Disparaging Federal Workers – Just a Cynical Smokescreen for Seizing Power
Dr. Common Good
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s recent comments excoriated federal workers, claiming that those are “not real jobs, producing federal revenue,” that “they do not deserve their jobs” and are just consuming taxpayer dollars. As usual, these comments are wildly ignorant and disgusting. Might we remind Ms. Greene that she is also paid by taxpayers (thus she “consumes” taxpayer dollars). And federal workers, by the way, pay taxes. I would much rather see my taxes go to the thousands and thousands of federal workers who work hard to inspect food, enforce transportation safety regulations, operate our national parks, administer social and health programs, provide veteran’s health services, manage the cleanup of nuclear waste sites, process tax returns and social security payments, administer federal school lunch programs, and so much more. The taxes I pay to cover Marjorie Taylor Greene’s salary are the true waste. What do we get in return? She produces nothing and does nothing to help the lives of American people. She is getting paid to be a self-indulgent blowhard, a purveyor of lies, and a party to the destruction of the American system.
Beyond that, these disparaging and often nasty comments about federal workers are yet one more chunk of malicious disinformation. Most federal government workers are part of the civil service workforce, which means they have to pass competitive examinations to get their jobs. They form the backbone of what the government does. Importantly, most become part of the federal government because they are motivated to serve the public. They are certainly not in it for the money. I have worked with multiple federal agencies over the years, and personally seen the dedication and drive to serve that these individuals have. But Trump, Musk, Marjorie Taylor Greene and their wrecking-crew cronies have no concept of public service at all, and would not recognize it if it were handed to them on a golden platter.
Is all this destruction about efficiency? No, it isn’t. Don’t even pretend that it is. Firing thousands of federal workers who provide critical services is not about efficiency. It’s about taking control, with a goal of clearing out anyone who might treat their jobs, agency missions, and constitutional duties as more important than the whims, often illegal if not unconstitutional, of an ignorant and malicious autocrat. And it is about blindly cutting away any government expenses that would get in the way of a massive tax cut that will only benefit a wealthy few. No wonder Trump is so enamored with Putin, who is able to maintain power in part by enabling a small group of oligarchs to fleece the country. Trump wants his own oligarchs, and he is only too happy to desecrate the American government system to achieve that aim. For a real example of an attempt to improve government efficiency, we might have to go back to the 1990s. In 1993, the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) was passed and signed by President Clinton (it was the brainchild of Vice President Al Gore), requiring agencies to develop strategic plans, with goals and objectives and performance measures to monitor achievement, and to prepare annual reports to Congress showing the results of their work against their goals and objectives. That was a rational policy, and it did not involve the kind of gross disrespect that Trump/Musk have exhibited.
This is what happens when the warnings are not heeded, and voters accept this cruel disinformation that is primarily designed to justify power, ultimately at the expense of those same voters along with everyone else.