The Federal Government as PacMan

The Federal Government as PacMan

The Founders were smart people. History offered many examples of Nations with a single governance, a reliance on leadership from just the top with no local voice or control. That changed in preparing our Constitution allowing individual States, each with their own government, and legislative and judicial bodies to provide checks and balances. The Nation as a whole, when each component was considered, had a role as well.  The borders of the entire Nation, the United States, was to be protected, a military was to be organized, and the rights and freedoms of each individual was to be assured. The States controlled what was within their own boundaries, and that included commerce, labor, education, energy, healthcare, and the environment.  There was no Federal Income Tax, while States had taxing authority.  The Federal Government relied primarily on tariffs and fees for their income.  It was sufficient.

Those elected to the highest position, as President, oversaw the whole, while Senators were each State’s Representatives, as they both (there are two per) interacted as to the entirety of their State’s business, and Congressmen (or persons) had more localized representation, each having a defined district.  Thus from the local level, districts, to the State level, to the national level, America functioned.  Not every State treated its area of responsibility the same, as there were those more concerned about education, while others agriculture, and others trade, travel and its workforce. In effect each State was an experiment or example of how do things correctly, or better, or not at all. The Federal leadership could voice its opinion. The Fed conducted business agreed upon by a legislature composed of congresspersons and Senators, but otherwise the States Rights were to dominate.  From the Capital in Philadelphia to Washington, DC, limits on the power of the Executive Branch, oversight by the Senate and House of Representatives, and the Judicial Branch, maintained the order of the Constitution as originally written.  But that was not enough for many.

Labor

In the early 1900’s (1913) President William F. Taft was aware of labor practices at variance State to State, and unfair practices, akin to children working, long hours, low wages, and improper, unsafe, working conditions, needed to be addressed. (It began after the Civil War when William Sylvis, the most important labor leader of his day, advocated the creation of a Department of Labor. He protested that existing government departments threw their protective arms around every enterprise fostering wealth, while no department had as its "sole object the care and protection of labor.”).  As a whole the legislature voted to create a national Department of Labor, giving the Department control over what States could and could not do with its labor force.  The goal was to improve the work environment, improve living standards, and correct the most egregious and greedy practices of callous business owners.  There were States that had better labor laws than others, but the inconsistencies, the President felt, had to be addressed. The legislature debated and a large majority agreed the bad apples could be culled, the States with poor oversight and influences that caused them to disregard the needs of the worker in favor of the support of the employer (or owners of industry), could be contained and controlled. The Department gave a voice to the worker, enabling them to strike, to resist when conditions were considered bad, and disrupt industry until common ground between employer and worked could be achieved.  The labor union was born.  Labor became a Cabinet position at the Federal level.

Taft signed the legislation to create the Department of labor on the Inauguration Day of his successor, Woodrow Wilson. 

Give the labor bosses credit.  There were State level departments and a national Bureau for labor before the Federal Department was created, and they had a voice. The Bureau collected labor statistics and information as to inform national leaders.   All over the nation the labor representatives organized in a fashion to speak for workers, becoming a pressure group on politicians; important to politicians as well for their election success. They were heard. 

For and Against Big G

There were ‘progressives’ and ‘conservatives.’ The ‘progressives’ wanted government to have a larger role in society. Conservatives held a generally opposite view. Conservatives have never looked at government power favorably, nor have they wanted government to interfere with our lives, our society. Traditional values which the Founding Fathers (Judeo-Christian values) applied are preferred.   

Events

Slavery, Depressions and Wars gave Presidents a stage.  

The Civil War is known by most as a battle to free slaves and extinguish slavery.  But it was a conflict between States, the northern Union States and the Southern rebel States. There were  protests against slavery, in new territories and new States, riots and killings by those that wanted it to end. John Brown’s body lies in rest, tried for treason and hanged in Virginia, for taking violent action fighting slavery. Ending slavery was an ongoing battle. The States sanctioning slavery (the Southern States) fought against new territories and new States to keep what they believed was their legal right, concerned a majority of States in opposition would hold sway. Then fearing Lincoln, as President, would declare slavery illegal, the southern States choose to secede.  South Carolina among the first.  But outposts of the government remained and Lincoln sent troops to occupy Fort Sumter to defend the Constitution, declaring secession as treasonous, illegal, and unConstitutional. That was the spark that lit the flame of war.  States Rights were indeed under attack.  The contingent of Southern states joined forces to defend their position.  

During the course of the 20th Century other States Rights activities, in addition to labor, were addressed by bureaucrats wanting national control.  Commerce, education, energy and healthcare found new and growing Departments in Washington.  

FDR, elected as a Democrat in 1932, was enabled by the people to increase federal level power.  The New Deal and federal programs, new and expansion of old, was made possible.  The government work force grew. 

School integration, under JFK, and The Civil Rights laws, Lyndon Johnson the champion, created another level of expansion of power and control, as well as the dole for welfare and entitlements. 

