T S Elliot wrote The Hollow Man 100 years ago, in 1925. It encapsulates so much of what’s wrong with us:
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.
In losing our core American ethos, our end appears much closer than our commencement. It’s not preordained, though. We still have a chance to reverse our slide through the application of will sufficient to overcome both bureaucratic inertia and the Deep State’s tendency to fight change that threatens its existence. Perhaps Trump’s most challenging task will be to reverse the damage done by 65 years of government unionization.
The unionization of the government workforce has led to inefficiencies, divided loyalties, and complicated management processes. Most succinctly, unionization moved “We The People” into third place behind the unions and their government overlords. When John F. Kennedy unionized the federal workforce, the government’s bad traits became protected activities. Like tenured school teachers and professors, federal government employees became empowered to wag their superior finger in the face of those who pay their exorbitant salaries and benefits without fear or consequence.