On July 2, 1881, only four months into the first term of President James A. Garfield, an angry attorney from Illinois named Charles J. Guiteau shot Garfield in the head at a Baltimore, Maryland, train station. Guiteau had a motive. He was furious because he believed, due to his work for the campaign, that Garfield would give him a job in the new administration. But none was forthcoming. Garfield died of the wounds months later.
It was a shocking thing. Congress immediately got to work figuring out how to prevent the next assassination. They had the theory that they needed to end the system of patronage in government so that way people wouldn’t get mad and shoot the president. Not a very good theory but this is how politics works. The result was the Pendleton Act that created a permanent civil service. The new president, Chester Arthur signed the bill in 1883. It was done: the administrative state was born.
What Congress did not understand at the time was that they had fundamentally altered the American system of government. The Constitution nowhere provides for a permanent class of administrative overlords to whom Congress could outsource its authority. It nowhere said that there would exist a machine technically under the Executive branch that the president could not control. The Pendleton Act created a new layer of statist imposition that was no longer subject to democratic control.
It wasn’t so bad at first but then came the Fed, the income tax, and the Great War. The bureaucracy expanded in scope and power. Each decade, things go worse. The Cold War entrenched the military-industrial complex, and the Great Society built a massive civilian-controlling welfare state. So on it went until today when it is not even clear that elected politicians matter much at all.
As just one example, once Donald Trump figured out that he had been tricked by Anthony Fauci considered firing him. Then came the message: he cannot. The law doesn’t allow that. I feel certain that Trump was amazed to hear this. He must have wondered: How is this possible? It is very much possible. That same status pertains to millions of federal employees (between 2 and 9 million, depending on whom one wants to include as part of the administrative state).
Is Change Even Possible?
The conventional wisdom is that November will bring dramatic change to the political landscape in Washington. Two years after that, the presidency will change from one party to the next. It’s becoming very apparent that this administration and the party it represents are probably toast. It’s just a matter of waiting for the next election.
Thank goodness for democracy, right? The right question to ask is whether it will change anything. You are not cynical if you doubt that much will change. The problem is baked into the structure of government today, which is not like what the Constitution’s framers imagined it to be.
The idea of democracy is that the people are in charge through their elected representatives. The opposite would be, for example, a vast and permanent class of administrative bureaucrats, who pay no attention at all to public opinion, elections, or elected leaders and their appointments.
Sad to say, but that is exactly the system we have in place today.
Your Real Rulers
The last two years have given us a chilling lesson in who really runs the country. It’s executive-level agencies that are utterly unresponsive to anything or anyone, except perhaps the private-sector forces of power that have revolving doors back and forth. The political appointees tapped to head agencies such as the CDC or HHS or whatever are basically irrelevant, marionettes about whom the career bureaucrats laugh if they pay any attention to them at all.
Years ago, I lived in some condominiums near the Beltway and all my neighbors were career workers for federal agencies. You name it: Transportation, Labor, Agriculture, Housing, whatever. They were lifers and they knew it. Their salaries depended on paper credentials and longevity. There was no way they could ever be fired, short of something impossibly egregious.
Naively, I early on tried to talk about issues of politics. They would stare at me with blank faces. I thought at the time that they must have had strong opinions but were somehow prevented from talking about it.
Later, I came to realize something more chilling: they didn’t care in the slightest bit. Talking to them about politics was like talking to me about hockey teams in Finland. It’s not a subject that affects my life. That’s how it is with these people: they are utterly and completely unaffected by any political shifts. They know it. They take pride in it.
Pictures on the Wall
About the same time, for odd reasons, I found myself spending several weeks in the offices of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. I was doing research and had full access to all records, back when something like that was actually possible for a regular citizen. It was a time when the old politically appointed director of HUD was on his way out and a new one was on his way in.
I was quietly working when I heard a series of loud crashes of glass in the hallway. I stuck my head out and watched. A guy was walking along, flicking pictures of the old guy off the wall and letting them crash down to the ground. About an hour later, a guy came along with a broom and swept up the mess. An hour after that, a guy came along and hung new pictures of the new guy on the wall.
During the entire noisy ordeal, not one other employee of the agency showed the slightest curiosity about what was happening. They had seen this dozens of times and just didn’t care. Looking back, it’s pretty obvious that this scene sums it up. The permanent bureaucracy is completely unaffected by any of the cosmetic changes in politics.
