For God's sake, I want to hear the noise and feel the vibration of the bike!

Minister for Local Self-Government, Cohesion, and Regional Development Monika Kirbiš Rojs posted on social media platform X, expressing her belief that anything is possible as long as one is willing and healthy. She stated, “I am convinced that everything can be done if one wants it, as long as we are alive and healthy. I don’t like being told ‘no’ by someone. Boundaries are often where we place them ourselves.” Her comments resonate with the broader political discourse around fiscal austerity and government efficiency. Argentine President Javier Milei has taken a similar stance, defying advice from both domestic and international economists who warned against using “motorcycles”, a metaphor for rapid, radical reforms, fearing they would plunge the country into further crisis. Despite these warnings, Milei has pursued aggressive cuts to public spending. Two years after taking office, public expenditure has decreased by nearly 30 percent. The largest reductions have been in state investments (over 60 percent), social programs (70 percent), local transfers and subsidies, and employment within the public sector. The number of public sector workers has dropped by five-tenths, and the trend continues downward. Milei’s approach mirrors Kirbiš Rojs’ conviction that determination leads to results. In contrast, U.S. President Donald Trump, during his second term, pledged to eliminate “bureaucratic swamp,” though actual cuts to public spending have not reached the scale he envisioned due to congressional resistance. Nevertheless, he has managed to reduce bureaucratic overhead, which is now ten times smaller than under former president Joe Biden. While the United States still faces a growing national debt exceeding $40 billion, Trump’s administration has made strides toward a more streamlined federal government. Across the Atlantic, European Union institutions continue to expand their budgets and staffing. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen aims to increase the EU budget by two billion euros, representing a 60 percent rise since 2021, while expanding the workforce by 2,500 to over 35,000 employees. These increases come alongside the creation of new regulations that require implementation at the national level, effectively imposing additional burdens on member states. Critics argue this represents a form of financial exploitation, with young Europeans increasingly opting for careers in Brussels rather than starting businesses. This shift reflects a deeper disillusionment with economic opportunities in the region. Slovenia finds itself caught in this global trend. Over 70 percent of regulations affecting the country stem from its membership in the European Union, effectively limiting national sovereignty. Decisions regarding Slovenia’s lifestyle and governance are increasingly dictated by external bodies. Despite this, there remain opportunities for change. The current government has opted for a gradual reduction in public spending, increasing the budget from 17.8 billion euros under the previous administration to 19.1 billion euros by 2028. However, critics argue this approach lacks clarity, as much of the increased funding comes from unnecessary expenditures and added obligations imposed by prior governments. Radical measures, such as immediate cuts to subsidies, eliminating all state-funded investments, reducing social programs to a bare minimum, and identifying a fifth of public sector employees as technological redundancies for layoff, could yield more substantial results. Advocates argue that such drastic steps are necessary to restore fiscal discipline and reduce dependency on public funds. Yet, many claim these actions are impractical. Nonetheless, the sentiment expressed by Minister Kirbiš Rojs persists: if one is determined, anything is achievable.