As the vandals have gone about trying to make it impossible for those agencies and programs to do anything, they have made clear not just how essential these invisible functions are, but how efficiently they are run. The dumb but legible economics of sports have put this in perspective for me. A CDC program “brought to a standstill” by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s proposed cuts will “save” $150 million a year; I can understand this number, because it means that the cost of employing 200 people working to make sure that Americans are not exposed to the most popular and damaging neurotoxin of Kennedy’s generation is roughly equal to the Houston Astros’ payroll this season. A federal grant program called Ready To Learn, which was dedicated to creating children’s programming and games, saw all $23 million of its funding eliminated; I can understand that number, because it means that the amount of federal money dedicated to that goal is something like what Anthony Santander will receive from the Toronto Blue Jays in 2027. A University of Washington scientist who studies air quality saw her grant zeroed out as part of the Musk-led DOGE cuts; “there’s three years of work behind it,” she told the Seattle Times, “and they canceled it to save $866.” I can understand that figure, too, because it is just a little bit less than a single seat in section 115 of Yankee Stadium for tonight’s game against the Mets.