Cassie Craven:  DOGE Dividends and Property Taxes Have a Lot in Common

The political world is rumbling about a possible “DOGE Dividend.” The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk and his crew flooded the national news this week. 

A Congressional hearing delved into the gory details of the waste of your tax dollars. Now people in the President’s ear are proposing a DOGE Dividend be provided to households across our country, to remedy the theft our government committed against us through the waste and misuse of our tax dollars. DOGE is targeting $2 trillion in total savings. 

Some are suggesting that 20% of the savings be returned to the 79 million U.S. households as a tax refund. The funding of foreign boondoggles in lieu of caring for our citizens at home seems to warrant a refund to me. 

“We’ve made more progress in three weeks than they have in four years,” said President Trump in a Tuesday news conference. 

But proponents don’t want this to be a handout. In fact, they point out that 7 million working-age men are unemployed. The DOGE Dividend would hypothetically be paid to net-payers of federal income tax. This would incentivize folks to re-enter the workforce. 

Perhaps Wyoming could adopt the model. While we may not be funding sex changes in Guatemala, we have taken millions in property taxes just to dump it into reserves. 

The government talking heads claim this is required to save for a rainy day, but I wonder if it should be allowed. Wyoming Statute 16-4-125(c) says, “The amount of estimated revenue from property tax required by the budget shall constitute the basis for determination of the property tax to be levied.”

In a committee meeting awhile back, a Cheyenne representative pointed out that Laramie County collected $32 million in property taxes and put every penny in reserves in 2022-2023.

In short, the government gets to save for a rainy day while you can’t afford to pay your debt or save for your own rainy day. Maybe Wyomingites deserve some money back too. How can reserves be a part of the “budget” as required by Wyoming Statute 16-4-125(c)? This doesn’t feel right. 

Property tax was the hot topic at the Freedom Caucus town hall on Monday. The Legislature has failed to provide property tax reform for years.

Rep. Tony Locke R-Casper, spoke about House conservatives attempting to add backfills for counties while cutting property taxes for citizens. Conservatives do not want cuts to law enforcement and first responders. Locke said, adding, “We should leave some money on some kitchen tables.” 

The big question mark is what Gov. Mark Gordon is willing to support. He vetoed a similar exemption last year, with a backfill. 

But, if the governor doesn’t like a backfill, he can line-item veto it. There is some perception that Gordon thought it was “socialist” to use other people’s money to cover the cost. Weird he doesn’t care about that when it comes to corporate welfare and green new deals for Wyoming.

Gov. Ron DeSantis in Florida recently voiced a stance against property taxes as being “immoral” because charging people taxes on unearned capital gains makes no sense. 

Locke elaborated, saying, “They haven’t sold it and we already stole it.” 

The Chairman of Appropriations and leader of the Freedom Caucus, Rep. John Bear, R-Gillette, brought an amendment to the budget bill to give a $72 million backfill for special districts and “hardship counties” in Wyoming. This will ensure that the people who could see a reduction in tax can be taken care of. This amendment in the budget already passed the House. 

There are only about five people in the state Capitol that understand where the money comes from and goes to. “That’s just wrong,” Bear said in a PBS interview. 

Bear is a Navy veteran, worked in leadership in the Fortune 500 world, and owned his own business. 

“Decentralizing power requires open minds and a willingness to listen to govern for the people, by the people,” Bear said once. 

We should all be more interested in the game of improving, not proving. That’s an admirable goal for Left, Right and Center. The government doesn’t get to “save” while the common man cannot. Times are tough but we are tougher, and I have a feeling we are starting to turn a corner toward transparency and economic freedom. 

Cassie Craven can be reached at: ccraven.law@gmail.com