Pascarella Multimedia

Is DOGE improving efficiency and reducing waste in the government? No. And before I discuss why not, let’s understand the definition of efficiency in concept and in practice.

First, efficiency is measured like an equation – it requires a stated and expected outcome – the constant. And the variables are the resources and processes applied to obtain that outcome. Here’s an example; an automobile needs to get you to a destination. That automobile requires resources, including initial cost, fuel, maintenance, repairs – the combined costs of reaching your stated outcome. But, the objective remains static – you still need to get to work. Consider Miles-Per-Gallon. in order to measure MPG efficiency, the “Miles” part needs to stay constant and the variable becomes the gallons needed to obtain the mileage outcome. You can reverse these, but clearly the objective is never to just put a gallon in your tank and then see how far you get. If you want to increase efficiency, you attempt to reduce the resources needed to obtain the objective. That is NOT what is happening at DOGE – they are changing (or removing) the desired outcome, dismantling the equation, and claiming that the resulting reduction of cost is increased efficiency. Whether you support what they are doing or not, the“E” in DOGE is a mischaracterization that the American public is being asked to believe. Don’t fall for it.

From Manchester, NH to Cambridge, MA – my go-to place of inspiration, is about an hour by car.  The drive passed by quickly thanks to a phone conversation with my son. And now I’m here – French Roast in cup, croissant in it’s temporary brown bag – it’s time to tap into the 1369 Cafe well of artistic waters and transform them into my own. So familiar, the sounds of alternative punk and progressive anger sprinkled with an angelic voice. The scent of brewing coffee and about 20 people who have chosen to be alone in a group setting. Perfect.

Tapping into creative waters can be difficult enough. We’re often trying to extract music, prose, photography, etc. from what sometimes feels like a muddy, or even dry, stream. So it’s a brilliant feat of magic when we can see our inspirations and artistic ideas come to fruition. But what happens next can determine whether we create art, or turn away from it.

As artists, we often have the desire to share our art – sometimes to get feedback or an opinion from someone we trust, or someone whose perspective we value. Whereas there’s nothing wrong with asking for feedback, how many times have we shifted our creative process, approach to the piece, or even abandoned it altogether when that feedback is negative? In that case, we have taken our highly personal statement and convictions and replaced it with a desire to please. Or worse yet, that feedback made us stop believing in our original artistic idea. Great art can be reflective of many things, but we must not allow it to be so fragile that it can’t survive a critical blow. Some of the most successful artists had to endure reviews and critics calling their art “bad” or worse. If the extremely successful band Black Sabbath listened to their nay-sayers, they might have never left Birmingham.

We are reluctantly evolving beings. Creatures of habit. But, there comes a time, even with the most stubborn among us, to shift gears and turn the wheel. Sometimes, that new direction feels dramatic and revolutionary – into unfamiliar and uncertain territory. Other times, the change is subtle and feels almost “corrective” – like staying in your lane. And, of course, there are all points in-between.  For me, I felt the need to re-invent myself. Nothing major, just a slight update . . . Mike Pascarella 2.0, if you will. Cool, right? Well, sometimes new versions attempting to fix bugs and introduce features can introduce new bugs – or worse yet – crash the entire system.