Government bigger, more complex (Nov 25)
By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune
The complexity and size of the federal government are legend — the 1,302 separate bureaus and agencies, the 1.7 million employees (not counting those in the Post Office) are beyond the comprehension of most. Yet, little doubt exists that complexity and size will increase as years progress.
All those bureaus — from the big ones like the Department of Agriculture to the small ones like the Aeronomy Laboratory — didn’t establish themselves. They were established by either congressional or presidential order, probably with the best of intentions. Certain voters wanted their interests protected, or certain members of Congress wanted their pet projects handled, so along come the Air Resources Laboratory, the Climate Diagnostics Center, the Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory and the Environmental Technology Laboratory … you see how it goes.
Each of these bureaus must be funded every year, and to help guide Congress in establishing funding, budget requests are made.
These requests are hardly ever for less money than was appropriated the year before. Requests are typically for more than actually is needed. Seldom is it asked whether the bureau itself is needed.
Very seldom do the members of Congress actually know what the smaller bureaus and agencies are for. They have to take the word of other bureaucrats — the Office of Mangement and Budget, for example — that the smaller agencies are needed.
A few years ago, it was suggested that all federal agencies be required to close every three years or so, and then make a case before Congress for their continued existence. This idea didn’t go anywhere, but it should have.
