Slaying Leviathan

American Thinker ^ | 15 Sep, 2024 | J.B. Shurk

[MtnClimber]

Ned Ryun has written a new book, American Leviathan, and I was fortunate to get my hands on an advance copy.

If you don’t know Ned, he’s the founder of American Majority and Voter Gravity, grassroots organizations that specialize in fighting the culture war at the local level and electing America First conservatives. On cable news channels and in his writing, he’s an eloquent defender of the Constitution, limited government, and the American Republic as the Founding Fathers intended. I highly recommend that you read American Leviathan and share it with friends — especially friends who struggle to see clearly the stakes of the ideological war now raging.

How did we get to this point in time, when American leaders broadly repudiate the principles behind the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, and an unaccountable, unconstitutional bureaucracy rules over the American people? How is it that both major political parties routinely ignore the will of voters and seem beholden to the administrative state? Why do prominent politicians — from Dick Cheney and Mitt Romney to Kamala Harris and Barack Obama — express an almost religious devotion to expansive government when our country was founded upon an inherent distrust of government power and a commitment to see such power forever chained? Why have the most prestigious news organs rejected free speech, embraced censorship, and become little more than propagandistic parrots for the State? It’s a long story, but it’s a story that must be understood in order for the American people to see with clear eyes what they’re actually fighting.

In American Leviathan, Ryun succeeds by making what is complicated quite comprehensible. He takes a century and a half of mostly forgotten history and political debate and boils down all the sordidness...

[MtnClimber]

The deep state has momentum right now.

[Twotone]

It certainly does. And even if Trump gets in, with a House & Senate majority, do they realize they need to eliminate half (at least) of the federal agencies currently in existence? Would they have the will to do it? I’m doubtful.

[ClearCase_guy]

bfl

[hal ogen]

Many of the government “workers” are make-work for the unemployable. Unfortunately, they have unions and employment “protections”. This is welfare at its “finest”. Pathetic.

[MV=PY]

How would this look? What would Musk do (WWMD)?

1. Structure
- Inventory every agency and their departments
- Find out the purpose of each
- Lop off agencies and departments that aren’t needed
- No congressional approval required

2. Budget
- Congress would have to adjust the budget based on the departments that are cut.
- Real cuts, not just cuts of the next proposed budget
- Trim the remaining budget by 15%, spread across all agencies
- Pass a law for required trimming/rehiring of 15% of the workforce every four years.
- Maybe early retirement for the deadwood, if needed.

This would get rid of all the govt fringe that looks for trouble, the little gods hiding behind their administrative tin badges (Dept of Education, EPA, DOJ, etc).

/rant

[Twotone]

I wonder, since congress holds the purse strings, how many agencies can simply be eliminated. But Mike Lee said that at least 2 times, the Supreme Court has ruled that it’s illegal for the Feds to hold so much land that isn’t designated for specific military purpose or gov’t purpose. I think based on that, Trump could require that those agencies do a final inventory, then turn everything over to the nearest state or county office.

I recall that Bush said he tried that but the state’s didn’t want to take on the management (& cost) of those land. BS! If the state won’t, turn it over to the counties. I’m sure THEY have an idea to productively use such lands. Even if it’s for trails for hiking or hunting.

I just purchased Over Ruled by Gorsuch. Haven’t gotten into it yet, but I’m sure there will be many suggestions on trimming back Leviathan.

[DNME]

Give us their names.