Shadow Empire

Chapter 1216 The Continuous Improvement of Money Power
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Senator Cleveland asked with a laugh over the phone.

It's a good thing that Lance was injured but not seriously hurt. The chairman of the committee personally inquired about the matter. Since it wasn't convenient for him to call Lance directly, he asked him to inquire on his behalf.

The Liberal Party has recently come up with some new initiatives, including plans to establish several new government departments to counter the influence of the Socialist Party on the federal government over the past two or three decades (though not consecutive, they have occupied a considerable amount of time).

The first problem President Porter faced after taking office was to replace, if not completely clean up, every department of the federal government with Liberal Party members who were specifically in charge of day-to-day operations.

He did indeed do that, replacing the heads of an entire department with Liberals, but the results were not good.

The reason for the poor results was mainly due to the fact that the people in charge of carrying out the work were all members of the Socialist Party.

It's like having a Liberal Party brain but Socialist hands and feet, and these relationships aren't as simple as the human body.

The brain directly controls the hands and feet; as soon as the brain moves, the hands and feet react accordingly.

But government departments are different. The officials sitting in their offices set the daily tasks and orders, but the people responsible for carrying them out may not necessarily do so according to their ideas.

To ensure that every step is done the way the Liberal Party wants, it would be necessary to replace government employees and officials in every department of the federal government.

This is a major undertaking, involving the replacement of potentially hundreds of thousands of people. It is not only troublesome and complex, but could also trigger a collective strike by the federal government.

Federal government officials and employees are also capable of striking if they feel that the president's actions are not in their interests; they could even launch a full-scale strike under the impetus of the Socialist Party.

After all, striking is a fundamental right granted to every federal citizen by the Constitution!
This is causing the Liberal Party a great headache. They are the rightful owners of the federal government, but they cannot demand that officials and employees act according to their wishes like a true owner would.

After lengthy internal discussions, the Liberal Party decided to simply separate some important departments and establish a new department with the same authority to address this issue.

The advantage of doing this is that it avoids provoking the Socialist Party's officials and employees, who are already abundant in every corner of the federal government.

The Liberal Party has now regrouped, and they remain in their positions, but they will no longer be responsible for some of the administrative work and specific implementation of the federal government.

This idea isn't exactly great, because some basic departments also involve tens of thousands of people, and they can't be completely rebuilt. The only thing that can be done now is to rebuild some important departments separately.

The "National Security Agency" that is currently being promoted is modeled after the Federal Bureau of Investigation. They do not intend to expand to the entire federal government all at once, but rather to adopt a "use it or leave it" approach.

In each state and in each major city, an office is set up first, with perhaps only two or three employees.

This would be enough for each state to have about 200 to 300 people, and the entire federal government would not exceed 5,000 people.

Then the headquarters will have a larger staff, namely the Golden State headquarters, which may be staffed with about three to four thousand people.

When there is a need for work in the local area, these people at headquarters will send a dedicated work team to the local area, and after they have completed the work, they will return to Jinzhou.

The National Security Agency has a total staff of around 10,000 and is currently in the stage of congressional discussion and hearings, and it is highly likely to be approved.

There are several other such departments, and they are currently planning and preparing for the Liberal Party's plan to add at least 60,000 jobs to the federal government.

After all... Porter is the president, and as long as he's willing to do it and the Treasury can afford it, the Socialist Party doesn't have many good ways to interfere.

Of course, the Socialist Party will not interfere. The core reason is the deal behind the scenes: the Liberal Party promised not to change the Socialist Party's personnel configuration, except for department heads.

This was still very tempting for the Socialist Party. Although they had lost the presidency and the appointment of top officials in various departments, they still effectively controlled many government departments.

They also discussed this matter in a Socialist Party committee meeting, and concluded that the benefits of agreeing to the deal outweighed those who disagreed, so they were very likely not to vote against it in parliament.

That's often how politics works. One moment, two political parties are tearing each other apart, but as soon as something happens that benefits both sides, they immediately start cooperating.

Under these circumstances, the Socialist Party still controls some government departments, but the federal government's finances do not favor these departments.

Take the FBI for example; last year, the FBI's total budget was around sixteen million.

Chester submitted a budget of $18 million this year, but the federal government wanted to establish the National Security Agency to replace the FBI, so the federal government only approved a budget of about $7 million.

