Bureaucracy and Bureaucrats

Americans depend on government bureaucracies to accomplish most of what we expect from government, and we are oftentimes critical of a bureaucracy’s handling of its responsibilities. Bureaucracy is essential for carrying out the tasks of government. As government bureaucracies grew in the twentieth century, new management techniques sought to promote greater efficiency. The reorganization of the government to create the Department of Homeland Security and the Bush administration’s simultaneous push to contract out jobs to private employers raises the question as to whether the government or the private sector can best manage our national security. Ironically, the criticism of the bureaucracy may be a product …show more content…
One of the most important activities of the federal bureaucracy is to promote the public welfare for example, through the Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration.
A number of departments and agencies carry out functions that benefit a particular group or clientele—the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Labor, the Department of Education, and the Department of Veteran Affairs.
A number of agencies exist to provide internal and external national security.
The newly created Department of Homeland Security is charged with maintaining domestic security but has failed to effectively combine the diverse agencies under its auspices.
The State Department, the Defense Department and the CIA are central to maintaining external national security.
The 9/11 Commission gave the Bush administration low grades for many of its efforts on completing the 41 recommendations in the commission’s 2004 report.
Controversy about the powers given in the Patriot Act and the Bush administration’s push to claim even more authority has led to widespread criticism and a movement to roll back the government’s powers.
Criticism of the Bush administration’s policies has grown after revelations of secret CIA prisons and illegal wiretaps.
Finally, other agencies exist to maintain a strong economy and oversee the tax system—the Department of Commerce, the Federal Reserve System, the Department of Treasury,