Bureaucracy Basics: Crash Course Government and Politics #15

This week Craig Benzine discusses bureaucracies. Bureaucracies tend to be associated with unintelligible rules and time-wasting procedures, but they play an important, though controversial, role in governing. From the FDA to the EPA, these agencies were established to help the government manage and carry out laws much more efficiently - to bring rule-making and enforcement closer to the experts. But the federal bureaucracy (which is part of the executive branch) has a lot of power and sometimes acts like Congress in creating regulations and like the courts through administrative adjudications. It's all a bit problematic for that whole "separation of powers" thing. So we'll talk about that too, and the arguments for and against increased federal bureaucracy.
Support is provided by Voqal: www.voqal.org
Chapters:
Introduction: Craig does paperwork 00:00
What is bureaucracy? 0:51
What do bureaucrats do? 1:34
Bureaucracy & division of powers 2:19
Bureaucracy & regulations 2:43
Bureaucracy & administrative adjudications 3:36
Why do we have bureaucracy? 4:15
Credits 6:25
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[@drozingler5964]

Absolutely loving sitting awake at 12:43 in the morning writing the 3 main points, 3 major facts, and 3 big questions about this video.

[@catie3539]

When it's 2020 and your AP exam is only 45 minutes long so you spend 10 hours writing review materials while listening to crash course in the hopes that your brain will somehow retain any of what your shoving into it.

[@MagnusKicks]

Catie gang 20 minutes till

[@catie3539]

@@MagnusKicks I finished my final question with five seconds to spare, but it told me I hadn't completed the section and now I have to retake the whole thing. I'm crying.

[@danielw1125]

currently studying bc I'm taking the retake tomorrow

[@catie3539]

Same!

[@Sketchi]

AP Gov exam tomorrow. Let's do this.

[@whatby101]

+Sketchi Same, I feel like i know everything I need, but i'm worried i'm missing something.

[@backeroni]

+Sketchi same, but half of these videos teach ab stuff i havent learned, so ive skipped like 6

[@Kyanlikethepepper]

Did you pass?

[@Sketchi]

yes I did, thanks for asking haha! :D

[@ethanl886]

i have it on thursday yikes

[@annemarie9548]

y’all it’s quarantine and i fell down a political rabbit hole

[@mushroomsamba82]

"Rage against the correct machine" gave me a good laugh, thanks!

[@roidroid]

***** or my favourite, Rage against the politically correct machine. Bulls and gender non-specific bovines on parade!

[@SecretAgentMan00]

rally around the family with a pocket full of...... opinions

[@RainaRamsay]

Can we get a shirt that says "Rage Against the Correct Machine"?

[@YuzuDrink]

I would buy that shirt.

[@RainaRamsay]

I know, right? It meets my desire to be precise while also acknowledging flaws in our society.

[@indubitablyzara]

Raina Ramsay I would definitely buy that shirt.

[@RainaRamsay]

Indubitably Zara That's 3 guaranteed sales! How many preorders before Crash Course will print something?

[@jonn_mace_80_95_]

Raina Ramsay We should.

[@potato2941]

I thought "Bureaucracy" was a government problem until I got a job at a company with 200k+ employees worldwide. I would say it's even worse in the corporate world.

[@khaleefax9553]

*"Bureaucracy is a system of government in which most of the important decisions are made by state officials rather than by elected representatives."*

[@emilybarefoot9238]

Just watched every Crash Course Government and Politics video to help prepare myself for the AP US Gov and Politcs exam in two days... Great way to review the semester and even learn some things my teacher hadn't taught!

[@ArcaneInsignia13]

The biggest problem with bureaucracy "is" that it allows experts to make and control the rules. So average folk have no grounds for challenging anything, which leads to the capacity for control guaranteed to corrupt said powers. They can conspire to fulfill their own agendas and who can do anything about it? What they need is a bureaucracy for morality that can take down corrupt systems when they overstep moral boundaries with their expertise and rule making.

