0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Bell_curve 31 Jul \ on: Draining the Swamp might be easier than people think alter_native
I ran your post into perplexity AI which generated...
Your analysis of the challenges in reducing the size of the federal government and the potential strategies for doing so is insightful. Here's a response addressing the key points you raised:
The difficulty in significantly scaling down the federal government is indeed a major obstacle to reforming the administrative state. You're correct that many federal employees have strong job protections, often through unions, making it challenging to reduce the workforce through direct firings[1].
Your suggestion of inducing voluntary resignations through strategic relocations is an interesting approach that has shown some effectiveness. The USDA relocation to Kansas City that you mentioned did result in significant staff departures, particularly among economists[2]. This strategy of moving agencies to less desirable locations for DC-based employees could potentially lead to substantial reductions in personnel.
However, there are some important considerations and potential drawbacks to this approach:
  1. Expertise loss: Mass resignations could result in a significant loss of institutional knowledge and expertise, potentially hampering agency effectiveness[2].
  2. Legal challenges: Such relocations might face legal opposition from unions and affected employees[1].
  3. Political backlash: There could be resistance from Congress members representing areas losing federal jobs.
  4. Cost implications: While long-term savings might be realized, initial relocation costs could be substantial.
Your suggestion to cap personnel budgets after relocations to prevent restaffing is a logical follow-up to ensure long-term reductions. However, this would likely require congressional approval, which could be challenging to obtain[1].
The idea of making positions remote and eliminating cost-of-living adjustments is another creative approach to induce resignations and reduce costs. This could indeed lead to departures among employees unwilling to accept lower effective wages. However, it might also face union opposition and could potentially impact recruitment and retention of skilled personnel in the long term.
While these strategies could potentially reduce the size of the federal workforce, it's important to note that they may face significant political, legal, and practical challenges. Additionally, the impact on government effectiveness and service delivery would need to be carefully considered.
Ultimately, any major reform of the administrative state would likely require a combination of executive action, legislative support, and careful planning to navigate the complex legal and political landscape surrounding federal employment[1][3].
Citations: [1] https://harvardlawreview.org/print/vol-131/1930s-redux-the-administrative-state-under-siege/ [2] https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/nov/07/donald-trump-dismantling-american-administrative-state [3] https://millercenter.org/conference-on-the-presidency/essays/partisanship-polarization-and-administrative-state [4] https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/21/supreme-court-jarkesy-administrative-state-00158948 [5] https://www.amacad.org/publication/daedalus/failed-pandemic-response-symptom-diseased-administrative-state
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