quiz #2

Defining the Federal Bureaucracy, Bureaucracy, and

Bureaucrats

Bureaucrats = permanent govt employees

fed bureaucracy = sum of all total exec agencies and personnel,

Political Patronage System

awarding of political jobs based on party ties vs merit or expertise

- Expansion of the Federal Bureaucracy: When?

in the late 1960s, it expanded from 1 mil to 3 mil

- Structure of the Federal Bureaucracy

15 major cabinet departments, 12 independent regulatory commissions, dozens+ of major agencies/boards/institutes

original departments 

DOJ, state, treasury, defense 

clientele departments 

commerce, ag, verteran affairs, labor, interior

service

homeland security, education, HHS, DOT, DOE, HUD

- Project 2025

plan to restructure the govt along conservative lines

Independent Regulatory Commissions IRCs

headed by small bipartisan boards that are experienced. 12 of them including: 

• federal reserve

• Securities and Exchange Commission 

• consumer product safety commmisssion

• Federal Communications Commission 

• Federal Trade commisssion 

- Independent Agencies

agencies no under any exec department w broader mandates than IRCs (4 dozen) not lead by a single person 

EPA, CIA 

- Policy Implementation

congress = lawmaking, bureaucracy = policy implementation for example: clean water act implemented under the EPA

Founders’ views on political parties

hamilton - economic program w powerful nat govt for northern commercial and manufacturing interests (feds)

madison and jefferson: opposed hamilton, favored southern agrarian interests (dem/repub party) 

First political parties

feds = northern, urban, and commercial interests. high tariffs to protect/foster industrial development

dem/repub party: agraian interests of south/west, limited govt, states rights, free market/trade. nation = 90% small farmers

The Era of Good Feelings

decline of federalists, everyone was a dem/rebpub

- Martin Van Buren and the positive case for political parties

1. promotes national unity by connecting ppl from diff regions 

2. simplifies the decision makign process 

3. easier for citizens to participate

- Effects of slavery on American political parties

1. reduced the dems to a predominantly southern party 

2. destroyed the whig party 

3. lead to the rise of the republican party in the north 

- Effects of New Deal on American political parties

FDR attacked the depression w govt intervention including SS and benefits

departments

each headed by a secretary, picked by the prez