Verified Document

American Government Response Summarizing The Readings: In Reaction Paper

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,...

He argues that there are three reasons by which bureaucracy can expand to the point where they become an issue. 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 elected politicians cannot perform…

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited:

"The Executive Branch." 204-28.

Wilson, James Q. "The Rise of the Bureaucratic State." The Bureaucracy. 298-302.

Woll, Peter. "Constitutional Democracy and Bureaucratic Power." The Bureaucracy. 302-310.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

American Exceptionalism Is a Concept
Words: 1870 Length: 6 Document Type: Thesis

" This view appears to be excessively negative, not least because of its lack of balance. It fails to acknowledge balance and uses all arguments to the contrary to perpetuate itself. Neither the view of American exceptionalism being wholly good or wholly bad is therefore entirely realistic. Much more realistic is perhaps Koh's view, although it still tends towards the somewhat negative side. I do agree with this author in terms

American Revolution, Written in 2002 by Gordon
Words: 1249 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

American Revolution, written in 2002 by Gordon Wood on this seminal event, won the Bancroft Prize that is awarded annually by Columbia University for its distinguished portrayal of American history. In a short 166 pages, Wood conquers over 20 years in a very concise and interesting way -- despite the fact that this topic has been covered time and time again, often in a very dry fashion. The American Revolution is

American Political Culture and Values
Words: 690 Length: 2 Document Type: Article Critique

American Political Culture and Values In Hellfire Nation (2003) James Morone described U.S. history as cyclical, with alternating generational cycles of reform and conservatism that can be traced back to the colonial period. In the 20th Century, the reform periods were the Progressive Era, the New Deal and the Great Society of the 1960s, while the 1920s, 1950s and 1980s were eras of conservatism. Religion, culture and sexual morality also follow

American Meat Packing Corp., 362F.3d 418 7TH
Words: 3196 Length: 9 Document Type: Essay

American Meat Packing Corp., 362F.3d 418 (7th Cir. 2004). On November 15, 2001, 350 workers at the American Meat Packing Corporation (AMPC) showed up for work and were told they had been terminated. Because they were not notified 60 days prior to termination, the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, U.S.C. § 2101-2109, the WARN Act, did not apply. The purpose of the 1989 WARN Act was to create a buffer

American Foreign Policy As It
Words: 4630 Length: 13 Document Type: Essay

Again, the press is not aware of all that goes on in the White House behind closed doors. Just because the matter was not publicly mentioned again in a direct fashion, does not mean that it was dropped. My team and I have continually discussed the best course of action for fostering trade with Tunisia and setting a much stronger precedent in the Middle East. The WSJ has actually

American Political Culture and Values
Words: 2005 Length: 6 Document Type: Article Review

First, American ideas about freedom have evolved over time, and this might be the natural model for freedom. To believe that an emerging democracy would immediately look like modern day America ignores the fact that freedom continues to evolve in America. Moreover, freedom is guaranteed by certain institutions, such as an independent judiciary, that generally develop over time. In Presidential address: American freedom in a global age, Eric Foner gives

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now