourning something important speak to my point?
I mean, I wouldn't expect regular users to mourn anything until tax season rolls around next year and people find the tool is missing; even still, I actually have seen a lot of people mad about this, not that it matters. And I still think 16% growth after months of reporting about it getting shut down isn't bad.
My completely unfounded theory is that the West Wing broke the brains of an entire generation of center left leaning Americans. Led them to believe that being noble and earnest brings you electoral rewards, that you should break bread with your opposition, who are fundamentally reasonable people capable of compromise.
I think Trump 2.0 might have finally finished that mindset off but good lord did it take a long time.
I was agreeing with you completely until I hit this phrase.
What Democrats have you seen "breaking bread with" their opposition? Most Democratic politicians and pundits (not saying voters) spend most of their effort on demonizing those they disagree with, on intentionally imputing the worst motives for their every opinion. If you don't support the most maximal definitions of every ideal they have, you're a bigot. If you didn't vote for Harris, you're a monster who must love Trump. etc.
The West Wing Dems could actually bring themselves to hold their noses and cut a deal with their Republicans that gave each side something important to them. To be fair, both parties now consider that practice to be basically treason.
It's the parties that are killing us.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/14/politics/joe-biden-republican...
And Schumer:
> When it happens, I am hopeful that our Republican colleagues will resume working with us. And I talk to them. One of the places is in the gym. When you’re on that bike in your shorts, panting away next to a Republican, a lot of the inhibitions come off.
https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/schumer-resign-bi...
You seem to be making the common mistake of conflating online discourse with the reality in DC. Senior Democratic politicians have openly stated time and time again that they believe their Republican friends are going to come around, that they’re going to be sane and that this is all a fever that’s going to break.
> The West Wing Dems could actually bring themselves to hold their noses and cut a deal with their Republicans
They keep doing this? Look at the Senate approvals for Trump’s appointees. Democrats voted in favor of a ton of them thinking it was the bipartisan thing to do and got absolutely nothing in return for it. It’s only a recent phenomenon that Democratic voters are actually punishing them for it.
In peril? Sure, frequently.
But the USDS, and the work they started, goes on, even today.
Interestingly, the executive order which changed USDS's name seems to consider that work important: it tasks the renamed United States DOGE Service (which is separate from the DOGE temporary organization or the DOGE agency teams, created with separate charters in the same executive order) with:
> a Software Modernization Initiative to improve the quality and efficiency of government-wide software, network infrastructure, and information technology (IT) systems.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/esta...
Whatever else you might think about DOGE or that executive order, it's interesting to note that the government tech improvement goal of the original USDS appears to have been underlined/re-emphasized, rather than crossed out, in this case.
Copied from my adjacent comment (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44208596):
The example they set, and the systems and processes they put in place, are still alive.
In peril? Sure, frequently.
But the USDS, and the work they started, goes on, even today.
EDIT: It was a joint effort between the two!