Washington DC—One month ago no one would have dreamed citizens would defend the Internal Revenue Service. It is the one governmental agency that has probably cost most everyone more money than anything else. But on Friday afternoon a group of ordinary citizens did just that—they stood outside the IRS to defend it against the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) takeover. Several Federal employees joined the protest for an afternoon demonstration.
A few spoke over a low volume sound system about how DOGE was creating the government crisis and the cascading effects it would have on everyone. They sang songs and held signs and a few police showed up from the Federal Protective Service, the agency overseeing the security around Federal buildings in Washington DC. The demonstration was much less of a threat to the security of the IRS than presently being posed by the DOGE infiltrators taking down and shutting Federal agencies.
Above the demonstrators, at the base of the ionic columns of the towering IRS edifice is the inscription, “Taxes are what we pay for a civilized society—Oliver Wendel Holmes.” It is somewhat difficult to read because of dark runoff soot from auto exhaust had blackened some of the words. The building has lost is once white alabaster finish because it has not been jet cleaned in some time.
In ordinary times past it would have been easy to scoff at Holmes’ words because no one wants 25% of their wages to be taken from the top, and to pay another sales tax on the leftover earnings for goods and services.
These are no longer ordinary times. And Holmes’ inscribed wisdom should give one pause to ponder the true value and the cost of a functioning government and whether they should want to pay for it.
As the infrastructure of government order is taken down by a handful of Musk’s unvetted corporate raiders and hackers, and the government services on which every American relies ceases, the true value and cost will become much more clear.
One Federal employee who spoke, wore sunglasses and a hat, to cover their face. They said that much of what the Trump-Musk regime is saying about Federal workers is false. They expected to be fired any day now. They urged the public to take a stand against the agency takeovers if they still wanted to have a functioning government.
Regarding the rumors started by Trump-Musk that Federal jobs are easy and Federal workers don’t work, they said it took them six months to get hired and six months to pass security credentialing. DOGE “special government employees” walked in with security clearances or badges. The ITS was not the most beloved agency but workers have paid a lot in taxes while billionaires like Elon Musk have paid none.
Elon Musk Not Beholden to Any Civil Society
Elon Musk’s electric vehicle car company Tesla grossed $2.3 billion in 2024, yet his company paid no taxes last year. It paid no taxes in the years before that either. The same applies to his rocket company SpaceX. Most of his $403 billion wealth is tied up in his car company Tesla and his rocket company SpaceX. But because he pays no taxes he has no stake in the civil society working Americans pay for.
DOGE continues to run amok through the federal government, its latest target is the IRS. DOGE fired 7,000 federal employees, most of them hired in the last year. These layoffs come during tax season which is the busiest time of the year for the IRS.
Trump’s chief economic advisors say that the number of IRS employees fired could be as many as 35,000. There were 90,000 workers across the country prior to the layoffs.
Axing so many employees could impact millions of taxpayers. The deadline for filing tax returns is April 15, but disruptions are expected.
Saturday, February 22, grass roots protests will continue outside Musks Tesla dealerships across the country.
