Bureaucracy, Crony Capitalism, and the Public Good

David Brooks talks about bureaucracy in his NYT Op-ed column today. He documents the kinds of activities and planning that were supposed to take place before hurricane Katrina hit. I guess the point is that people were well meaning, but it is in the nature of bureaucracies to fall on their faces when nudged by events. People fall on their faces when nudged by events too. Large bureaucracies in the private sector don't do any better. Read Dilbert. Large bureaucracies have been around for thousands of years. They are part of large organizations. It comes with the territory. What's the real point?

His gets to it in the last two paragraphs:

This preparedness plan is government as it really is. It reminds us that canning Michael Brown or appointing some tough response czar will not change the endemic failures at the heart of this institutional collapse.

So of course we need limited but energetic government. But liberals who think this disaster is going to set off a progressive revival need to explain how a comprehensive governmental failure is going to restore America's faith in big government.

He frames the difference between progressives and conservatives using the same tired old cliches and hackneyed phrases.

Progressives want government that promotes and delivers effective government for the public good. Progressives limit government to doing those things that promote the public good. Progressives believe crony capitalism does not count, and should not be nurtured at the public tit.

The question Mr. Brooks should have asked is whether progressives think that returning to effective government that promotes the public good will restore America's belief in government?

And the answer is yes.