We Do Need to Return to the Past

By Rich Kozlovich

On September 29, 2022 Steven Hayward posted this article and video, Thought for the Day: Populism Galls Galston saying:

William Galston, the liberal columnist for the Wall Street Journal‘s editorial page (they always like to have one around) writing every so gently yesterday on the need for Democrats to pay attention to the legitimate grievances of populism lest they get buried in a populist electoral tide:

“Powerful forces in the Democratic coalition oppose crafting the sort of moderate policies that could win back these [working class] voters. But if Democrats refuse to compromise, the alternative may be something like the recent right-wing populist surges in Europe.”

Good luck with that compromising, Bill. The progressives own the Democratic Party now, and are in no mood to compromise.  (start video at the 25 second mark):

His argument about returning government back to 1920 levels is a logical fallacy. No one is suggesting that so it's a non sequitur, simply a distraction to avoid attacking the outrageous size of large government and it's abuses of the Constitution.  But the fact is there's no reason why the federal government should have over two million employees, and that doesn't include all the contractors or grant recipients, especially in the scientific community where government grant money has made scientific integrity an oxymoron. 

If the Departments of Commerce, Labor, Energy, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation and especially the Department of Education were totally eliminated that would only amount to about 52,500 employees.   So, please don't tell me the remaining 1,947,463 employees are really all that necessary, especially since the vast majority work in the defense/intelligence community, and we're seeing the consequences of that, as noted in this piece by Dan Mitchell of an out of control FBI and Department of Justice, not to mention the abuses of the and , all of which has led to a massive levels of

That doesn't count those actually serving in the military, about another million and a half, along with another eight hundred thousand reservists.

Maybe we should be demanding 1920 levels of government, and those reductions should include local and state governments, which currently employs another 16 million people, then maybe we can return to the past and get a 1950 level of government as a compromise.