Shrinking the Government, One Soul at a Time

At 11:59 p.m., nearly a million federal workers will face an unthinkable ultimatum—justify your existence or vanish. Not with the cold clarity of a termination notice, but through the sterile click of an unanswered email. Fail to explain why your job matters, and it’s not a firing. It’s resignation by silence. A bureaucratic execution dressed up as administrative efficiency.

And here’s the bitter irony: 979,000 of those waiting for the clock to strike midnight live in red states—states that voted for this outcome. They believed in promises of cutting waste, shrinking bloated government systems, and restoring dignity to hardworking Americans. They never thought that they were the target.

But the blade doesn’t discriminate. It cuts through loyalty as easily as it does opposition. And as the hours tick down, the reality becomes clear: This isn’t about trimming fat. It’s about erasing people.

The Santa Susana Blueprint: Disposability by Design

Look no further than the Santa Susana Field Laboratory. Once a beacon of nuclear innovation, now a forgotten outpost of contamination and bureaucratic neglect. In this isolated patch of California, we see the future of the American workforce laid bare.

Dr. Mengers—the sole Department of Energy (DOE) employee overseeing Area 4’s nuclear operations. His assistant, Debbie? A contractor. Pete? The only NASA employee among a sea of disposable laborers. Everyone else? Contractors—outsourced, replaceable, expendable.

This isn’t just a staffing model. It’s a harbinger of things to come. The government of tomorrow doesn’t want employees; it wants assets it can discard without consequence. And as automation sharpens its blade, even contractors will find themselves replaced by algorithms that never ask for sick leave, fair pay, or dignity.

Red-State Reality Check: Loyalty Meets the Guillotine

Here’s where the knife twists deeper. Almost a million of these threatened workers are in red states—people who cheered the rhetoric of government downsizing, believing the axe would fall elsewhere. They weren’t supposed to be collateral damage. They were supposed to be safe.

But loyalty doesn’t shield you from betrayal. The painful truth? These workers weren’t protected—they were sacrificed first. The promise wasn’t efficiency; it was elimination. Not cutting waste—cutting people.

What happens when faith meets reality? When those who believed they were on the winning side realize they were pawns from the start? The bitterness festers. And it should, because no one deserves this betrayal—especially not by their own hand.

Erasing People Isn’t Cutting Waste

Let’s make something clear: reducing waste doesn’t mean gutting the workforce that holds the system together. Efficiency isn’t found by erasing the very people who ensure the gears of government don’t grind to a halt.

This isn’t fiscal responsibility—it’s systemic sabotage. Each job cut isn’t just a paycheck lost; it’s expertise erased, oversight dismantled, and resistance silenced. And as AI advances, replacing human judgment with cold automation, the erasure becomes permanent.

The question no one wants to answer is simple: What happens to millions of people with no jobs, no income, and no purpose? Where do they go? What will the billionaires do when there’s no one left to serve their interests?

The Future of the Disposable

We are sleepwalking toward a future where people are assets—valued only until they’re not. When the government eliminates those who maintain the checks and balances, who will be left to say no?

Stripped of purpose, denied dignity, and erased from the workforce, these millions become dangerous not by intent but by necessity. Desperation breeds unrest. And yet, the rich seem content to roll the dice, betting that automation and wealth can shield them from the consequences.

But history is not kind to those who think they can erase the human spirit without consequence.

Empathy for the Misled: A Bitter Lesson

Here’s where the empathy comes in—sharp and sincere. Many of these workers weren’t foolish; they were lied to. They believed in a system that promised them security and dignity. They thought the government would become leaner, smarter, more efficient. They didn’t realize that they were the waste being cut.

Their mistake wasn’t trust—it was believing that loyalty to power would protect them from power’s cruelty.

The tragedy isn’t that they voted for this—it’s that they were deceived into believing they were exempt from the consequences of betrayal. Now they see the truth: when power grows hungry, it doesn’t care how loyal you were—it only cares how easy you are to discard.

The Final Click: Silence as Resignation

Picture it: a single office light burning at 11:59 p.m. A worker staring at their screen, cursor hovering over the email that demands justification for their existence. Hands trembling. Heart sinking. The sick realization that maybe, just maybe, the system was never built to protect them.

And when that clock strikes midnight? Silence isn’t golden—it’s an erasure.

This is not just the shrinking of government. It’s the shrinking of humanity itself.

And when enough people are erased, who will be left to say no?