Apathy and Government
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Analysts have observed an increase among the electorate in both apathy and disaffection toward all levels of government. People have always complained about the bureaucracy they have to face when they have business with the government. They have always criticized programs which did not work and spending they feel is misdirected. They have also always been aware of governmental corruption and at times have been more or less willing to accept it as a given if not to tolerate it. In recent years, though, ethical questions have become more important as the public has become fed up with lapses in their bureaucratic structure. The perception is that government is beset by gridlock, incompetence, and corruption, and people have little patience with the corruption in particular. What is sought is a model of "bureaucratic responsibility" to deal with this issue and to set in place mechanisms which will guard against ethical lapses and cope with those that are found. There is widespread public concern about the power of big government and about the potential for the abuse of administrative discretion. This has produced the effort to limit discretion, based on the view that the proper working of a democracy is to reduce discretionary government so that the government only does what the people want it to do. Of course, government includes both an elected component and the bureaucracy that functions as the implementing mechanism for policy. Curtailing discretion for both has
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ing at all. This is not a desirable way of addressing the problem, but it does show how prevalent the problem of fear of government discretion has become.
Edward S. Greenberg offers what he states is a radical approach to the American political system and in so doing challenges certain basic assumptions, certain basic myths that drive American culture and that determine our view of the political process. Other authors look to the American system and see certain ideals that are sought after if not always achieved. Greenberg's approach begins not with the myths of the overarching political system but with the realities of the lives of the people who live and work under that system, showing how the system has failed to protect their rights or develop their lives and sensibilities along the lines promised by the American dream, a cultural icon with a shifting definition based on the underlying belief that the system works and serves everyone equally. Greenberg considers the ways in which America comes up short and then asks why this is so, examining the structure and operation of the system to determine the source of the problem. In some ways, it is an acceptance of the myth that is the problem, for it blinds the system to the
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Edward Greenberg, Liberalism Conservatism, James Wilson, , John Locke, Legislative Branch, Max Weber, Murray Levin, American Dream, Democratic Republican, divided government, american political, political system, political culture, cultural war, american political culture, american dream, government divided, discretionary government government, myths drive, moral sense, divided government divided, worker safety, american political system, government divided government,
Approximate Word count = 2120
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)
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