"The Swamp", also known as "The Deep State"

Contrasts are often instructive.  For example, Donald Trump was still unable to get much of the central government bureaucracy to follow his instructions; this makes his late executive order extending his authority to dismiss employees a little bit farther down the ladder most understandable.  We court martial soldiers for insubordination but bureaucrats are some how special and scum like Lois Lerner can pretty much do as they please without concern about prosecution for violating citizens' civil rights.

Compare this with the rapidity of the bureaucracy's adoption of what we call, with tongues in cheeks, "Biden's" agenda.  Now we have a sign identifying a "free speech zone" on the trail from parking to viewing area at Mt Rushmore.  Now we have the feds efficiently arranging for the transportation of many thousands of illegal aliens from the Mexican border to the interior of the US.  No insubordination here, no sir.

Is this because Biden is by comparison a magnificent leader?  No.  I sure would not follow him into battle, and if you choose to I will sit over here and watch.

The reason is simple to understand, and is the point behind the Democrat intent to make DC a state.  The Federal bureaucracy is by its nature an arm of the Democrat party, and by the current rules it is inviolate.  Every time a Democrat president, such as Obama, "creates jobs" by calling for another few hundred thousand Federal bureaucrats to be hired, he's created a few hundred thousand permanent Federal employees who in general have jobs for life, are un-firable, and will receive the best retirement and best health care in the Nation without having to set aside anything themselves to pay for these things.

This OPM data from 2020 indicate that the number of on-board Federal civilian employees was 2.18 million.  This cadre has demonstrated its insubordination to administrations that are "conservative" and especially to administrations that "put America first", while that cadre is right now demonstrating its enthusiastic support for a leftist administration, complying in record time with the implementation of its agenda.

I propose that the next time we have a President who is not a Democrat, we begin solving this problem by summarily dismissing 10% (218,000 in 2020) of the top echelons of all parts of the Federal bureaucracy.  Reason for the dismissal?  The same reason that was given for dismissing me from active duty in the Navy in 1970:  "The Convenience of the Government."  No re-hiring need be permitted, any of us who have worked with Federal employees generally agree that we have never encountered a lazier and less competent workforce; there is a reason why most of us affectionately called them "civil serpents".  Those who are left will be encouraged to actually do their jobs.

At the end of one year, if the President's instructions are not being immediately and efficiently implemented by this bureaucracy, another 10% would be dismissed.  And so on, until insubordination has ceased.

For many years, especially the past five, and more especially the past year and a half, the Federal bureaucrats have behaved as though they actually "ran" the nation, as though they could do as they please (see Anthony Fauci for example), and as though they are untouchable.  The Benthamite "best and brightest" to whom all should defer without question.  This is "the swamp"; this is "the deep state".  It is real, these bureaucrats are literally beyond control of the people or of their elected officers, and as we have seen they face no consequences for abusing the power we have mistakenly given them.

Let them face the same consequences the rest of us must face when we get too big for our britches.  Protecting them from these simply leads to amplification of the unacceptable behavior.