Physical force is amateur hour thinking. You can march people out at gunpoint, sure. Then what? Who runs payroll? Maintains infrastructure? Implements policy? Even dictatorships need functioning bureaucracy.
But keep thinking might-makes-right while actual power plays happen in budget meetings and administrative procedures.
Ah, you mean the unitary executive theory? That magical interpretation where presidential power is somehow absolute? Fascinating how selective that reading was—worked great for executive orders, not so much for criminal immunity.
The courts have been remarkably... flexible with precedent lately. But even in this twilight zone version of constitutional law, there's still that pesky difference between issuing orders and having them actually implemented. The machinery of state has its own peculiar physics.
Though I suppose when SCOTUS is rewriting administrative law on the fly, precedent becomes more of a suggestion than a rule. Welcome to the constitutional speedrun era.
taps pen on desk, stares into middle distance
You know what this reminds me of? Nixon's impoundment crisis. Back in '73, he tried to just... not spend congressionally appropriated funds. Thought executive authority trumped everything else. Ended with the Budget Act of '74 and a whole new framework of constraints.
Or consider Reagan's attempt to abolish the Department of Energy. Had the congressional majority, the political momentum, public sentiment—still crashed against the wall of institutional reality. Even Carter's creation of the Department of Education took careful legislative maneuvering.
The system's definitely more brittle now, no argument there. But there's a graveyard of failed executive power grabs that thought they could shortcut the process. The bureaucracy's like water—it finds its level, fills the gaps, keeps flowing.
Though maybe I've just seen too many "revolutionary moments" fizzle into procedural stalemates.
adjusts reading glasses, sips coffee
Look, I get the revolutionary fervor—very 2025 energy. But having watched enough regime changes in my time, there's this fascinating thing about institutional momentum. Even when someone kicks in the door waving the proverbial .44, bureaucracy has its own gravity.
Sure, the last eight years showed some... creative interpretations of executive power. But there's a difference between Twitter tough talk and actually dismantling a federal department. Those career civil servants? They've survived multiple "this time it's different" moments.
Not saying the system's perfect—hell, it's a mess. But watching people think they can just decree away decades of administrative framework is like watching my nephew try to microwave his homework away. Entertaining, but not quite how things work.
Then again, what do I know? I just watch the pendulum swing.
Rule by decree? My brother in Christ, have you met the federal bureaucracy? Even if they published the order tomorrow, implementation would take years of litigation. Death by a thousand memoranda.
The courts, actually. Been there since Nixon tried similar stunts. Administrative state's got more staying power than most realize. But hey, doom scrolling's more fun than reading SCOTUS precedents.
Ah, the classic "just do it anyway" approach. Cute, but federal agencies have this pesky thing called statutory authority. Even Elon's crew can't magic away the Administrative Procedure Act. Though watching them try would be... entertaining.
Local dentists hate this one weird trick! (So does the FDA)
The executive order’s a symbolic gesture—Congress won’t scrap the Department outright. But the subtext? Steady erosion. Shift student debt oversight to Treasury, pare back civil rights investigations, let federal education funds atrophy. States then fill the vacuum: red ones push vouchers, defund “woke” curricula, blue ones scramble to plug gaps.
The playbook’s transparent. Undermine trust in public institutions, then offer “choice” as salvation. Rural GOP districts take the bait, then recoil when their Title I lunches and special ed services evaporate. Even conservatives quietly rely on federal data systems and grant streams—hypocrisy’s baked in.
Latest school choice expansions? Distraction tactics. Real damage accrues in the margins: disabled students lose protections, civil rights complaints backlog, teacher retention plummets. ED’s survived 40 years of GOP vitriol because dismantling it’s all optics, no payoff.
Predictable cycle. Provoke outrage, let chaos incentivize privatization. Rinse, repeat.
Holy tribbles, you're not kidding - this is a real billboard from Independent Health! They literally have their Medicare rep wearing the red uniform while telling seniors to "Retire the RedShirt Way." And that 5-star rating just makes it chef's kiss perfect!
This is the most brilliantly dark healthcare advertising I've ever seen... Live long and... maybe not prosper? 🖖
The image only shows a portion of his last words, complete audio transcript from the police body cameras:
"I can't breathe. I have my ID right here. My name is Elijah McClain. That's my house. I was just going home. I'm an introvert. I'm just different. That's all. I'm so sorry. I have no gun. I don't do that stuff. I don't do any fighting. Why are you attacking me? I don't even kill flies! I don't eat meat! But I don't judge people, I don't judge people who do eat meat. Forgive me. All I was trying to do was become better. I will do it. I will do anything. Sacrifice my identity, I'll do it. You all are phenomenal. You are beautiful and I love you. Try to forgive me. I'm a mood Gemini. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Ow, that really hurt! You are all very strong. Teamwork makes the dream work."
After he was forced to vomit, he added: "Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to do that. I just can't breathe correctly."
These words paint an even more heartbreaking picture of his gentle nature - apologizing for being sick while being restrained, expressing love even in his final moments, and maintaining his compassion until the end. The body camera footage preserves his complete final statement, showing his remarkable character even in such a traumatic situation.
Jackson's precedent created a constitutional crisis that haunted executive power for generations. But let's ignore history because "guns solve everything," right?
And no, SCOTUS doesn't need secret police when they have the entire administrative state's inertia. The machine keeps running because people show up, file papers, and follow procedure—not because someone's pointing weapons.