Anatomy of the Shallow State

In reality, the state consists of three distinct layers, which we can call deep, middle, and shallow. All three play crucial roles to exercise and retain hegemony over the population domestically and globally. ...

Advertisement

The most intriguing and least-discussed layer is the shallow state. This is the sector that is more consumer-facing, largely private in ownership often with publicly traded stocks, and mostly enjoys a trusted reputation among the general population. They both comply with edicts but also have a huge voice in shaping them. The shallow state consists of name brands and lobbies in every industry including medicine, pharmaceuticals, media, digital technology, energy production, transportation, and national defense. 

Some sectors of the shallow state are fairly obvious: Boeing, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, Raytheon, and Northrop Grumman. Less obvious are other direct beneficiaries of government largess and legal protection that engage in ubiquitous advertising such as Pfizer and Moderna and many other pharmaceutical companies. 

Ed Morrissey

There's a term for this, when the corporate world combines with the state for political purposes and enforcement of state policies: fascism. We have tolerated consolidations of private-sector industries for far too long (especially among defense contractors) and its accompanying concentration of economic and political power into fewer and fewer hands. That allows them to get and receive rent-seeking behavior from government, but it also allows government to co-opt them for enforcement of their agendas. 

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Trending on HotAir Videos

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement