The Trump Administration Goes to War Against Bureaucratic Tyranny
“This town is now as nervous as it’s ever been.” That’s Congressman Chip Roy’s assessment of the mood in Washington, D.C., since President Trump’s return to the White House. It’s one of several dozen refreshingly blunt descriptions of American politics in Ned Ryun’s new documentary based on his book, American Leviathan. The documentary is available to anyone with an Internet connection, and it is nothing short of a declaration of war on the administrative state.
I highlighted Ryun’s book when it came out last September for several reasons. First, it is a remarkably clear description of the ideas, people, and events that led us to this unique moment in history — when the inevitable clash between the authoritarian bureaucracy and the constitutional Republic has come to a head. There was nothing “natural” about this process. The vast and unaccountable administrative state did not arise from the U.S. Constitution; it is a repudiation of the Constitution. The unelected bureaucracy does not reflect the wishes of the American people; it is the polar opposite of representative government. No matter how many propagandists defend Big Government as “our Democracy,” the ever-growing Leviathan is thoroughly authoritarian in disposition. It jealously guards its expanding powers and despises American citizens who insist that legitimate government comes only from the consent of the people. It is such an unnatural beast that it must spy on Americans, censor their speech, and intimidate them into submission merely to maintain control. The administrative state is “government by coercion” and the antithesis of limited government and individual liberty.