This amount of money is barely enough to maintain normal operations; it's almost impossible to do anything with it. Chester is even considering layoffs to ensure that some ongoing projects don't stop.

The remaining money was all transferred to the new department, the National Security Agency.

There are already three departments in similar situations, with their budgets being drastically cut. Even if these departments are controlled by the Socialist Party, it will be difficult for them to actually use these departments to do anything.

Unless they pay for it themselves.

The Socialist Party is already struggling, and to ask them to contribute tens of millions of dollars a year to support the work of federal government departments...

When Senators Cleveland and others discussed these matters, they considered that the next two or three years might be even more difficult.

This is a calculated move: if the Socialists cannot maintain the welfare and benefits of the employees in the departments they control, these people are very likely to switch sides to the Liberals during Porter's second term.

Faith can't put food on the table, let alone political stance. In short, this is a very complex political game where both sides cooperate while stabbing each other in the back.

In times like these, these major financial backers become even more important to the Socialist Party.

Compared to other capital groups, those large capital forces have a clear price tag on the money they invest in the Socialist Party.

They can invest 100 million in the Socialist Party, but the Socialist Party must bring them far more value than 100 million, such as promoting policies that benefit them and helping them make more money.

And when necessary, they help them solve some government or private problems. Only when they demonstrate that their value exceeds the money invested by these conglomerates and tycoons will these people continue to invest money.

Starting this year, the amount of political donations they have received from the public has dropped significantly, reaching its lowest point in nearly thirty years.

Some party analysts have pointed out that as the Porter administration continues to strengthen its control over the federal government—

This is the pattern with every president: as they strengthen their control over certain branches of power, the entire federal government eventually becomes their plaything.

They believed that if they couldn't decisively defeat President Porter at the end of his first term, the Socialist Party would lose more than 70 percent of control of the federal government during his second term.

This will lead to a decrease in social and political donations, possibly to only two-thirds, or half, or even less of what they are now!

Therefore, outstanding financial donors like Lance, who only donated to the Socialist Party without "demanding" anything in return, became especially important.

Senator Cleveland didn't beat around the bush with Lance; he made his point very clear.

“The Socialist Party is having an even harder time than we imagined. Your funds will become very valuable and important to us. When the Chairman and I were chatting, he said that he would do his best to help you when you encounter trouble.”

"So you don't need to worry about this causing us any trouble, you know what I mean."

After a moment's thought, Lance roughly understood the situation. "This is actually a good thing, Senator."

"Haha, indeed, this is a good thing, but these four years will be tough for us," Senator Cleveland said, his voice revealing a pessimistic outlook on the next four years of hardship.

However, he and Lance shared the same view: only when the Socialist Party felt bitter and painful from top to bottom would they be fully united and take back that position.

"I'm considering whether this is an opportunity..."

"What opportunity?" Lance lit a cigarette, took a drag, and in the process, his brain was experiencing an unprecedented lightning storm!
"My thought is, is it possible for me to take this opportunity to take another step forward?"

Senator Cleveland also lit a cigarette. The sound of a lighter striking and him smoking came through the receiver. After more than ten seconds, he asked, "What do you want to do?"

"Maybe... I could be elected as a member of parliament or something?"

Senator Cleveland couldn't help but laugh out loud. He wanted to refute Lance, but as he laughed, he couldn't laugh anymore.

Because he felt that it wasn't actually impossible to do.

Ultimately, according to the "official records," Lance is indeed a Federation citizen, a native-born Federation citizen. The archives of Golden Harbor City can all be found to record everything that Lance White has experienced.

As for whether he is a gangster, isn't that something the federal government decides for itself?
In reality, the truth is often not as important as people imagine.

He didn't speak, but Lance didn't stop.

“I currently control three states: Indenau and Likale. Once I take South Yaan, I will have control of four states, plus countless votes that can influence the situation.”

"In addition, I contribute 200 million federal soles annually to the three states..."

Senator Cleveland was already somewhat tempted, after all, Lance was his man and his friend, and Lance controlling these three states was tantamount to him controlling these three states.

The power in his hands would be enhanced epically. When Lance mentioned the 200 million political donations every year, even he couldn't help but gasp.

“I will speak with the chairpersons of the two councils (the Socialist Party Committee and the Socialist Party Representatives Committee).

