Changes! -Kayla Beebout

In 2013, the IRS was charged with targeting certain nonprofit organizations applying for tax-exempt status based on their names or political leanings.  However, when Lois Lerner, a leading official in the controversy, was called to the Capitol for an investigation, key emails relating to the scandal had disappeared.   According to her, the emails and several other important records were lost when her computer crashed in 2011.  The government has a long history of such important records and emails being “lost” through computer failures or poor record-keeping.

Of course, this can be used for the public good.  People worry constantly about the privacy and security of their computerized records and documents.  I propose that if someone is worried that their documents are going to be compromised, then that person can send them through a government server.  Then, whenever others search for the documents, they will have disappeared.  Emails detailing unsavory transactions, social media posts that the posters later regret, Internet searches; all can be conveniently lost from the servers and thus hidden from the public eye.  No longer will citizens have to worry about their information being transmitted over mass media.  No longer will they have to worry about corporations exploiting their Internet histories.  It will all have vanished.

This can benefit the government as well.  If it begins to charge a fee for sending documents through its servers to be lost, then these funds can be used to lower the national debt and fund federal programs that have suffered from recent spending cuts.  Creating new servers to run the records through and making sure the records are lost will create new government jobs, stimulating the economy.  Public trust in the government will benefit, because citizens will no longer worry about the government spying on their computer activities.

All around, I believe that this scheme will benefit the people of America to an enormous extent.  There is but one caution.  Apparently, there is some chance that these records might be recovered.  At least, the IRS emails have re-appeared, despite protests that they were permanently lost.