In the old country (China if you did not know, and it is one of the oldest countries in existence) the Emperor used to sit at the top of the heap, with his family just below him. Below that were those chosen as viceroys (running two or more provinces) and then below that a metric b**t-load (a b**t being a cask containing 126-132 U.S. gallons, or a bit more than two U.S. Standard Barrels) of officials, bureaucrats, scholars and hangers on who made things kinda-sorta work.
Just in passing, as far as traditional social status, the next step was the peasantry (in theory), then the merchant class and then the military. Actually that status list explains much about one aspect of society all over Asia. Merchants and buying and selling being looked down upon encouraged merchants to move and trade overseas. Thus the merchant class all over South and Southeast Asia is Chinese.
This b**t-load was selected, not on proven competency at specific job requirements or in most cases by connections, but on nationwide tests. In theory that would be a good thing. But it depends on what you are testing for. In China, they tested on the Chinese classics, primarily Confucian, which have limited direct applicability to real life. It may teach you how to live and work in the equivalent of the politically correct way for the time and place. But it did not teach you how to do the job, whatever it was.
This class was referred to as Mandarins, and collectively as the Mandarinate. Any resemblance to the modern Federal Civil Service may or may not be coincidental. They were paid by the national government, but never as much as they would like to be accustomed to. They were basically in office for life unless promoted or unless they really micturated in their superiors' Wheaties.
Now remember, they never were paid as much as they thought they deserved, so they made it up in other ways. Extra money made its way to the Mandarinate, by various means sub mensa and largely from those needing favors. And a share of that money made its way up the chain of command. Failure for it to go up the chain of command endangered those Wheaties. Corruption and special favors are not only a Chinese government characteristic.
One of the larger bits of legislation presented by the current regime to the Congress is the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. This is what is referred to as the Covid Relief Bill. First thing you have to know is that the 1.9 TRILLION dollar ($1,900,000,000,000) is at best maybe 1/5 to deal with the disease. The vast majority of it is to make sure that our current Mandarins and those who are petition them for special favors start getting the money that they would like to become accustomed to. And after all, it is the peasant and merchant class that will be paying for it either through taxes or through inflation stealing away the value of all they own. So to the regime and the Mandarinate, there is no problem no matter how much it costs.
There are plenty of examples of how money is being funneled to people and things that have nothing to do with Covid The most blatant example that comes to mind though was probably inspired directly by the Teachers' Unions in the large Democrat-controlled cities. In New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles and in pretty much all large cities outside the South, most schools are closed. Teachers there are sitting at home, with the exception of that relative few who are teaching online. It does not mean that the teachers at home are suffering. They are still drawing full pay and benefits. In those few urban schools that are open, a lot of them are like Chicago, where the students come to class, the teachers stay home and low-paid teachers' aides run the classrooms. In each of these cities, the Teachers' Unions have demanded that the schools remain closed until all teachers, students and families are vaccinated, and in some cases, are demanding hazard pay.
In the last couple of weeks, the governments of Chicago and Los Angeles have been forced to back down to the Teachers' Unions. The teachers are at home and paid and the schools are still closed. Part of that is because of the nature of Covid. The worst effects are on the elderly, and even when kids get it, almost always it is a mild case. In those schools that are open, they have not had mass infections or high mortality and morbidity.
In the mass of special appropriations tossed into the Covid Bill, specifically in § 5111 of the bill was a tremendous boost only for Federal employees. First, you have to understand that if you are a Federal employee and your job cannot be done because of something like Covid, you are not fired or laid off. Like the teachers mentioned above, the direct deposit into your bank account continues and you still have your benefits.
§ 5111 creates something as deceptively named as the “American Rescue Plan Act of 2021” is. It is called the Emergency Federal Employee Leave Fund. Any non-military Federal employee would be eligible for an additional $1400 a week between the date the bill is signed into law and September 30, 2021, if Covid has had a deleterious any effect on them or their family's lives.
Now noting that they are still getting full pay and they still have their medical insurance (and Federal civilian employees have good health insurance); it may not be considered unreasonable if they or a family member actually get Covid. Except for the minor detail that one wonders why civilian Federal employees should have that extra money when the mass of the American people who are suffering from the deleterious effects of Covid . . . and whose taxes are paying for this bill, do not get that help? It is, after all, you and I who are paying that extra $1,400 a week.
But that is far from all. Remember my mentioning the closed state of the schools because of Covid above? Then how about this from § 51111? They get the extra money if a Federal worker “is caring for a son or daughter of such employee if the school or place of care of the son or daughter has been closed, if the school of such son or daughter requires or makes optional a virtual learning instruction model or requires or makes optional a hybrid of in-person and virtual learning instruction models, or the childcare provider of such son or daughter is unavailable, due to Covid-19 precautions.” And that is only one of the conditions listed that qualifies Federal employees for the extra money.
The current regime is supporting keeping schools closed to cater to the Teachers' Unions. And that closure is not only shown (by the observed epidemiology of the disease) to not be necessary, but frequently counterproductive to the kids. And now the regime is using this to take billions in tax money from us and give it to Federal civilian employees.
It is good to be a Mandarin.