Am I Smarter Than Elon Musk?

Obviously, this question is a joke. But this not so funny thought kept nagging me: How did Elon possibly think he could make a difference? Even I knew, deep down, that nothing would really change.

Clearly, Elon is a highly intelligent individual, surrounded by people in power, la crème de la crème. When he started to criticize the Democrats, I was delighted. Finally, someone was saying what needed to be said. But then he went far right and, well, you know the rest.

I was skeptical from the beginning, thinking: There’s no way he actually believes anything will really change. He can’t be that naïve. Anyone who pays attention to politics understands that campaigning is just that: empty promises, showboating, and pulling Americans apart.

Then I figured, well, he and his companies stand to gain a lot if he’s on the winning side, right? I mean, anyone playing at those stakes is looking out for number one. There are no more public servants.

Elon often criticized government inefficiency. Coincidentally, in 2025, the Biden administration created DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, to save billions. And when Trump won, Elon loudly aligned himself with it, touting its potential to streamline spending and piss off entrenched bureaucrats. He didn’t run DOGE, but he sure made himself its unofficial mascot.

But now he’s pissed. He no longer loves Trump, and he hates his “Big Beautiful Bill,” which, by some estimates, adds $3.4 to $4.0 trillion to federal deficits over the next 10 years.

It’s just more of the same. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer. In this so-called great country, we can’t even boast excellent public schools, free healthcare, or high speed trains. So where exactly does the money go? I’m no economist, just an observer. I don’t have the answers, and I doubt I’ll ever see real change in my lifetime. It doesn’t matter whether the ruling party is pro-life or pro-trans, these are just social issues, the carrots they dangle every four years.

So, is there any real solution?

Now, the Musk-Trump bromance is over. But Elon isn’t done. He’s threatening to create a new party: the America Party. Sounds good, until it’s time to elect officials and the money starts to pour in. The real money. Not the people’s donations. No, no—don’t be silly. That’s just a drop in the bucket. I’m talking corporate money. Lobbyist money.

Personally, I’ve switched parties more times than I can count. I have an equal disdain for both sides.

When we’re ostracized for criticizing our own party, or when we switch parties, what do we really solve? Can the answer be as simple as a new party? I have my doubts.

How do we, everyday Americans, begin to understand that we have more in common than our politicians want us to believe?

How do we learn that the fight isn’t with each other…

It’s with the powers that be?

And once we know that, truly know it, how do we take that knowledge and turn it into real change?