Let’s say that 2 million people occupy the permanent administrative state, excluding things like military and postal employees. The political appointments granted to the new president are about 4,000 and they come and go. Politics is mortal; the bureaucracy is immortal.
To be sure, the Republicans could do something about this problem but will they? Nearly every elected leader has something to hide. If they don’t, the media can always make something up. This is how the administrative state keeps the political class in line, as we saw during the Trump years.
Let’s not be naive about the prospects for change. It is going to require far more than merely electing a new class of supposed rulers via the democratic process. The real rulers are too smart to subject themselves to the business of elections. Those are designed to keep our minds busy with the belief that democracy still survives and therefore it is the voters, not the government, that is responsible for outcomes.
Until the public figures this game out, genuine change will still be a very long time away. Meanwhile, the emerging economic crisis is going to unleash the administrative state as never before.
About the Author
Jeffrey A. Tucker is Founder and President of the Brownstone Institute and the author of many thousands of articles in the scholarly and popular press and ten books in 5 languages, most recently Liberty or Lockdown. He is also the editor of The Best of Mises. He writes a daily column on economics at The Epoch Times, and speaks widely on topics of economics, technology, social philosophy, and culture.
Image via Shutterstock. Article cross-posted from Brownstone Institute.
How to Prepare for Food Emergencies if You Don’t Have a Homestead or Bunker
In an unpredictable world, where supply chain disruptions, natural disasters, or economic instability can strike without warning, having a reliable food supply is more than just smart—it’s essential for survival. Whether you’re a “prepper” or not, we all know the golden rule: self-sufficiency is key. But what if you’re living in an apartment, working long hours, or simply don’t have the land to turn into a thriving homestead? Don’t worry; there’s a practical, effective way to build your food security without needing acres of soil or a fortified bunker.
The Ideal Prep: Building Your Own Food Empire
The ultimate dream for any serious prepper is controlling your own food production. Imagine waking up to a sprawling garden bursting with fresh vegetables, fruits, and herbs—tomatoes ripening on the vine, potatoes ready to harvest, and greens that provide nutrition year-round. Add in livestock like chickens for eggs and meat, and you’ve got a self-sustaining system that keeps your family fed no matter what chaos unfolds outside.
This approach isn’t just about calories; it’s about resilience. A well-maintained garden can yield hundreds of pounds of produce annually, while a small flock of chickens might produce dozens of eggs weekly. It’s empowering, cost-effective in the long run, and teaches invaluable skills like crop rotation, animal husbandry, and preservation techniques. If you have the space, time, and resources, starting small and scaling up is the best path to true independence.
The Reality Check: Not Everyone Can Homestead
But let’s face it—not all of us are in a position to go full homesteader. Urban dwellers might be limited to a balcony or community plot that’s far from sufficient for long-term needs. Busy professionals juggling jobs, families, and daily life often lack the hours required for daily tending. And for those in apartments, condos, or regions with harsh climates, raising livestock or maintaining a large garden simply isn’t feasible. Factors like zoning laws, soil quality, water access, or even physical limitations can make this ideal out of reach.
That’s where the frustration sets in. You want to be prepared, but without a homestead or bunker, how do you ensure your pantry doesn’t run dry during a prolonged crisis? The good news is, you don’t have to sacrifice your preparedness goals. There’s a smart, accessible alternative that bridges the gap: investing in high-quality, long-term storage food.
The Smart Alternative: Long-Term Storage Food from Heaven’s Harvest
Long-term storage food is designed for exactly these scenarios—providing nutrient-dense, shelf-stable meals that last for decades without refrigeration or special conditions. It’s the perfect solution for preppers who can’t rely on fresh production but still demand reliability and variety in their emergency stockpile.
At Heaven’s Harvest, they specialize in premium survival food kits that make preparedness effortless. Their products are crafted with the prepper mindset in mind: non-GMO, made in the USA, and packed with real ingredients that taste like home-cooked meals, not bland rations. Whether you’re stocking up for a short-term blackout or a long-haul SHTF event, our kits offer:
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Why Wait? Secure Your Food Supply Today
Preparing for food emergencies doesn’t require a homestead or bunker—it requires action. By choosing long-term storage food from Heaven’s Harvest, you’re taking control in a way that fits your lifestyle. Start small with a 72-hour kit to test the waters, or go all-in with a year’s supply for ultimate security.
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