Bureaucracy Executive Branch at Work

Bureaucracy What is a bureaucracy? –Large, complex organization of appointed, not elected, officials. –“bureau” – French for small desks, referring to the king’s traveling business men who set up small desks in town squares Thus, bureaucracy = “government of small desks”

Who are bureaucrats? 1 out of 100 Americans work for government bureaucracy Examples US Postal Service (USPS) Amtrak (METRO) Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

What do bureaucrats do? They assist the President. –Give him advice about their specialties. Example: AMTRAK –Advise POTUS to get law passed saying you can’t carry a gun on a bus. –Help carry out the rules and regulations in their fields. Example: Take away your bus pass.

Accountability Bureaucracy is controlled by the US government Congress –appropriates money to individual bureaucracies President –Appoints leaders to head of bureaucracies Hopefully the best person gets put in place. What if the POTUS wanted to hire his friend?

How did bureaucracies start? 1829 POTUS Andrew Jackson’s “Spoils System” –Since you won the election, you get to pick your friends to be head of bureaucracies! “To the victors go the spoils” Lasted until 1883 –Pendleton Civil Service Act Created in response to criticism of spoils system Must take test to see who is qualified for jobs. –Called the merit system. »Police men »Fire men »Teachers

Modern Bureaucracy –FDR’s New Deal increased government programs and gov’t work –Established over 25 million government jobs over 12 years! Closest to socialism we ever came. –Will Obama take us farther?

Why are bureaucracies bad? Tobacco farmer interest groups (tobacco lobby) Department of Agriculture House and Senate agricultural subcommittees Congressional Committee = sympathetic to tobacco, receive campaign funds and support from tobacco interest groups; make weak laws on tobacco. Dept. Of Agriculture executes laws sympathetic to tobacco -COMMON INTEREST – Keep tobacco alive = keep their jobs alive

Criticism of Bureaucracy “Red tape” inefficiences –maze of rules, regulations, and paperwork that makes bureaucracy overwhelming to citizens Bureau of Motor Vehicles Social Security Medicare and Medicaid Financial Aid (FAFSA) Unchecked growth –agencies expand unnecessarily at high costs Private Health Care Insurance –Price increase of 300% in last 2 decades! Lack of accountability –difficult in firing an incompetent bureaucrat –Difficult to close down/change a bad bureaucracy Private Health Care to Public Health Care