I welcome the recent departures of the secretaries of agriculture, commerce, energy, and education. I only wish they had shut down their departments upon handing in their resignation letters.

It's not that I have anything against any of these "public servants." I hardly even know their names. I certainly didn't realize who Ann Veneman was before a news anchor informed me she had resigned as secretary of agriculture. Should I have? Other than siphoning money from my paycheck, what impact does the department of agriculture have on my life? And I guess that's my point: most federal departments, if they effect our lives at all, do so in a negative manner. I'd be happy if they all just disappeared--at least the ones not utilized by the first eleven presidents.

We started with just four cabinet-level departments: foreign affairs, which soon became state; war, which became defense once "war" fit too well; treasury; and justice. Establish treaties and relations with other nations, defend the homeland from foreign enemies, collect and spend revenue, and adjudicate disputes and administer justice--all of this was too reasonable to last.

The republic functioned quite nicely for more than sixty years before it occurred to the nation's political leadership that they should add a fifth department. So, in 1849, they created the department of the interior; thirteen years later agriculture; then in 1913 commerce and labor were added; Congress waited another forty years before launching health, education, and welfare, which is now known as the department of health and human services; lawmakers took a twelve-year respite before the birth of housing and urban development in 1965 and transportation the next year; on Jimmy Carter's watch, the departments of energy and education came about; the first George Bush gave us veterans affairs; and his son presided over the establishment of homeland security.

Curiously, in the 155 years that have witnessed the establishment of eleven new federal departments not a single department has been abolished. If four cabinet positions were good enough for George #1, why should George #43 get fifteen?

Despite their best efforts, subsequent generations haven't been able to improve upon the unintrusive and efficient federal government established by the Founding Fathers. All around Washington, wannabes dream of filling one of several useless cabinet posts. At least one Washingtonian, a few stories above Connecticut Avenue, dreams of eliminating their jobs entirely.

Frankly, Dan, I think some of these positions do serve a purpose....jobs to hand out for the victor in the spirit of the spoils system. Rewards for working hard to get your man elected. I agree that they don't help our government function, and education belongs to the school boards and the state, NOT the feds. However I am starting to think that true Federalism has gone the way of the Dodo bird and snail darter.

Be well,

Sponge

Just some additional facts:

Although the first Bush gave us the "Department of Veterans Affairs" in 1989, the Veterans Administration was elevated to a cabinet position by Reagan in 1988. "HW" simply changed the title to what we now know today.

In 1930, the Veterans Administration was created by Executive Order 5398, signed by President Herbert Hoover on July 21.

Agreed. Commerce should be merged back into Treasury. Commerce does great work, but they're really just doing the "grunt" work that Treasury doesn't want to take on, or can't take on. But as a seperate department, Commerce is able to exercise its own rulemaking authority. Since Treasury and Commerce maintain joint jurisdiction over all US commerce and transactions, everyone involved in international trade has to follow 2 sets of rules (3 if you count the tax code, and 4 if you count Customs, which is now under Homeland Security). It's overburdensome and makes doing business in this country harder and harder AND makes it real pain in the ass to ship something out of this country to sell. With jobs and companies SPRINTING past the Statue of Liberty towards the $green$ shores of India, China, and Eastern Europe, why do we continue to make it MORE difficult to make a buck in the US of A?

I'd love to see W and the Republicans attempt a massive restructuring of the government such that there would be only be six departments:

Defense
Foreign Affairs (rename State for the hell of it)
Treasury
Justice
Homeland Security
Domestic Affairs (dealing with the functions of all other bureacracies and crap lumped together)

Lumping Commerce, Labor, Ag, etc into Domestic Affairs will make it much easier to cut programs that deserve the ax. The Domestic Affairs Department would be the red-headed stepchild of federal governance, as most Americans would appropriately see the other five departments as extremely more important, particularly Justice, Defense, and Homeland Security.

It would also simplify congressional appropriations and oversight, allowing Congres to devote one spending package for each department, cutting in half the current 13 appropriations bills.

Sure, congressmen would try to lump all the pork into Domestic Affairs, but strong presidential leadership could force budget discipline by vetoing the entire funding for the Department of Domestic Affairs should spending be too costly.

You can certainly make a case that Energy is justified merely on the basis of the technological changes of the past 200 years. But certainly Interior should be merged with Energy, HUD, HHS, and Education should disappear, Homeland Security should be part of Defense, as should Vets Affairs, Labor and Commerce should be under Treasury, and I like the idea of a "domestic affairs" department. It should be comprised of Ag, Transportation and Justice. You could put HHS in Domestic Affairs for a while, but only as a transitional agency, to be phased-out.

There. If we give Energy a pass, I think we now have only 5 departments. Happy?

Puncuation is important. Here are my comments again (Now with SEMI-COLONS).

You can certainly make a case that Energy is justified merely on the basis of the technological changes of the past 200 years. But certainly Interior should be merged with Energy; HUD, HHS, and Education should disappear; Homeland Security should be part of Defense, as should Vets Affairs; Labor and Commerce should be under Treasury; and, I like the idea of a "domestic affairs" department. It should be comprised of Ag, Transportation and Justice. You could put HHS in Domestic Affairs for a while, but only as a transitional agency, to be phased-out.

Bush needs to bring in people with new ideas on certian issues. It just seems that all he did was re-arrange everybody. I'm almost dizzy.

Agreed. Punctuation is important, and that's wwhy we need a Department of Punctuation. I propose Bll Safire or William F. Buckley preside over it as Secretary of Punctuation . . .

I believe the Secretary of Punctuation should be George Will..........or maybe Bushwick Bill.

Dis year Halloween fell on da weekend.

No one knows how to use a "semi-colon" better than I.

(see, I have had half of mine removed....)

Oh well, at least I have the "guts" to tell such a crappy joke.

Be well,

Sponge