To make America great again, every American citizen should know what was the main driver of America’s success in becoming the world’s superpower economically and militarily by the early 20th century. America’s greatness then was primarily attributable to its spiritually-grounded culture and its form of government—a unique constitutional republic that empowered the people and the states more than elites and the federal government.
The seeds of America’s political and cultural decline were being planted near America’s peak of greatness with the birth of the progressive movement even before the turn from the 19th to the 20th century. Both Republican President Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) and Democrat President Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921) embraced progressivism by expanding the power and scope of the federal government, which crowded out the freedoms that were protected by the Constitution.
There was a respite from progressivism with Presidents Harding (1921-1923) and Coolidge (1923-1929). But with President Herbert Hoover (1929-1933) responding to the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression with massive public works programs and President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945) establishing a raft of new federal agencies to provide relief for the poor, solve unemployment through public works projects, help businesses and redistribute wealth—the size and scope of federal government ballooned.
Nonetheless, the classical and religious traditions of early America, which had comprised the foundation for family formation, caring community relations, and law and order remained intact. While America was not founded as a Christian nation, the written record of the Constitutional Convention reveals that the founders’ recorded debates, discussions, writings, and citations were inspired and guided by the Bible more than any other source. Additionally, the founders’ top three most-cited political philosophers leading up to the Constitutional Convention were Montesquieu, Blackstone and Locke, each of whom were known to be devout in their Christian beliefs, which implied a recognition of the moral depravity of man and the necessity of limited government and checks against abuse of power.
In early America, self-reliance and the moral quality of individuals was primary, institutions were secondary. Citizens recognized that their rights, articulated in the Constitution’s Bill of Rights, were sacrosanct, but also that such rights implied a sense of responsibility to society and the greater good.
Fast forward to the 1960s, and this orientation began unravelling as the unmooring of American culture from its foundation accelerated. The United States underwent a visible decline as the deterioration of moral clarity about rights and responsibilities brought increasing division and conflict about the boundaries of authority and normalcy throughout society.
The radical societal changes that swept through America in the second half of the 20th century brought new challenges for existing cultural institutions and government agencies. The response was not to revive the role and importance of individual responsibility and return to the constitutional republic of the founders, but rather to completely embrace rule by an unelected administrative state with the creation of new government agencies, such as:
- U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in 1961
- The Social Security Administration programs Medicare and Medicaid in 1965
- The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in 1965
- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1970
- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in 1971
- The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in 1973
- The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in 1973
- The Department of Energy (DOE) in 1977
- The Department of Education in (DE) 1979
- The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2002
From a cost-benefit analysis, the expansion of government has been largely unsuccessful. The decline in the areas under the purview of the new agencies such as, HUD, DEA, DE, and DHS can be measured by comparing contemporary conditions and results to what existed prior to formation of the new government agency. Medicare and Medicaid together are the most expensive government programs, and contribute the most to the unfolding insolvency of the U.S
There has been a four-fold cost to the American people of the expansion of government. First there has been redirection of tax-payer resources from the productive private sector to the unproductive public sector. Second, the unaccountability of government agencies attracts a workforce predisposed to bureaucratic behavior, where procedures rather than results are the priority. Third, the expansion of government agencies, all operating in like manner, has resulted in an unaccountable administrative state—an unelected elite “ruling class.” Fourth, with no accountability in most, if not all, government programs—waste, fraud and abuse are not only inevitable, but have become broadly normalized as the way government works.
What we have learned during and after the early DOGE audit of USAID by Elon Musk’s team is that the problems of political corruption, waste, and fraud are by no means unique to that agency. Ruling class bureaucrats who share an entitlement mentality of unaccountability also share a kind of collectivist groupthink of common beliefs that include justifying the expansion of their program budgets every year through backchannels as well as the legislative process. Prior to DOGE, most government agency leader knew they would not have to account for their actions or decisions to anyone. And that freedom from responsibility or control within government agencies has facilitated misallocation of resources and the growth of corrupt practices.
Opposition to the DOGE process reveals a lot about the sources and beneficiaries of graft and corruption. So may the vocal opposition lead to successful prosecutions, which will deter corrupt practices.
American greatness cannot be achieved without a spiritual awakening and cultural revival. The critics who might argue that we should not set the clock back have it wrong. It is essential to get the time right, synchronized with the U.S. Constitution, which is based on natural law and limits the reach of government and empowers the people.
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Scott S. Powell is senior fellow at Discovery Institute and a member of the Committee on the Present Danger-China. His timeless book, Rediscovering America, has been #1 Amazon New Release in the history genre for eight weeks. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1637581599. Reach him at scottp@discovery.org