The Collapse of Governmental Purpose in the United States

 

The Collapse of Governmental Purpose in the United States

by Germanico Vaca

The United States of America is enduring one of the gravest crises of governance in its history. This crisis is not merely political; it is institutional and moral. At its core lies a fundamental failure of leadership—an apparent abandonment by the President of the United States of the very purpose for which government exists.

The president is not a monarch, nor a strongman, nor the embodiment of the state. The president is a public servant, sworn to act in the interest of the people and to uphold the Constitution. The executive branch exists to administer government for the common good: to strengthen national infrastructure, improve economic opportunity, safeguard civil rights, and promote the welfare of all Americans—regardless of race, religion, origin, or political affiliation.

That purpose has been forsaken.

A functioning government invests in its future by building roads, bridges, ports, tunnels, and critical infrastructure that increase national prosperity and resilience. It works to improve the lives of all citizens. Instead, the present administration has embraced policies rooted in division, racial targeting, and deliberate social fragmentation. Individuals are being persecuted, detained, and deported based on appearance alone—even when they are citizens. This is not governance; it is discrimination masquerading as authority.

Government exists to manage the complexities of society, especially in times of disruption. Today, the nation faces massive job displacement from automation and artificial intelligence, economic instability, and widening inequality. Rather than coordinating solutions, enforcing shared rules, and providing stability, the administration has chosen chaos. It actively undermines legal norms, economic confidence, and social cohesion.

The United States government was created to provide the framework in which people could pursue happiness under the rule of law. That mission has been replaced by a politics of grievance and personal power. The world once looked to the United States for leadership grounded in shared democratic values. Those days appear to be fading.

Militarization and the Erosion of Constitutional Order

Every American has the right to feel safe. The Constitution assigns the government the responsibility of ensuring domestic peace and external defense. Yet the deployment of military forces within American cities to manage civil matters directly contradicts constitutional principles.

Law enforcement—not the military—is tasked with maintaining public order. Police agencies are bound by due process, probable cause, and civilian oversight. The use of armed forces for domestic policing erodes constitutional boundaries and threatens civil liberty. A government that relies on military force against its own population has already begun to fail.

Collapse of Checks and Balances

The Attorney General is meant to serve the American people, not shield power from accountability. Yet the Department of Justice has been reduced to a political instrument. Court orders are ignored. Judicial authority is undermined. The constitutional system of checks and balances—designed to prevent exactly this abuse—has been systematically weakened.

The judiciary exists to interpret the law, administer justice, and resolve disputes peacefully. When executive power disregards court rulings, the rule of law collapses. Judges are threatened, intimidated, and delegitimized. This is how legal systems fail—not suddenly, but through sustained erosion.

National Security and the Crisis of Trust

Externally, the federal government has a sacred duty to protect the nation through diplomacy and military defense. That responsibility becomes impossible when credible investigations raise questions about the compromise of national security at the highest level.

No individual who has betrayed national interests—by endangering intelligence assets, military strategy, or allied security—can credibly serve as leader of the free world. National defense requires trust. Once that trust is broken, alliances fracture and deterrence fails.

Dismantling Public Goods and Social Welfare

Governments exist to provide public goods that private markets cannot reliably supply—especially during crises. Infrastructure, disaster response, emergency services, and environmental protection are foundational to national stability.

Yet this administration has attempted to dismantle FEMA, defund disaster preparedness, and divert congressionally appropriated funds away from their lawful purpose. These actions directly violate constitutional separation of powers and place millions at risk.

Public education—arguably the most important investment any nation can make—has also been targeted. The dismantling of the Department of Education, attacks on universities, and hostility toward educators weaken the nation’s future. A society that underinvests in its children is a society in decline.

Public Health and Human Welfare

A functional government safeguards public health through research, prevention, and access to care. Instead, funding for cancer research and pediatric treatment programs has been cut. Hospitals are closing. National parks and environmental protections are being eliminated.

Social safety nets exist to prevent desperation from becoming collapse. Their destruction is not fiscal responsibility—it is moral abdication.

Assault on Constitutional Rights

The Constitution exists to protect individual liberty from government abuse. The Bill of Rights limits state power to ensure freedom of speech, religion, assembly, and due process.

Yet daily, constitutional protections are ignored. People are detained and deported without due process. Birthright citizenship—enshrined by immigrants who founded this nation—is attacked. The Constitution was written by immigrants, for immigrants, to protect all persons—not just those favored by power.

Economic Mismanagement and Corporate Favoritism

Economic stability requires lawful governance. Taxation is a power reserved to Congress. Yet tariffs—functionally taxes on Americans—are imposed unilaterally and falsely portrayed as payments from foreign nations. In reality, tariffs raise prices, fuel inflation, and punish consumers and farmers alike.

The administration has dismantled consumer protections, empowered monopolies, and favored politically aligned corporations. Regulatory agencies tasked with ensuring fair markets and safe products are defunded or eliminated.

Promises of foreign investment based on tariff threats are illusions. Governments do not command corporations to invest; markets do. These policies have destabilized global trade, harmed American farmers, and isolated U.S. industry.

Conclusion

A well-functioning government fosters innovation, fairness, and sustainable growth. This administration does none of these. Instead, it advances personal loyalty, corporate favoritism, and dynastic ambition.

The United States is not a kingdom. It is not a dynasty. It is a constitutional republic.

When government abandons its purpose—when it no longer serves the people, respects the law, or protects liberty—it ceases to be legitimate.

And history is unforgiving to nations that forget why they were founded.