GSA Eliminates 18F • Hacker News Board

Re: GSA Eliminates 18F

#201

Post by Arainach » Sat, Mar 01, 2025, 8:55 PM UTC

dingnuts wrote: post #107

vkou wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It absolutely believes in a federal government. It just does not believe in a federal government that it is not in control of.

who, exactly, is in control of independent agencies if Congress never corrects their power and the Executive isn't in charge? For example: the perennial fight over "net neutrality" was because Congress absconded their duty to write regulation and handed it off to the Executive to figure out in a vague way that allowed for flip flopping policies with the force of law every time the administration changed. You know wha…

With the exception of a few days (which don't really count because of a sick Senator Kennedy and spineless moderate conservativeJoe Lieberman), the Democrats haven't had a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate in many, many decades.

Re: GSA Eliminates 18F

#202

Post by ronbenton » Sat, Mar 01, 2025, 8:55 PM UTC

jcgrillo wrote: post #165

IIRC these organizations were originally formed in reaction to how badly contractors screwed up the original healthcare.gov rollout? So if the idea is to replace them with a private sector contract who gets it? Palantir?

Probably one of Elon’s companies

Re: GSA Eliminates 18F

#203

Post by QIYGT » Sat, Mar 01, 2025, 8:56 PM UTC

stouset wrote: post #81

Reason077 wrote: post #41

Amazing how the idea of being able to file tax returns online, without paying for a commercial service to do it, is considered far-left extremism in the US. You’d think that simplifying tax returns and reducing costs in the taxation system would be something the right could get behind?

The right wants everything related to taxes to be as difficult and painful as possible, in the hopes it will encourage the government to lower them.

The complexity is also what allows loopholes to exist for rich people.

Re: GSA Eliminates 18F

#204

Post by recursive » Sat, Mar 01, 2025, 8:59 PM UTC

acdha wrote: post #144

kccqzy wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have heard of this argument many times but it doesn't make sense to me. Most often, the ways to lower taxes come from things like finding new deductions and credits that you didn't know apply to you. This is what the difficult part is. Otherwise, taxes are simple if you just have some W-2 and 1099-INT or 1099-DIV, and claim the standard deduction. Indeed if taxes are too difficult or painful, a reasonable person wo…

Taxes aren’t hard but people have been encouraged to talk about it like it’s a colonoscopy by Roto-rooter. Someone can have all W-2 income and only take the standard deduction, but thanks to that messaging they’ll act like filing your own taxes is incredibly dangerous with a high chance of ruining you for life (I know someone whose parent worked for the IRS as an auditor and they noted that many people ended up neutr…

The reason I think taxes are hard isn't because of messaging. I might be an idiot, but it's because of an experience I had years ago where I was trying to follow the rules and pay taxes on some contracting income. I screwed something up. I ended up corresponding with the IRS dozens of times. Somehow I had recorded some income that never happened. I think I spent more time writing letters than I spent on the contract project. To this day I'm scared of contacting.

Re: GSA Eliminates 18F

#205

Post by throwawaygovie » Sat, Mar 01, 2025, 9:00 PM UTC

stefankuehnel wrote: post #186

Is it possible that the 18F website is no longer available? It doesn't seem to work anymore: https://18f.gsa.gov

It was taken down. In general, 18F’s open source work was in the public domain, though, and I know there have been efforts to archive it recently.

Additionally, it looks like some of 18F’s public guides are still available (e.g. the “Derisking” guide, which is all about how to structure your IT projects to be less likely to fail spectacularly: https://guides.18f.gov/derisking/)

Re: GSA Eliminates 18F

#206

Post by thelastgallon » Sat, Mar 01, 2025, 9:01 PM UTC

jedberg wrote: post #130

Reason077 wrote: post #41

Amazing how the idea of being able to file tax returns online, without paying for a commercial service to do it, is considered far-left extremism in the US. You’d think that simplifying tax returns and reducing costs in the taxation system would be something the right could get behind?

They claim that if the government could calculate taxes for you, then it would be too easy for the left to add new taxes that you wouldn't notice. The real kicker of course is that if you don't file your taxes, they actually do calculate your taxes for you, and send you a bill. It just includes the non-payment penalty and doesn't include donations.

Then the right thing to do would be to remove tax deduction at source from payroll. People will notice how much they are paying in taxes when they have to write a check every month to the government and start asking questions.

For most people, taxes are more than the next 3 biggest expenses.

Re: GSA Eliminates 18F

#207

Post by Aloisius » Sat, Mar 01, 2025, 9:06 PM UTC

jedberg wrote: post #192

WorkerBee28474 wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why on earth would I say that?

That's what your comment implies. That taxes are being hidden because they aren't on the price tag.

Or not on the receipt.

Re: GSA Eliminates 18F

#208

Post by recursive » Sat, Mar 01, 2025, 9:09 PM UTC

gigatexal wrote: post #188

gigatexal wrote: post #142

We need to help our 18F friends find work and get back on their feet. Open up your teams, your HR hiring processes, and let’s help these folks.

Who would downvote this?

Someone who thinks it's off topic or doesn't contribute I guess.

Re: GSA Eliminates 18F

#209

Post by faitswulff » Sat, Mar 01, 2025, 9:13 PM UTC

physhster wrote: post #168

vvpan wrote: post #162

New York Times wrote [1] a pretty extensive expose on how the government takeover has happened. Basically Musk started infiltrating the government with his agents a couple of years ago so by the time inauguration happened he had access to all the passwords. I am not sure which laws were broken but if they were I hope the administration that comes in 2029 will not overlook these people's contribution. [1] https://arch…

It's somewhat interesting that the NYT acts all outraged while the refused to report on the orange guy's numerous conflicts of interest/crimes/dubious connections, and all out penchant for fascism before the election...

Can’t shill outrage without something to be outraged about

Re: GSA Eliminates 18F

#210

Post by throwawaygovie » Sat, Mar 01, 2025, 9:17 PM UTC

nashashmi wrote: post #76

I always thought that 18F would be the inspiration behind DOGE. Instead it seems to have become the opposite

18F, when it started, was viewed with suspicion by other federal agencies—here were these Silicon Valley know-it-alls, coming in to tell us how to do our jobs. So, basically DOGE.

Except: 18F spent 10 years building trust in the government. As consultants, they met their clients where they were, and acted with empathy and understanding. This is pretty much the opposite of DOGE coming into an agency and seizing control.

18F’s model was geared toward continual improvement over time (“Move slowly and fix things”). It was, I think, a model with a more long term mindset than what is going on with DOGE.