The Simpsons Movie

1
The Simpsons Movie
2
Overview

• Democracy
• Executive Power
• Governance
• What is the role of government?
• Is government necessary?
• Is government competent?

3
Democracy

• Democracy demos kratia rule by people

4
Executive Power

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

5
Cabinet Departments

• Cabinet Departments
• 15 Cabinet Departments
• Agriculture Commerce Defense
• Education Energy HHS
• Homeland Sec HUD Interior
• Justice Labor State
• Transportation Treasury VA

6
Independent Executive Agencies

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

EPA Director Lisa Jackson
7
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

8
Government Corporations

• Government owned business designed as a
  for-profit enterprise
• e.g., FDIC, TVA, USPS, AmTrak, PBS

9
Staffing

• Spoils System
• Job appointments given over to executive branch
• Jobs awarded on the basis of political ties and
  fealty

10
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)

11
Staffing

• Civil Service Reform Act (1978)

Merit Systems Protection Board
Office of Personnel Mangement
12
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

13
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

14
Governance

• Is Government necessary? Or a necessary evil?
• Is government able to live up to its
  responsiblities?
• Environmental Protection
• National Security