American Government Response Summarizing the Readings: In Reaction Paper

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American Government Response

Summarizing the Readings:

In his article "Constitutional Democracy and Bureaucratic Power," Peter Woll discusses the administrative branch of the government and the various departments who are in control of the funds which keep federal and state governments working. The bureaucracy is a highly influential part of the government and has a degree of control over both the President and Congress with far fewer legal checks to their actions than either of these bodies has to deal with. It has proven difficult to find ways to limit the influence of the bureaucracy when the constitution does not clearly state an opinion on the matter; a serious problem since the constitution is the basis for all legislation in the country. And additional issue has been in trying to determine which branch should deal with administration. Alexander Hamilton believed this was the job of the president and the Executive branch of the government which in turn led to the concept of "presidential supremacy." On the other hand, Congress also has some control because they are the body who can create or disband departments within the bureaucracy. As it now stands, the organization of the bureaucracy is convoluted and this leads to corruption, malfeasance, and a lack of checks on the various departments.

James Q. Wilson's article "The Rise of the Bureaucratic State," he asserts that the United States government's problems with the bureaucracy are a relatively new phenomenon in the nation's history, not existing in the country's first century and a half. He argues that there are three reasons by which bureaucracy can expand to the point where they become an issue.

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These are: growth of an administrative department to the point where they are beyond controlling, putting power over a bureaucracy into the hands of a private person or business so that they are now outside the parameters of public authority, or giving authority to a public group who are not interested in aiding the greater good. Most government agencies expand because of a demand by the citizens for more services but this is not always the case. The military for example has become such a large organization that, according to Wilson, they can exist almost without concern for the three branches of government. Overall, the separation of departments has led to fragmentation and a situation where it is unlikely to be fixed; instead the problem is likely only going to continue getting more and more convoluted.

The Executive Branch of the government is tasked with enforcing the laws that are created by the Legislative Branch. The bureaucracy is a portion of this branch which deals with different issues, each tasked with administration of one portion of society, whether it be education, homeland security, etc. Many Americans are distrusting of the bureaucracy and do not trust that it is a good thing, but those involved in the government understand that it is absolutely necessary in a large society because the duly….....

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