Govt 2305 Chap 13

• Americans generally do not trust the govt and think the private sector can do a better job
• civil servants have very little prestige unlike other countries
• our public bureaucracy is surrounded by more legal restrictions and is subject to more intense legislative oversight than other countries

• the president
• Congress

the President appoints and the Senate approves

• Homeland Security
• created in the wake of 9/11

an entity in the executive branch that is outside the immediate control of the president and Congress that issues rules and regulations to protect the public

• a bureaucrat is just someone who works in a bureaucratic organization
• execute programs and policies
• regulating
• adjudicating
• discretion and democracy

• aka Civil Service Act of 1883
• created a bipartisan Civil Service Commission to oversee a system  of appointments to certain executive branch posts on the basis of merit

he appointed many women and minorities to top posts in his administration

• top political appointees
• they do not last long on the job, usually only about 22 months
• they leave for many reasons

Richard Nixon

• by legislating agency organization and mission
• by confirming presidential appointments
• by controlling the agency budget
• by holding oversight hearings
• by using inspectors general

Congress gathers info and has forums about the policies and performance of executive departments and agencies

• turning over certain government functions to the private sector
• Defense Dept does not produce its own weapons, etc

overbearing bureaucratic rules and procedures

• transforming the federal bureaucracy not only by cutting the fat and privatizing but also by introducing business principles into the executive branch
• Clinton supported this idea and turned the responsibility over to Gore