Dear Friends,
It seems to me, bureaucracy can never effectively govern, because of distributed blame, its Achilles’ heel. If the bureaucracy breaks a law, ignores a court ruling or abuses people’s Constitutional Rights, who is punished? Moreover, which bureaucrat is going to be the scapegoat? No one, and history proves it. How many bureaucrats are cooling their heels in prison for abuse of our rights under color of law? None, which means, bureaucracy is always and everywhere above the law… except in very egregious cases. Only when someone with political favor is abused does a bureaucrat get in trouble, but by and by, bureaucrats are free to tyrannize us from behind an iron curtain, sitting in a swivel chair. Yet the elitist managerial faction has installed the administrative state by stealth.
The bureaucracy is above laws and Constitutional limits, because of distributed blame, so his or her actions are unlimited. Why not tyrannize the people… for our own good? That bureaucrat epitomizes C S Lewis’ warning, the worst kind of tyranny is that done for the benefit of the tyrannized. Because the tyrant’s crimes are urged on by his own conscience. There are literally billions of dollars in the hands of bureaucrats, so why not let a few fall off the back of the truck, and into their pocket? If someone’s spouse is running around, why not exploit the apparatus of law enforcement to check up? Being above the law, while having such money and power in one’s hands, with no accountability whatsoever… is intoxicating. So the distributed blame of bureaucracy can’t but make anyone corrupt.
Everywhere and in all times bureaucracy has felled unfellable civilizations. Rome was just such a place. The rise of bureaucracy smothered its economy. Leading to its downfall. Is there an example of hyperinflation that wasn’t presaged by cloying bureaucracy? Weimar Germany, Argentina or Czechoslovakia for example? Bureaucracy isn’t only bound to fail, in theory, practice also says it’s a failed system. The problem is convincing bureaucrats and judges of this truth. Because it’s impossible to convince someone of a thing that invalidates their careers. Bureaucrats call themselves experts, and so are authorized to tyrannize us, for our own good. Distributed blame is a power they, nor anyone else, is willing to give up. Even if it leads to the destruction of our civilization.
The administrative state has become the real power in the West today. Supplanting our Constitutions. Elected officials only give the appearance we have a say. The progressive faction installed the administrative state piece by piece. One judge ruling at a time. Until our Constitution’s were null and void. Look at the EU. The UK voted to get out of the EU, and its elected leaders were ineffectual, in the face of the administrative state. The boats are more prolific despite the protestations of the citizenry. In Romania and Greece the EU overturned the results of an election. In Hungary, Germany and France the EU is overruling locally passed laws. While In the US the judiciary is making the most absurd rulings to protect the administrative state. Even as distributed blame abets bureaucrats using taxes to create chaos.
Distributed blame is why bureaucracy, or the administrative state cannot rule effectively, and is in the process of destroying the West. The incentives are all wrong. No matter how wise, patriotic and smart the bureaucrats, it fails. History proves it as well. Rome wasn’t felled by the Visigoths, but by its own bureaucracy. The Visigoths were simply the first buzzards to find the carcass. Because bureaucracy is by its nature unlimited, arrogant and corrupt. A lack of accountability leads to corruption like I89 leads to Highgate. What’s the answer to distributed blame then? To return to Constitutionally limited government and add consequences to violating it. Then, change the political paradigm so government does less. Sure it’s not easy to get consensus to tyrannize under such a system… but that’s a good thing.
Sincerely,
John Pepin
