J. R. R. Tolkien the great writer of novels (THE HOBBIT and LORD OF THE RINGS) are just two examples, was also a great Christian Apologetic who is credited with helping C. S. Lewis in his faith journey. Like so many great authors and astute observers of everyday life, they possess the gift of great common sense—a virtue not often found in “The Académie” today.
Mr. Tolkien, in the earlier part of the 20th century was a skeptic of government. His comments from that era—before WWII, seem to me truer today and it doesn’t matter if we are talking about Washington D.C., our State Legislatures, or City Government in Garden City, Boise. or Caldwell.
“The main problem with modern (representative—jl) governments is that we don’t know who governs, defacto any more than dejour. We see the politician, but not the backer, still less the backer of the backer. And what is most important the banker of the backer”. J. R. R. Tolkien
The problems with incumbency and politicians that have a place at the political table for too long a time, is that they actually relinquish control of “the process” over to lobbyists and bureaucrats. Political transactions that normally and even historically took place in open forums—parliament, legislatures, and municipal councils, now take place behind the purview of government bureaucrats who have less than a vested interest in being transparent. Think about the influence and power of a City Planner working in the basement of City Hall who can couch and feather the applications of builders and developers prior to their being reviewed by a Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Board or City Council. Think about a single appointed official who may sit on such a panel or who may have a professional or personal relationship with either the developer, the city planner or both. Or worse yet think about such a person who may sit on both an architectural review committee or board and also sit as an appointed or elected official on a city governing body.
Take this logic to an extreme and think about attorneys, who may sit in our legislature, and who individually or through their firms handle the daily business of city governments or government agencies. Taken to the extreme maybe an advisor to a governor may be a lobbyist for a large industry—maybe a large hospital or medical association that had accumulated large stashes of reserves that could easily be transferred and made into campaign contributions. Contributions that may influence the vote of a politician when it came time to set a budget for Medicaid spending or limits on spending. When 40% of the revenues of a large hospital system or pharmaceutical or insurance company comes from government transfer payments that are controlled by the votes of legislators, and when 45% of a governments budget comes from Federal sources, there is a nasty little symbiosis that cost tax payers lots of money (the fruits of the taxpayers labor not the politicians).
This tangled web of money and financing that occurs at all levels of government is how the process goes. People who have been in government a long time know how to “get things done”. As Elon Musk said about DOGE and its Pentagon X-AI audit of defense contractors—follow the money—didn’t our former Secretary of Defense retired Four Star General Lloyd Austin hold a position on the Board of Raytheon—one of the big four defense contractors, assuming that position immediately after retiring from the Command of CENTCOM (US Central Command). One day he was buying from Raytheon for the military, and the next day he was selling for Raytheon to the Military.
The Honor Code at West Point seems to be very fluid for graduates that become politicians or Generals.
The real problem with this whole situation is the majority of good politicians at all levels of government sit back and let this happen. They see a few of their member, buddy leaders, take advantage of the campaign contribution or shift from being a legislator to being a bureaucratic agency head. They may even then go back to the private sector and become a lobbyist! No wonder so many people who “serve in government” retire as multi-millionaires!
There are so many good people serving their fellow citizens that the few “managers” of the system ruin it for all of us. In closing two quotes from C. S. Lewis come to mind: “One of the most cowardly things ordinary people do is shut their eyes to the facts” With that in mind I close with another C. S. Lewis Quote: “You can’t go back to change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending”
Our politicians at all levels of government need to CHANGE THE PROCESS, or WE THE PEOPLE won’t trust either the politicians or the government. The ending won’t be pretty at any level of government if they don’t.
Whoever runs for Governor needs to be committed just like DJT has been to change the process. DOGE for Idaho I say.
