There Is No Such Thing As A "Deep State"
One of the recurring themes of the Trump campaign last year was this thing about a “deep state” that was stifling American’s freedom and was overly bureaucratic and “too WOKE.” I am here to debunk that lie and tell the truth about our government’s civil service.
On Saturday July 2, 1881, newly inaugurated President James A Garfield was at the railroad station in Washington DC to board a train to the shore for the July 4 weekend. Out of the crowd came a deranged disgruntled office seeker named Charles Guiteau. He was upset that he had not been given an audience for a federal office with the new administration. He fired two shots into Garfield from a pistol hidden in his coat.
President Garfield lingered for two and a half months before dying of sepsis caused by his wounds. A contributing factor in his death was the lack of sanitation and sterilization in that period. His presidency was only six and a half months. President Garfield is buried along with his wife in a tomb in Cleveland’s Lakeview Cemetery.
He was succeeded by his Vice President Chester A Arthur who had been the Collector of the Port of New York, perhaps the busiest and richest port in the nation. This position was a patronage job that made Chester Arthur very wealthy and influential. He was a product of a corrupt New York political machine that controlled all government positions. At that time government jobs were given out to supporters based on a “spoils system” that went back to Andrew Jackson’s saying “to the victor go the spoils” as they can appoint all government officials.
To say that this system was corrupt was an understatement. Many government officials were corrupt criminals who enriched themselves off the public. Shocked by the assassination of a President by a disgruntled office seeker; the congress enacted the Pendleton Civil Service Act in 1883. President Arthur signed it into law that year. This act became the basis of our career civil service.
Federal employees were permanent hires based on merit rather than political connections. They were prohibited from engaging in any political activity other than voting. They could not be fired when there was a change in the administration. This 1883 act has been strengthened and expanded to the federal civil service and has been copied by all states and cities in the Unted States for public employees.
I have a close family member who is a retired federal law enforcement official. In his position, he busted child pornographers and those who also trafficked in children for sex. He also investigated fraud on the Chicago Board of Trade. After the events on September 11, 2001, they began investigating money laundering by terrorist organizations and rogue nations as well as organized crime.
These people who work for our government are not part of a “deep state” conspiracy. They keep us safe from terrorists and prevent airplanes from crashing into each other. It is the federal air traffic controllers that make flying across the Unted States safer than driving a car across town. It is those dedicated people that make sure that social security payments are sent out and contributions are credited. They make sure that people pay their taxes. It was federal postal inspectors that were able to put Chicago gangster Al Capone in Alcatraz prison.
These career civil servants cannot be fired for political reasons and are prohibited from engaging in any political activity other than voting if they are employed by the government. They also are pledged to be confidential and cannot reveal any sensitive personal information without a warrant.
It is these people that make sure that despite a change in administration government benefits continue to be paid and that the work of the government is not interrupted. Sure, the President can appoint the heads of government departments that are subject to senate confirmation as to their fitness for the position.
However, in the past five weeks Donald Trump has turned all that on its edge. He is on s spree of illegally firing career government employees and has an unelected unconfirmed and unvetted billionaire who has some lucrative contracts with the federal government rooting around in government offices and agencies firing workers and slashing their budgets under a “Department of Government Efficiency” that has not been created by congress as the constitution allows.
This has been a campaign of “shock and awe” that has caught the nation by storm. But this also defies the constitution and the oath that the President took on January 20 to “protect and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic.” Last week Donald Trump had his image on a fake magazine cover wearing a crown with the lettering “all hail the king.” We fought a war that started 250 years ago this April to get rid of being ruled by a king. Our founding fathers must be rolling over many times in their graves.
Lee Kamps
Lee has been working with Medicare, Medicaid and private health insurance since he began working at the Erie County Welfare Department in January 1973 where a major part of his job was determining eligibility for Medicaid. He went into the private insurance business in 1977 with Prudential Insurance Company and within a short time had become one of the company’s top sales agents. In 1982, he was promoted into management where he managed two field offices and as many as thirteen sales agents. After leaving Prudential in 1986, Lee decided to become more focused on health insurance and employee benefits. He has advised many local employers on how to have a more cost effective employee benefit program as well as conducted employee benefit meetings and enrollments for many area employers. The companies Lee has worked with ranged from small “mom and pop” businesses to local operations of large national companies. Lee received his B.S. degree from Kent State University where he has been active in the local alumni association. He has completed seven of the ten courses toward the Certified Employee Benefit Specialist designation. He has taught courses in employee benefits and insurance at Cleveland State University and local community colleges. In addition, Lee is an experienced and accomplished public speaker. He has been a member of Toastmasters International where he achieved the designation of “Able Toastmaster – Silver” in 1994. He has also served as a club president, Area Governor and District Public Relations Officer in Toastmasters as well as winning local speech contests. Lee has also been a member of the Greater Cleveland Growth Association’s Speaker’s Bureau where he was designated as one of the “official spokespeople for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame” prior to the hall’s opening in 1995. He has given talks and presentations before many audiences including civic organizations, AARP chapters and many other community groups. With the implementation of the Medicare Modernization Act (Medicare drug bill) in 2006, Lee has shifted his focus to Medicare and helping Medicare beneficiaries navigate the often confusing array of choices and plans available. As an independent representative, Lee is not bound to any one specific company or plan, but he can offer a plan that suits an individual person’s needs and budget. In addition, Lee is well versed in the requirements and availability of various programs for assistance with Medicare part D as well as Medicaid. While he cannot make one eligible, he can assist in the process and steer one to where they may be able to receive assistance.