Beware of the DOGE

A Warning to the Bureaucracy

By J. Jeff Toler for Shenandoah Christian Alliance j.toler@sca4christ.org

In his book, Democracy in America Vol. 1, (1835) Alexis de Tocqueville explores the relationship between “those who govern” and “the governed” over the dangers of “the despotism (or the tyranny) of the majority.” He recounts the different problems posed by “governmental centralization” and “administrative centralization”, but he always counters with arguments about how the particular circumstances and the character of Americans might overcome these challenges.

In his next volume, Democracy in America Vol. 2 (1840) he struggled with his thoughts of what might possibly or even eventually bring about the downfall of America. He attempted to predict how “despotism” might come to a democratic nation like America.

But five years later, he was not so sure that this would be possible in the long run. He confessed that he endeavored to find a name for this new kind of despotism to which he thinks democracies are prone.

“The despotism that I fear for the generations to come” de Tocqueville writes, “has no precedent in the world and lacks a name. I will call it administrative despotism for lack of anything better.”

He seemed nearly prescient in believing this newer, gentler form of servitude will emerge from within the democratic legislature itself. We now know it would one day overwhelm the entire nation.

Almost wistfully, he remained optimistic that “the true friends of liberty” [would] still have an obligation to “constantly, stand up and be ready to prevent the social power from sacrificing lightly the particular rights of some individuals to the general execution of its designs.”

Desiring to identify the issue, de Tocqueville struggled to put a name to what he believed would be America’s most daunting enemy.

“After having thus taken each individual one by one into its powerful hands, and having molded him as it pleases, the sovereign power extends its arms over the entire society; it covers the surface of society with a network of small, complicated, minute, and uniform rules, which the most original minds and the most vigorous souls cannot break through to go beyond the crowd; it does not break wills, but it softens them, bends them and directs them; it rarely forces action, but it constantly opposes your acting; it does not destroy, it prevents birth; it does not tyrannize, it hinders, it represses, it enervates, it extinguishes, it stupefies, and finally it reduces each nation to being nothing more than a flock of timid and industrious animals, of which the government is the shepherd.” —Alexis de Tocqueville

Administrative Centralization has now been redefined in America to become the Administrative State, or simply, The State.

The term “bureaucracy” was coined in the mid-18th century by a French government minister. It translates as “the rule of desk” and is a portmanteau from the French word for desk, bureau, and kratos, the Greek word for power.

Representatives of the king traveled to the towns and villages and set up desks to conduct the affairs of the king—a far cry from the centralization we “enjoy” now.

The rise of the modern nation-state was accompanied by a commensurate elevation in the status of its administration. This is not altogether a modern era feature. Bureaucracies have been around for thousands of years, dating back to ancient, and yes, biblical times:

…in Ancient Sumer where scribes used clay tablets to manage taxes, workers, and public goods.

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…in Ancient Egypt, where scribes administered a civil-service bureaucracy that was passed down from father to son.

…in Ancient China, as The Qin dynasty (221–206 BC) established a centralized, bureaucratic government. Later dynasties copied this structure.

…and in Europe, where the bureaucracy pre-dated emergent democracies. It could be said that democracy developed a symbiosis with bureaucracies. While it took a Frenchman to invent the term bureaucracy, it took a German to develop a systematic framework.

Sociologist Max Weber

Max Weber, a German sociologist, saw the importance of bureaucracy when capitalism was developing and spawning more and larger businesses. It compelled him to see the need for better organization. He considered neither government nor big business to be necessary evils because both were the product of a changing society. He emphasized the importance of getting things done.

Weber believed that a well-organized, rational bureaucracy was the secret sauce for the successful operation of modern societies.

The bureaucratic bloat that developed since then, and all throughout the West—but especially in the US—owes much to the Second World War.

America’s massive response to winning the war and defeating the Axis powers has no real parallel in modern history. To coordinate and oversee the development of the “arsenal of democracy” fell to the War Production Board. Dozens more new agencies were born. But many of them experienced mission creep and quietly assumed undeserved authority.

Observers of modern American government refer to the “iron triangle” of interest groups, members of congressional subcommittees, and agency bureaucrats. It’s the latter we need to overhaul.

It became the favored modus operandi for governance and power, seducing those surrendering their consent. It was only a matter of time before Leftist factions in Washington assumed they could subvert the Electoral College, cynically propping up a failing old career politician to front for what is now known as The Swamp. They very nearly succeeded.

We have been given a reprieve from the penalties of our distraction—if we are to believe what we are hearing.

It appears Donald Trump has learned something during his exile from the White House. He already knows how to build things, how to make deals, and how to keep his opponents on their heels. We shouldn’t be surprised his cabinet picks don’t much resemble prior incoming administrations.

Among the most tantalizing of developments that he announced though, is not really a cabinet post, but instead, an exciting response to the out-of-control bureaucratic bloat once thought indomitable. Amazingly he has given the job to the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, and not to be downplayed, the young Indian-American business mogul, Vivek Ramaswamy. Heads will roll from what he is saying in this YouTube short. [https://www.youtube.com/shorts/qNr8CpEyhew]

Both men have already set about the task of forming a new agency (the irony of this is off the charts) and created an oxymoronic name for it: the Department of Government Efficiency—The DOGE.

Consider: the total US Labor force was estimated to be 167.12 million in 2023. Federal employees are just under 3% at 2.87 million. All federal, state and local government employees amount to 19.5 million.

This means there is one government employee serving every eight Americans. Are all bureaucrats? No, but it’s safe to assume many are.

Occupancy rates for Washington DC government office space are currently around 12%. If they’re not showing up at the office to work, bureaucrats should be more than a little concerned about the DOGE.

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Mean Dog Header: Photo by Jeroen Bosch on Unsplash