4 ms·

> Passively resist as much as possible, and try to outlast the new idiots at the top. This is why the federal bureaucracies are essentially unconstitutional: p

> Passively resist as much as possible, and try to outlast the new idiots at the top. This is why the federal bureaucracies are essentially unconstitutional: people within the rule-making structure are unaccountable to voters, but their decisions have lasting influence on the economy and on people's lives. For instance, many federal agencies define new felony-level crimes (that wreck lives) without a new law being passed by the legislature. Don't get me wrong, plenty of people within government have a good heart and genuine motives. Also don't think I'm supporting Trump here. Just take a step back and look at the sentiment of your comment holistically: you're hopeful that institutional inertia will allow you to continue toward your goals within government in spite of the people's choice of the "idiot at the top."

eli_gottlieb 10y ago
Well, the whole point of an independent civil service is to provide a check-and-balance on the ability of the elected officials to make bad policies due to a lack of relevant expertise, or a personal ideological frenzy. In an ideal world, much of the civil service would be subject to a completely separate form of democratic accountability than ordinary legislative and executive elections, to ensure that separation between expertise and ideology.
dreamcompiler 10y ago
I've railed about bureaucratic inertia my whole career. I'm completely aware of the irony of it possibly being a good thing in these weird times.
- batbomb 10y ago
  One good thing that could potentially come out of it is a divorce of the Office of Science from the DOE, and closer ties with the NSF and Universities (Department of Research+Office of User Facilities?), but I'm sure UC/Bechtel would oppose this. I'm personally not likely going to be affected much, outside of wage freeze, unless the government decides it doesn't care about finding earth-ending solar system objects, but it's hard enough trying to do science in the USA and the wage gap between the non-clearance employees in the DOE and industry is increasing. If it gets much harder, brain drain from the Office of Science to europe is probable - more so than a migration to industry I'd imagine.

eli_gottlieb 10y ago

Well, the whole point of an independent civil service is to provide a check-and-balance on the ability of the elected officials to make bad policies due to a lack of relevant expertise, or a personal ideological frenzy. In an ideal world, much of the civil service would be subject to a completely separate form of democratic accountability than ordinary legislative and executive elections, to ensure that separation between expertise and ideology.

dreamcompiler 10y ago

I've railed about bureaucratic inertia my whole career. I'm completely aware of the irony of it possibly being a good thing in these weird times.

batbomb 10y ago
One good thing that could potentially come out of it is a divorce of the Office of Science from the DOE, and closer ties with the NSF and Universities (Department of Research+Office of User Facilities?), but I'm sure UC/Bechtel would oppose this. I'm personally not likely going to be affected much, outside of wage freeze, unless the government decides it doesn't care about finding earth-ending solar system objects, but it's hard enough trying to do science in the USA and the wage gap between the non-clearance employees in the DOE and industry is increasing. If it gets much harder, brain drain from the Office of Science to europe is probable - more so than a migration to industry I'd imagine.