Heres a government reform that I think could attract bipartisan support. Merge the Departments of Interior and Agriculture and the EPA into a new Department of Natural Resources. This would consolidate all the functions related to government-owned lands, National Parks, National Forests, various federal monuments, administration of environmental protection laws, farm industry regulations, and similar functions into one agency, with attendant savings in administrative costs and duplication. While were at it, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Interior Departments functions related to U.S. territories such as Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of Northern Marianas could be transferred to the State Department. After all, arent Native American tribal reservations considered sovereign nations within U.S. borders? Agricultures extension programs could go to the U.S. Department of Education. I, of course, would favor reforming the roles these departments play; for example, selling off much of government-owned lands in the West, but even if you dont favor shrinking the size of government, you should think about consodilidating related functions to simplify bureaucratic overlap and to focus agencies on having a specific mission focus. Except for the EPA, the agencies I mention here are often overlooked and engage in wasteful practices behind the veil of public scrutiny.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Feb 2014 11:42:19 +0000
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