Reagan did not create the EPA but it became armed under his watch in 1983 when the EPA went to the FBI and asked to have some of the bureaucrats to be deputized as ‘enforcement’ officers.
Republicans and Democrats both are responsible for the ruination of freedom and privacy in this nation.
Threats of violence against EPA Inspectors when out in the field were what prompted arming certain of them. There are only a few who are armed, the vast majority are not and many often have good relations with the regulated communities.
A friend of mine was an Inspector and he was welcome at the sewer plants he inspected because his reports actually helped the operators operate their facilities more effectively. He also understood and sympathized with the technical problems they faced. But he was a rarity in that he actually knew what he was talking about (not being a Womyn’s Studies major but an ME with a PE license) and was not trying to add scalps to his belt.
Since politics reflect the wishes and demands of the people it would be far more accurate to state the FACT that it is the PEOPLE which is responsible “...for the ruination of freedom and privacy in this nation.” Had they not overwhelmingly voted for the RATS for decades the GOP would have never been tempted to whack the Tar Baby. The only reason there are ANY conservative ideals left is because of the GOP.
It also should be clear to anyone who has looked into this that the electorate has NOT voted conservative. It will vote for the more conservative presidential candidate on occasion but consistently fills Congress with Democrats.
I’m am hoping this is changing as the RATs move even further Left but it will remain an ongoing problem if for no other reason than that the Democrat Party is filled with professional politicians in contradistinction to the GOP which is filled with amateurs, citizens who finally got fed up and ran for office, and ideologues who just hate government. This makes having a consistent long-term policy difficult.