The mantra of never wasting an opportunity to grow government at the federal level is true and history proves it has been effective, more for the progressives than the conservatives, the Democrats than the Republicans. 

As recently as the mid-70’s, under Democrat President Jimmy Carter, a man with a high IQ, but little understanding or experience in foreign affairs and world issues, brought Energy into the Big Tent after the energy crisis, and Education too.  The Feds took over and could now impose their will, expanded, not unlimited, on matters regarding each discipline.  Where there was Federal land rich in fossil fuel resources, within the boundaries of a State, the Fed could decide to drill or not to drill.  It created licensing fees, paid to the Fed, too. The max speed limit was imposed nationally at 55 mph.  Public Schools with subsidies provided from the Feds could have certain nationalized requirements within their curriculums. 

The power of the Federal Government kept growing at the expense of States Rights.

Income Taxes

We need to consider the application of Federal Income Taxes in this discussion.  Once the Federal Income Tax system, the IRS, was established, the Feds saw another string they could pull giving them more power over States.  Moneys flowed into the Federal government from every State.  This supported the activities of the Federal Government and provided the expense money to carry out its role and support the Departments, old and new.  After that which the Federal operations required there was money to be allocated each State.  However the choice was made to help those in need by giving more to the poorer States (than collected) than the richer States.  A form of wealth transference, but in ways some may consider fair, and others consider unfair.  More to the point, however, is the Federal Government dispensed those dollars with conditions, conditions the recipients had to meet to, effectively, have money their own State’s citizens paid repatriated for programs such as heath, education, infrastructure, and so forth.  This gave, gives, the Federal Government even more power to impose its will on each State. 

As an aside, the IRS was formed (1862) to raise taxes to support the Civil War.  Temporary then, it expired, and in 1913, the 16th Amendment passed authorizing Congress to impose a tax on income. Taxes were to be used to aide in the development of our great nation, fiscal responsibility considered.  That means a balanced budget.  But when deficit spending was discovered, borrowing to cover desired programs with expenditures beyond the capacity of annual tax revenues, the politicians saw their opportunity to spend, appealing to their constituents that what they were doing was a good thing.  With this thought in mind consider Biden’s proposed 6 trillion spending habit while total revenue each year today in about 3.4 trillion. Now the money will be spent over time, but the projected increase in debt each year is about 1.5 trillion.  Biden wants to do today what FDR was doing after the depression, with New Deal and Great Society programs in mind. 

Erosion 

As you can see the process over time since the signing of the Constitution has purposefully  eroded the Rights of our nations’s States to now do the dictates of the Federal government. They have done it directly by creating Departments and programs, and surreptitiously using tax dollars to benefit the States, as grants, from the States citizens themselves, but with Federal requirements imposed.  

More power to the Federal Government, I contend, is not great for America. Call me a conservative. 

When It Comes to Your Vote

From this years, March 1, LA Times, a headline, “Democrats’ sweeping voting bill would make biggest election changes in decades.”  The article noted, “House Resolution 1 (For The People Act of 2021), the Democrats’ 791-page bill, would touch virtually every aspect of the electoral process, striking down hurdles to voting erected in the name of election security, curbing partisan gerrymandering and curtailing the influence of big money in politics. Republicans see those measures as threats that would both limit the power of States to conduct elections and ultimately benefit Democrats, notably with higher turnout among minority voters.”   Democrats seek national standards, denying States election procedures, expanded mail-in voting, multiple drop boxes, no voter IDs, extended days pre-election day to cast ballots in person, 24 hour voting, and ballot harvesting. Most persons accept the idea of picture ID’s to vote, but the discussion continues with protests against using the argument that many minorities would be disenfranchised as a result. Yet there are so many areas where ID’s are required, to board a plane, to enter a federal building, to affirm your drinking age, and even obtain a national park pass.  The proposed bill imposes the will of the Federal government anew on States Rights.

Just a few details to consider.  One item in the bill is federal matching of contributions for ‘qualified’ candidates.  Then there is the requirement of 10 years of tax returns for Presidential and VP candidates. If not freely given, the Treasury Department is authorized to release the information. The internet could be used to register and to vote.  States would be prohibited from requiring applicants to provide more than last 4 digits of Social Security number. A voter could register and obtain an absentee ballot at the same time. Obtain a drivers license and be automatically registered to vote. Minors could be used as volunteers, involved in the election process. Registration for persons under 18 years of age permitted. Enables people with disabilities to vote privately in their homes, register too. Register once for absentee ballot and receive all future ballots. The Bill suggests, “No effect on elections for State and local office.” The Bill was predicated in part on “Congress also finds that States and localities have eroded access to the right to vote through restrictions on the right to vote including excessively onerous voter identification requirements, burdensome voter registration procedures, voter purges, limited and unequal access to voting by mail, polling place closures, unequal distribution of election resources, and other impediments.” Congress could deal with gerrymandering if the redistricting was not to their standards. Congress could deal with “intentional racial discrimination, structural racism, and the ongoing structural socioeconomic effects of historical racial discrimination” as it deems appropriate. More latitude would be given felons voting (racial discrimination the argument). And more would be done to enable eligible college students to vote, aided and abetted on campus. There is so much more.  I encourage you to read the Bill.  

