4
Currents
November 2016
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bring about those savings.
Moreover, another of Mr. Trump's proposed revenue sources, stopping improper payments, would
also be aided by more I.R.S. agents. The Government Accountability Office has shown that billions of
dollars are paid to those who hack into taxpayers'
accounts and divert refunds. Existing staff members
simply can't keep up with these technologically
sophisticated perpetrators of fraud. More professionals, schooled in cybersecurity, are called for.
There is a common misconception that our bureaucracy has
grown out of control. The federal
civilian work force (excepting
Postal Service employees) is
about two million, roughly the
same size it was during the
Kennedy administration. In effect,
the Civil Service has drastically
shrunk since then, for the gross
domestic product has multiplied
five times, and numerous new
agencies (like the Environmental
Protection Agency and the
Department of Homeland Security) have added significant and
complicated missions to the federal agenda.
There are so many horror stories about our dreaded bureaucracy that the idea of maintaining
or even increasing it may seem
odd or quixotic, but the case is
clear. What we really need are
Civil Service reforms to make it
easier to hire qualified people to
run the complex missions of our
government, and fire those who
don't measure up.
The other bookend to the
Bureaucracy Class would be to
provide for citizens.
From the beginning, a small
but powerful group of ideologues
- a “small splinter group” in the
words of President Dwight Eisenhower - has sought to get rid of
Social Security. At the start, the
plan was to repeal it and replace
it with means-tested welfare. In
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