The two quickly ended the call. Senator Cleveland was not in the mood to talk to Lance about anything else; his mind was preoccupied with other things.

More funding and more stable votes—although the three southern states were originally part of the Socialist Party's camp, no one can guarantee that it won't turn against them at any time.

Just like the state that the Workers Party won this time, the entire state suddenly switched sides, turning from a swing state into a Labor stronghold.

No one can guarantee 100% that a state's political stance will remain unchanged, except for Lance.

This is a big deal, and he needs to get it sorted out as soon as possible.

Lance then called Chester as well.

When Chester received Lance's call, he seemed quite aloof. "I didn't expect you to call me. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Compared to Roland, Chester is clearly more likable, which is directly related to his understanding of his own position.

"I heard you haven't been having a good time lately?" Lance's words caught him off guard for a moment. After four or five seconds, Lance added, "Your budget was cut in half, was that right?"

Chester immediately understood, and he said with a wry smile, "It's not just half, it's more than half. Actually, I've already lowered this year's budget."

“We have a number of projects underway, and to keep the budget in good shape, we need at least 20 million. However, considering some of the opinions that President Porter had about me personally, I underreported by a few million.”

"But I didn't expect them to continue cutting our budget, cutting it so drastically that I don't even know how to talk to them or how to continue the work."

Lance chuckled twice. He liked poor people, people without money, and especially people who were simply without money, because simply being without money was something that could be solved with money.

"Perhaps we can talk about this issue."

Chester immediately realized something, and while he showed surprise, he was also somewhat worried. "This is sensitive, Lance."

“I know you want to help me, but a lot of people are watching us right now. If... I mean if we accept your personal donation, it could very well have the opposite effect. They might investigate me and use this opportunity to do something that none of us want to see.”

Lance chuckled a few more times. "Chester, has anyone ever told you that you're actually a good person?"

Chester, on the other end of the phone, was a little confused. Before he could figure out what Lance meant, Lance said again, "You'd better come over to my place sometime soon, and we can sit down and have a good talk."

"At the same time, there is one more thing I need your help with."

Chester did not refuse and readily agreed.

After hanging up the phone, he sat there for a long time, still unable to understand what Lance meant. Then he left the office and drove to his wife's father's place.

As the director of the FBI, this year's budget approval is pitifully small. For these federal agents, they don't consider whether something has happened between the federal government and the FBI.

All they knew was that their salaries were barely enough to cover their wages, various projects were coming to a halt, and they even faced the prospect of layoffs.

They wouldn't point the finger at President Porter; they'd just think that Chester, the newly appointed director, wasn't quite up to par.

After all, their budget was quite ample last year, but it has been cut so much this year. So whose fault is it?

Money is indeed very useful. If Chester can secure a sufficient budget to guarantee the welfare of each agent, and even provide them with additional income, then he will have absolute control within the Bureau of Investigation.

Conversely, if he cannot pay staff salaries, project plans stall, and benefits are minimal, then the agents will oppose him.

People at the bottom will only empathize with those at the top if it does not affect their income and rights.

If their income or personal interests are affected, they will only stand on the opposite side.

So now, the first problem Chester faces after taking office is finding a way to address the FBI's insufficient budget.

The Socialist Party agreed to provide him with some funding from parliamentary projects, but this money could only partially solve his problem, not completely.

Lance's words on the phone had tempted him. If Lance, this big spender, could handle these issues, his troubles would no longer be troubles.

However, he first needed to speak with his wife's father to see if the veteran politician could offer him any assistance.

It was a 20-minute drive from the FBI to his wife's father's house, and the old man was home when he arrived.

The rise of the Liberal Party has left many Socialists in a state of disuse, including this old man.

Although he had his own position, he didn't actually need to go to the office to work, and he didn't want to face those Liberals, so he simply took sick leave and rested at home.

The old man was very happy to see his son-in-law arrive, and he invited Chester to his study.

“I thought you’d be very busy lately!” the old man poured him a glass of whiskey. “It’s so cold out there, have some to warm up.”

Chester picked up his glass and took a small sip. "Lance just called me..."

He recounted their entire conversation, and after listening, the old man thought for a moment. "This is a good thing for you. It will solve your most pressing problem right now, and you don't need to worry too much about whether the money can legally enter the Bureau of Investigation's account."

“I’ve heard rumors about Lance; he’s much more capable than you think!”

(End of this chapter)