US Government Employees Really Are Important!

08/28/2025 captainmclaren Comments 0 Comment

The American public should understand that the level of competence of not just leaders, like Donald Trump, but also department heads, managers and staff is necessary for better government functioning. Here are factors for goodness:

transparency.
responsibility.
accountability.
participation.
responsiveness

Trump does not look for quality but faithful compliance in the people he appoints. But, beware, he actually wants less government workers! At the end of this post, you will find the reason.

What are the six dimensions of good governance?

Voice & Accountability is a country’s citizens’ ability to participate in selecting their government and express their views, along with the government’s capacity and will to respond to these demands and be held responsible for its actions.
The latest value from 2023 is 0.88 points, an increase from 0.86 points in 2022. In comparison, the world average is -0.03 points, based on data from 192 countries. Historically, the average for the USA from 1996 to 2023 is 1.12 points.

Political Stability: is the sustained, peaceful, and functional condition of a government and its political system, characterized by legitimacy, a stable constitutional framework, a lack of significant disruptions, and the capacity to prevent forced change or conflict.
The latest value from 2023 is 0.03 points, an increase from 0.01 points in 2022. In comparison, the world average is -0.06 points, based on data from 193 countries. Historically, the average for the USA from 1996 to 2023 is 0.38 points.

Lack of Violence: is a country’s citizens’ ability to participate in selecting their government and express their views, along with the government’s capacity and will to respond to these demands and be held responsible for its actions.

Yes, violent crime has decreased in the U.S., with a 4.5% national decrease in violent crime in 2024 compared to 2023, according to the FBI. The FBI also reported a significant 14.9% drop in murder and non-negligent manslaughter rates from 2023 to 2024, following a 10% decline in the prior year. This trend of declining violence, particularly homicides and gun assaults, has been observed in many U.S. cities since 2022, though rates have not yet returned to pre-2020 levels.

Government Effectiveness: uses six dimensions of governance for their measurements, Voice & Accountability, Political Stability and Lack of Violence, Government Effectiveness, Regulatory Quality, Rule of Law, and Control of Corruption.

Historically, the average for the USA from 1996 to 2023 is 1.51 points.
The latest value from 2023 is 1.22 points, a decline from 1.26 points in 2022.

Regulatory Quality: refers to the ability of a government to formulate and implement sound, effective, and transparent policies and regulations that support private sector development and promote societal well-being.
The U.S. regulatory quality is generally high, though it has seen some recent declines, with a World Bank index score of 1.39 in 2023, well above the global average of -0.03.

Rule of Law: The rule of law is a principle where everyone is accountable to laws that are publicly known, equally enforced, and independently adjudicated, ensuring a just and orderly society. It means no one is above the law, human rights are protected, and legal processes are fair and accessible.
https://worldjusticeproject.org/rule-of-law-index/country/2024/United%20States

Control of Corruption. is the extent to which public power is exercised for private gain, including both petty and grand. forms of corruption, as well as “capture” of the state by elites and private interests.

In the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), the United States has a score of 65 out of 100 and ranks 28th out of 180 countries, a decrease of 4 points from the previous year.

Summary: It appears that the overall situation in the United States is not yet bad. It can take years to ruin a country! The problem appears that the US current leadership is working toward damaging and diminishing the government for self serving decisions that reward Donald Trump and the Republican Party but seem at times to hurt some of the best government workers and the people of the United States.

Lets view some recent examples>

The Scale of Recent Layoffs

Hundreds of Thousands in Total:
Reports from July 2025 indicated that the Trump administration initiated plans for more than 290,000 federal civil service layoffs, with nearly 200,000 federal workers having already left their jobs by August 2025.

Confirmed and Planned Cuts:

As of May 2025, The New York Times had tracked over 58,500 confirmed cuts and more than 76,000 buyouts, with over 149,000 other planned reductions, representing about 12% of the civilian federal workforce at the time.

Current Specific Agencies Affected:

State Department: Around 1,300 employees were fired in a single day in July 2025.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): The EPA fired 388 employees in February 2025.
Defense Department: Planned to fire 5,400 probationary employees.
National Science Foundation: Fired 168 employees in February 2025.

Compare the huge numbers above to what should be expected when viewing past years.

PAST YEARS VIEWED BELOW, USED AS A RULER OF COMPARISON

Past Years, Routine Performance-Based Firings: In addition to mass layoffs, more than two dozen federal employees are fired daily on average for performance or conduct reasons.

Past Years, Annual Average:

The number of federal employees removed for performance or conduct hovers around 10,000 individuals annually.

SUMMARY: It can be seen that the United States is holding it’s own when being measured it’s overall economic success but not employment! Just look at how the United States government core employees have and are being wiped out. WOW!

Since shortly after the inauguration, the Trump Administration has made it a central goal to sharply reduce the number of federal workers, with little regard to the impact on the functioning of basic government services.

WHY?:

These actions are based on long-standing conservative (Republican) goals, most notably outlined in Project 2025 by the Heritage Foundation.

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Just another reason to not vote Republican!

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Recommended readings:

Trump Administration’s Mass Layoffs of Federal Workers Are Illegal

Trump Targets Agencies Long Seen as Above Politics. Critics See Big Risks.

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