Discussion 9

4) Why do the terms bureaucracy and bureaucrats seem to have such negative connotations for most Americans?

Bureaucracy and bureaucrats are seen negatively by most Americans due to several factors.  

a) Oftentimes, the main way Americans have interaction with bureaucrats and bureaucracies is through government. Sometimes these bureaucracies slow down things for citizens or make things difficult for them. 

b) Many bureaucracies have highly paid executives or executive teams which have large salaries and are often seen as big spenders(wasteful).  Bureaucracies as well as their bureaucrats are seen as wasteful, since the seemingly endless processes and forms and "red tape" cost money as well as time. 

c)Another prominent reason that Americans may view bureaucracies/bureaucrats in negative light is the opinion that bureaucracies provide poor service and do not relate well individually to the needs of those they serve. An example would be getting an automated answering service rather than a "real person" when you call in to an organization.  

d) Those who oppose "big government" push these ideas and use the idea of "bureaucracies are bad" to try to further their small government ideas. 

This article is about how bureaucracy is actually good, and attempts to debunk some of these main ideas about bureaucracy. The article refers to them as "myths" but I am not sure they are really myths. Maybe they are concerns that are overblown a bit, but I don't believe the concerns are totally imaginary-i.e. a myth. But I am curious as to what others and Dr. B think about the ideas presented.  

http://www.governmentisgood.com/articles.php?aid=20&print=1 

Dr.B's response:

Dana, when I went to work in Topeka in the mid 90s, I was surprised to see the quality of work and the dedication of bureaucrats as I had a very negative opinion about them from things I had read and heard in the media. With our frequent and often disruptive elections, the bureaucrats are actually the ones who keep our government functioning while the politicians are experimenting. They are the glue that holds things together and stop utter chaos. There are thousands of dedicated and talented bureaucrats who are given a bad name by the far fewer bad apples in the mix.