The Simpsons Movie

Overview

• Democracy

• Executive Power

• Governance– What is the role of government?– Is government necessary?– Is government competent?

Democracy

• Democracy = demos + kratia = rule by people

Executive Power

• The President is Chief Executive, a role which nominally places him in charge of the federal bureaucracy

Cabinet Departments

• Cabinet Departments– 15 Cabinet Departments

Agriculture Commerce Defense

Education Energy HHS

Homeland Sec HUD Interior

Justice Labor State

Transportation Treasury VA

Independent Executive Agencies

• IEAs are agencies who report directly to the president but stand independent of the federal bureaucracye.g., – CIA– EPA– NASA

EPA Director Lisa Jackson

Independent Regulatory Agency

• Agency substantially independent of both the rest of the executive branch and Congress

• Usually dedicated to regulating a narrow area of public policy– e.g., Fed FCC FTC NLRB, EEOC

Government Corporations

• Government owned business designed as a for-profit enterprise

• e.g., FDIC, TVA, USPS, AmTrak, PBS

Staffing

• Spoils System– Job appointments

given over to executive branch

– Jobs awarded on the basis of political ties and fealty

Staffing

• Merit System– 1883 Pendleton Act

(Civil Service Reform Act)

• Jobs awarded on basis of merit/qualifications

• Created Civil Service Commission to administer personnel decisions (hire/pay)

Staffing

Office of Personnel Mangement

Merit Systems Protection Board

–Civil Service Reform Act (1978)

Functions

• Bureaucracies are in some ways a “mini” government unto unthemselves– administrative

• implementation of legislative and executive policies

– quasi legislative• proposed rules

– quasi judicial• enforcement of rules

Functions

• Bureaucrats can have important role in shaping public policy– they can support the

president with information

– they can shape presidential options with information provided

– they can undermine the president with information and actions

Governance

• Is Government necessary? Or a necessary evil?

• Is government able to live up to its responsiblities?– Environmental Protection– National Security