The Bill was passed by the House on 3/3/2021, and awaits Senate approval.

Local Level Control Next

Today the Federal government wants to have control at the local level too, where zoning and busing and housing are considered by communities.  Obama did this with AFFH, Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing, regulations.   Before fully implemented Trump stopped AFFH, while now Biden intends to revive AFFH.  What it means is that Federal money that flows to your community, for infrastructure or housing, and other grants, may only be possible with changes to zoning and concentrations of wealthy communities and poor communities.

Do not ignore AFFH.  It could come to your street or neighborhood. School districts altered to improve student achievement (lowering averages, not raising them). School enrollment opened to mitigate ‘disparities to access opportunities.’ Where neighborhoods exist around citizens of similar education or income, there will be changes. There would be a ‘de-concentration’ of poor neighborhoods, meaning that there will also be a de-concentration of wealthy neighborhoods.  The Federal government will do all the defining.  Compliance will be mandated, and funding for area projects approved or denied based on meeting the dictates of the Feds, the progressives in charge. Requirements to teach Critical Race Theory (CRT) and the 1619 Project from the ‘woke’ leftists will be imposed.  The dividing nature and racial tones will continue, erroneously I must add.  Subsidized housing will be approved for construction in areas you would never expect, zoning laws revised by decree or ignored by executive order. Where there is to be ‘non-discrimination’ there is to be subsidized housing (nearer to you than you think).  There are those that refer to all this as ‘social engineering,’ which it is.  And the guilt trip to be applied will be led with the term ‘racist’ or ‘racism,’ as now being employed wherever Critical Race Theory (CRT) is imposed on your children or your co-workers. 

America Left Behind

America is becoming what the Founders wanted left behind, a nation controlled by despotic, power craving leaders, whose own desires are to be imposed, to the greatest extent possible.  made possible by reducing the voices and the power of the people at State and now local levels.  The Congress has become a place where representative’s political Party has become more important and essential to their personal power and wealth than the States they represent. How did that all happen?  Socialism was never part of the grand scheme, but it is the desire of the progressives that occupy not only the White House, but much of the employee base within the myriad of Departments and program centers in our Nations Capital. A government that provides for everyone, insuring a livable wage, even if you do to work, heath care and shelter, at taxpayer expense, considering it a right, has become a requirement.  That is not what the Bill of Rights provides. 

Whether this means anything or not, according to the Pew Research Center, public favorability of state government, or States Rights, is greater than that of the Federal Government. This is being fought every day by progressives, who seem to be making more progress in their objective of big government, a nanny state, than conservatives.  The trend is towards ‘socialism.’  It cannot be ignored.  

We will know in 2022, when there is an election of House members and about 1/3 of Senators, if what the public favors, according to Pew, will be reflected in the outcome and the nature of the politics of those elected, replaced or remaining in office. 

One last point.  The Federal bureaucracy has become large and unwieldy.  When new representatives and Presidents arrive they can do little to change the bureaucracy.  It is as a pyramid, a peak at the top of a large base.  The base is the bureaucracy and the top the new office holders.  The new bring with them appointed persons to fill and head Departments and others posts.  In authority they are to enjoy the established base of capable government servants to aide in advancing their new ideas.  This is when it all faces unexpected hurdles.  Those entrenched, long term workers with sinecure, have their own political biases, which depending upon the Administration can resist change or advance changes. Their departments operate because of them, not because of the newly elected. They have their loyalties and patience.  It is very difficult to fire a government worker.  Their union is strong and regulations protect them.  So if they do not agree with new policies they can drag their feet, delay, and wait until a preferred Administration comes to town.  It would take many terms in office of a given Party to alter the Federal employee landscape to change the current mindset.  

Washington is a quagmire. It is a voting block of its own.  It has its own objectives.  Presidents may come and go, but the established, rooted base, will remain and continue to grow.  They write the laws and enforce the laws.  They use the office holders as their puppets.  Behind the scenes they put forward their agenda and give the representative a platform prepared in advance. New bills are written with names of representatives attached, as street signs on roads, their biases considered.  If a representative is in sympathy with the ideals of the base, they become champions.  Included in the body-politic, as banners waving for public policy, are members of the main stream media, able to feed information to the citizenry as wanted, politically motivated, and always protective of the pyramid’s base. 

A New Pyramid

We need a new pyramid in Washington, not just symbols at its apex.  And we need to restore power to the States. We need to protect the power and local decisions made independent of federal desires.  Give them authority anew over energy, health, education and more. Such would enable multiple examples from which to choose the most workable, the most efficient, and the most popular.  That would require the Federal Government to give up Departments, give up power and control, and more, actually reduce taxes, as less would be needed to cover the expense of many bloated areas and programs.   

by

Thomas W. Balderston

Author and Blogger