The main reminder here (not even really a novel takeaway - this ends up happening like clockwork in some shape or form every few generations) is that laws can only be enforced after the damage is done.
Short of overwhelming activism e.g in the form of recall elections where applicable, constitutional conventions, etc., the degradation of both the rule of law and the standing of the United States on the world stage will continue for the next 21 months. And there's every reason to believe that voters suffering today will again be swayed through misinformation to vote against their own interests in the November 2026 congressional elections.
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If you need unfettered admin access to modernise software, you're incompetent. You might need to be able to run tools that collect schema and sample records as admin, but that should be controlled and auditable. This is true in a moderate size enterprise company, and should be much more true in government IT.