I want to comment briefly on all these government layoffs, which, as a conservative, I am supposed to applaud. At least, if by “conservative” we mean we don’t care about the human cost of government layoffs, as long as our political ends are achieved.
I recall my early days as a lawyer, employed by the government until I was dismissed for reasons other than my performance. I had gotten the job through political channels (yes, I was easily the most qualified of the applicants, but that sort of thing doesn’t matter), and when politics changed, I was suddenly no longer needed. The shock was profound; I felt as if my entire world had collapsed, like the sun would never again shine and my life was over. And I was only in my twenties. That was before I bore the responsibilities of marriage, a mortgage, and real obligations. I was healthy, financially secure, and in fact, it was the best thing to happen to me because (and this is no secret) private sector work pays attorneys way more than government work. Best of all, I now have the freedom of being my own boss, and I can’t put a price on that. Yet the loss of that old job, and the anguish and distress I felt at that time, left an indelible mark on me.
Now, I consider that experience multiplied across tens of thousands of households as government officials are laid off en masse. While it’s undeniable that our federal bureaucracy is excessively large and powerful, and I am all for reducing it thoughtfully and carefully, we must not forget that behind every number is a person. Each job represents a life, and letting someone go is a solemn, heartrending act that demands careful, individualized consideration.
I see videos now of Elon Musk acting like a total idiot by parading a chainsaw —a metaphor for indiscriminate cuts—while the cheers of approval echo around him. I am now an employer, not of thousands like Musk, but of a small handful. Maybe that’s why I don’t see people as numbers on a ledger, and why for me the hardest thing I have to do is let someone go. I have kept people on longer than financially prudent because the thought of hurting them was unbearable. I have tried to find other employers to take them on if I thought they’d work out there. I have even hired employees who I don’t even need, at higher wages than justified, simply because I understood the gravity of their personal situations. And I have to tell you, just as few things grieve me more than firing someone, few things make me happier than when I see a good employee buy a new car, or pay for a grand vacation for their family, or start and build a family, and know that my business was able to provide that to them.
I can’t even imagine the pain if a parent — someone who has dedicated years to a government role they cherished — suddenly loses that security, only to watch a spectacle of ruthless layoffs celebrated on television. What kind of sadistic cruelty has overcome us? I applaud efforts to eliminate waste and uncover fraud, but I cannot condone mass dismissals executed with the blunt efficiency of a battle axe — excuse me, a chainsaw — devoid of compassion and understanding.
Such an approach might suit a corporation like Twitter/X, where there were clearly scores of entitled brats who didn’t want to work, or show up to the office, who added little to no value, and whose dismissals resulted in immediate profitability. That’s not this. And yes, I know the government workers were offered severance packages and whatever, but those do little to mitigate the profound personal impact of losing one’s livelihood.
So yeah, I support the call for fiscal responsibility and the elimination of inefficiencies. Go ahead, let’s do that, I’m on board. But if the new, streamlined government we are creating is devoid of compassion, kindness, and a genuine commitment to the human element, then we were better off the way we were.
