The Democracy Papers: Paper Twelve
A Republic on the Brink. When a government turns against its own people, when it seeks to strip away the institutions meant to serve them, when it consolidates power into the hands of the few at the direct expense of the many, what do we call that?
A Republic on the Brink
When a government turns against its own people, when it seeks to strip away the institutions meant to serve them, when it consolidates power into the hands of the few at the direct expense of the many, what do we call that?
Not reform. Not efficiency. Not progress.
It is the systematic dismantling of democracy. It is an open declaration of war against the people by those who seek to rule instead of govern. It is a coup.
And it is happening right now.
The Purge of the Federal Workforce
The newest Executive Order is not just another attack on bureaucracy. It is an intentional and direct assault on our government itself. By seeking to cut nearly 75% of the federal workforce, labeling them "non-essential," and requiring that all new hires be hand-picked by DOGE-approved team leaders, the administration has made its play abundantly clear.
This is not about streamlining services. It's not about improving services or benefits for Americans, or increasing transparency into government dealings. This is about eliminating oversight, consolidating unchecked power, and ensuring that only the most loyal are left standing and it will dramatically decay the level of service Americans receive for everything from mail to taxes to disability benefits to Veteran healthcare leaving millions of Americans will be left without the essential services they rely on.
Once watchdog agencies are purged, no one will investigate corruption, no one will enforce regulations, no one will uphold the rule of law. The remaining employees, chosen for their fealty rather than their competence, will not be civil servants. They will be enforcers of an agenda that serves the few at the expense of the many.
This is how authoritarian regimes solidify their grip on power. They hollow out institutions until they are nothing but broken, empty shells, then repopulate them with loyalists who answer only to the ruling faction.
The executive branch has declared its intent to strip Congress of its power, rendering it obsolete while the courts are already stacked in its favor. If Congress does not act now to stop this, they may very well be next.
A Long Train of Abuses
This is not an isolated incident. And it didn't happen over night, though it may seem like it. This is part of a deliberate and escalating campaign to undermine democracy at every level.
The executive branch has seized control over critical government functions, from financial infrastructure to personnel management all without it's constitutionally mandated congressional oversight. The judiciary has been packed with hand-selected operatives who rule not on precedent or law, but on loyalty to those who installed them.
The media landscape is under siege, with misinformation and propaganda drowning out truth while independent journalism is systematically targeted. Election laws are being rewritten to ensure that those in power cannot be removed by the will of the people in free and fair elections.
"But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."
The Founders wrote about this in The Declaration of Independence. They lived through it. They fought and died to overthrow it. They understood what we now face. And they understood that the responsibility to resist is not just a right, it is a duty.
The Choice Before Us
There is no neutral ground anymore. There is no longer time for us to "wait it out." There is no path back to normal if we do nothing NOW. History is full of moments where the people stood idle as their institutions were dismantled, their freedoms eroded, their voices silenced. This cannot be one of those moments. This cannot, will not, be another cautionary tale.
Many of us swore an oath to protect this nation from all threats foreign and domestic and I’m pretty god damned sure this is why.
We will demand action. Call your representatives. Flood their offices, virtually and physically. Make it clear that inaction is complicity.
We will fight disinformation. Do not let propaganda control the narrative. Speak truth, challenge lies, and defend reality on every platform. Use your voice to get this message out to everyone we can.
We will remind those in power who they work for. Members of Congress are not our rulers. They are our employees. And they need to be reminded that if they do not act, they will be replaced.
We will organize. Protest. Strike. March. Leverage every tool at our disposal to make the cost of this power grab unbearable.
This country was built on resistance to tyranny. It is the most American thing we can do. Because democracy doesn’t die overnight. It dies when people stop fighting for it.
And we are not done fighting.