The classic dystopian sci-fi movie Soylent Green depicts an overpopulated, polluted, and resource-depleted world (is it fiction?) where food is scarce and the government distributes a mysterious food product called Soylent Green, supposedly made from high-protein plankton.  The lead character, played by Charlton Heston, is shocked to find out that Soylent Green is made from humans, and he runs around frantically telling everyone that “Soylent Green is people! We’ve got to stop them somehow!” Of course, no one believes him. If this happened today the story would quickly get labeled as a conspiracy theory because in America we like to make shit up, and the more outrageous the better. Did you know that the Earth is flat, and birds aren’t real? I was thinking about going on a cruise but am worried that the Cruise ship might sail off the end of the earth.

Here in America today we have a new threat being spouted by conspiracy theorists and the far right about something called the Deep State. Well folks, I am here to tell you that this ill-defined and shadowy organization is …yes, wait for it…people!  Yes, people like me, people like you, millions of them, going to work doing various jobs serving our nation with dedication. They do things like provide oversight of healthcare, social services, transportation, food and drugs, financial and educational institutions. They provide food and housing assistance to the poor and elderly; they provide for the defense of our nation, and they ensure the rule of law is adhered to as needed in any civil society. And they all take an oath to support and defend the constitution (not the President), against all enemies, foreign AND domestic. These people also adhere to a strict code of ethics that is codified in the Joint Ethics Regulation, a 130-page byzantine document that is as easy to explain as Calculus. This regulation is published by the Office of Government Ethics, whose Director was just fired, which would make a reasonable person ask why? Does the Government no longer need to be ethical?

To think that these hundreds of organizations and millions of people are all part of some elaborately coordinated shadow government defies logic.  Have you ever tried to organize a dinner or social event for 25 people? It’s like herding cats. Can you imagine herding 3 million cats?  I can assure you, after having worked in the federal government for 42 years, we barely knew what the person in the next cubicle over did, much less the millions of government workers spread throughout the world.

I recall when I was the head of Contracting in Iraq working under Generals Petraeus and Odierno, where we tried our best to synchronize and deconflict the efforts of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Department of State, USAID, coalition partners, and others. It was a daunting task. I mean it was hard enough at times to understand the accents of the Brits and Aussies, but the Army spoke a whole different language. The Army soldier’s answer to every command or question was “Huah”.  Which could mean “yes”, but it could also mean “WTF are you talking about?” You had to decipher the tone to understand the response.

Now to be honest our federal government is a bureaucracy that is at times inefficient and ineffective.  Managers in the government rarely have objective measures for organizational or personal performance. Rather they tend to measure activity. I recall once taking over as a supervisor right before appraisal time where I asked the people I was now supervising for their accomplishments from the past year.  One of the employees simply provided me with a list of all the meetings they attended. Now I am not anti-meeting per se, they are a necessary evil, like going to the Dentist, but was attending meetings all this person did I wondered?  Needless to say, that employee received a poor appraisal and no bonus (and they were surprised about it because previous leadership just did a peanut butter spread for bonuses).) I also oversaw a study of certain communication gear that our agency spends millions on each year. When we looked at the data, we found out that 60 percent of the pieces of equipment were never turned on that year, yet we kept buying more because it was a fast and easy way to spend money at the end of the fiscal year. Like those impulse items near grocery checkout lines, only when aggregated across an entire agency they cost over $30M.   

But there is a huge difference between being an inefficient bureaucracy and an evil deep state acting as a shadow government. In fact, government agencies are largely transparent in their activities and policy changes. To create and implement regulations and policy changes agencies must follow the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). This legally requires agencies to publish an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) in the Federal Register to gather early public input before drafting a formal proposal. The agency then drafts the proposed rule and publishes it in the Federal Register, including the following information:

• The legal authority for the rule.
• The rule’s purpose and expected impact.
• A request for public comments.

This begins a public comment period (typically 30 to 60 days but can be extended). The public, businesses, advocacy groups, and other stakeholders then submit comments, and the agency reviews the comments, conducts additional research, and may revise the rule based on feedback. After considering public input, the agency issues the Final Rule, published in the Federal Register, including the following:

• Responses to major concerns raised during the comment period.
• The rule’s final text and effective date.
• The final rule is then codified in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)

Even after this arduous and time-consuming process Congress has 60 legislative days to review and potentially reject a rule. And courts may review the rule if lawsuits are filed, ensuring it aligns with statutory authority and the APA.

I know that sounds boring and bureaucratic, and it is. democratic governing processes are messy and bureaucratic by design. Every citizen has a right to know and comment on federal government policy. It is a democracy after all. Would it be more efficient for agencies to do whatever they want, sure, but without transparency and allowing input from all our Government wouldn’t be a democracy, it would be some other nefarious “ocracy,” like a kleptocracy or kakistocracy, that I spoke about in a previous blog.

Further, Congress and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) keep a close eye on what federal agencies are doing. The GAO serves as the independent watchdog for Congress, ensuring accountability, transparency, and efficiency in federal government operations. It conducts audits, evaluations, and investigations of government programs and spending to identify waste, fraud, and mismanagement. The GAO provides nonpartisan analysis and recommendations to help Congress oversee executive branch agencies, improve program effectiveness, and ensure taxpayer funds are used appropriately. Its reports influence, policy decisions, legislative reforms, and budget allocations, strengthening government accountability and performance. In 2024 alone, the GAO completed 1,635 audit reports and one report alone garnered significant attention for identifying 112 new matters for congressional consideration and recommendations aimed at improving government efficiency and effectiveness.

Additionally, agencies typically have their own audit offices. For instance, in the Department of the Air Force, there is the Air Force Audit Agency (AFAA), an independent internal audit organization responsible for evaluating the efficiency, effectiveness, and compliance of Air Force operations and financial management. Its primary purpose is to provide objective, risk-based assessments that help Air Force leadership improve decision-making, enhance operational readiness, and ensure the proper use of resources.

Not to mention that agencies also have Inspector Generals (IGs), who also have the responsibility to conduct audits and investigations, prevent fraud, waste and abuse, provide recommendations for improvement, protect whistleblowers, and liaison with Congress and the public. These are all checks and balances on agencies and the federal government that provide maximum transparency and accountability (until someone fires all of the IGs).  There is nothing deep or shadowy about this.

So, when I hear or read about someone talking about the Deep State, several thoughts come to mind. First, they have absolutely no idea how the federal government functions and have never worked for the federal government. Second, they do not understand what the government does exactly. Third, they greatly overestimate the ability of an organization as large as the federal government to synchronize under a single purpose.  And last, but not least, they forget that the government is PEOPLE, just like you, me and your neighbor.  So, the next time someone starts talking about the Deep State ask them who is firing the IGs, or the Director of the Office of Government Ethics?  Or ask them who is not being transparent in their policy and activities and issuing new policy without public comment? Or who is granting unprecedented access to sensitive data to uncleared personnel?

So don’t talk to me about a mythical Deep State, I am more concerned about the very real Deep Shit that is going on in plain sight.