President-elect Trump has appointed billionaire businessman Elon Musk to lead a federal efficiency commission with former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. And Musk sees inefficiency everywhere.

“Fire in any direction,” he told an online town hall meeting weeks before the election, “and you’re going to hit a target.”

But austerity need not be the recipe for reform. In 1905, after Theodore Roosevelt won re-election, he appointed the first presidential commission on efficiency. It, too, was led by a wealthy businessman and its recommendations offer a reasonable blueprint for Musk and Trump.

After his 1904 landslide victory, Theodore Roosevelt asked New York banker Charles Keep to investigate government waste, personnel management, procurement, accounting practices, and inter-agency communication. Better known as the Keep Commission, it uncovered widespread inefficiencies.

Nearly every government department had different procedures. Audits became overly complicated. No one took responsibility for government failures. Costs ran wildly over budget.........

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