Trump Is Shrinking Government Already!

AP Photo/John Locher

Donald Trump is magic. 

I'm not joking. There really is something magical about the power he has over the world. Any normal person would have been crushed by all the forces arrayed against him, but somehow, he has survived and thrived despite constant attacks. 

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Since his election, both Russia and Ukraine have changed their tunes about finding a negotiated settlement, the markets have breathed a sigh of relief, free market advocates have been giddy and talking about investing in the United States, pharmaceutical companies are running scared, and...government employees are talking about mass resignations!

Ending wars is difficult. Getting career civil servants to leave the government is nearly impossible. That Trump can do it without firing a single person yet is miraculous. 

Christopher Wray is going to leave soon, the Special Council is closing down his investigation, FBI brass are looking for the exits, woke flag officers are looking at the exits, FDA and CDC bureaucrats are updating their resumes, and the trash at the Justice Department is going to take itself out. 

It's glorious. 

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Now I have no problem in principle with the Justice Department, the CDC, the FBI, the military, the FDA, and some of the more necessary government agencies. But I have a big problem with the people who are self-selecting here; anybody who is even considering leaving their jobs SHOULD be the first ones out the door. 

Clearly they viewed their jobs politically, not as genuine public servants. If they can't work for the duly elected president just because they disagree with him they don't belong in government. 

Of course, the tranche of federal employees who will, in essence, "self-deport" should only be the first to go. There are lots of useless bureaucrats who should be let go because they do nothing useful.  But the first to go should be the worst, and the worst are identifying themselves. 

As they say, "there's no crying in baseball," and anybody who tears up at the entrance of a new boss shouldn't be anywhere near a seat of power. Who is above them shouldn't be more important than their jobs. I get somebody wanting to leave because a boss abused them, but not if they don't like the politics of the person who employs them. 

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These people are members of the Executive Branch of government, and the President of the United States is the Commander in Chief and the Chief Executive. 100% of the power any bureaucrat holds in government stems from the power of the president. It works that way because the president is the elected official, and anybody who works under him gets their legitimacy from the people through their choice. 

There are, of course, legal and illegal orders in both the military and government officials. A president can't legitimately order an employee to break the law or violate Constitutional rights, but nobody here is resigning for that reason. Trump isn't even president yet, and many of these people want to leave precisely because they HAVE broken the law or violated our Constitutional rights. They are looking for the exits because they know a new Sheriff is in town. 

Good riddance to bad rubbish. 

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Ed Morrissey 10:00 PM | December 19, 2024
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