[@MrAydenca]

Good luck to everyone that’s taking the AP Test on Monday!

[@aestheticshh5136]

Ayden MacKenzie thanks fam. Only an hour until I have to take it :/

[@MatthewNovak]

Tomorrow for me (it was delayed)!

[@sabrinahaque9681]

Sooo glad this video came out! Good luck to everyone taking their AP government exam this Tuesday!

[@AlanmanAaron]

"Crash Course was made with the help of these soulless bureaucrats. Thanks for watching!" 😂

[@MrDylan2125]

Which machine do I rage against so that eagles get protection from punches?

[@CardsNHorns04]

PrimevalDragon The Illuminati machine. Its real.

[@zephyrvescent]

CardsNHorns04 How so, Cards? I keep hearing more and more on this subject, but I don't understand much about it.

[@nolanthiessen1073]

mama maus en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_World_Order_(conspiracy_theory)#Illuminati

[@nullvoid7370]

mama maus when ever you deal with a buracrat you always lose you time or monney or both all they do is take

[@nullvoid7370]

mama maus is kind of like the diference betweena a democrat wich takes your money and spends it or a Republican that takes your money and spends it but pretends to feel bad for it

[@GuardsmanBass]

One thing I'd add is that complexity often comes from the way bureaucracies have to deal with changing tasks and rules. Many bureaucracies are "system-critical" in a way, meaning that you can't simply shut them down and completely reform them after a period of time - imagine doing that with a school system, for example. Instead, you have to gradually implement the new rules, work out conflicts with the old ones, and replace/remove old rules and tasks so that the transition is much more seamless.

[@wk3820]

The wisest person I ever knew once told me that the complexity of any system or bureaucracy is inversely proportional to the intelligence and competence of those who established it. I've seen this truism validated many times over the years.

[@FunkyHonkyCDXX]

"Rage against the correct machine." Brilliant line!

[@jfranklin504]

I just discovered this guy’s page this morning and this is beautiful. I love his work and I love how he broke down the understanding of the word bureaucrat and bureaucracy. Great job.

[@libbybollinger5901]

Is it bad that all I know about bureaucracy I got from parks and rec

[@timbobb905]

"Rage against the correct machine" I love it.

[@lesliesalazar3967]

I absolutely love Crash Course Videos! They make studying fun!

[@salomonflamenco7162]

Crash course philosophy pls

[@Bobsry16]

Salomon Flamenco So much yes.

[@mattcat83]

Salomon Flamenco Let's hope they get a philosopher who knows what he's talking about. After all, they might need to separate Continental from Analytic Philosophy.

[@liamgurney3802]

Like you haven't said that enough -_-

[@salomonflamenco7162]

Liam Gurney well guess what just started

[@dierderikd3986]

This is my favorite CrashCourse series. (I love you Chraig, you go girl)

[@CassesVultus]

Isn't there a federal bureaucracy that penalizes people for punching eagles?

[@Alexaflohr]

Yep. The EPA. Lucky that one's plastic.

[@user-dx8nj7qj2g]

Eagle I'm gonna go shot an eagle and watch as you's can't do anything about it

[@kynes333]

Really enjoyed Mr Green's series on american history. AND really enjoy Mr. Benzine and this whole series on politics and government. When you're done with Federal, I would love to see State then local start. You can cover the variances in each as you go: -Governor -State Legislatures (assembly, state senate) -County Government (supervisors, the commissions they appoint etc. ex. Los Angeles county is 10 million people - the size of a state - and controlled by 5 supervisors!) -Courts -City Governments ( weak/strong mayor, manager-Council, etc. Plus the commission appointments what are their roles. -Party structures (National, state, county; delegates, etc) Not even adults know half of this crap... ;) ...how many people know what an appointed commission does in their city or even the county. Or what a township supervisor does? Nice and practical information once the fed and state is done... ...then end with a HUGE ad for House of Cards. Ha ha J/K.

[@ImmaterialDigression]

FUCKING NAILED IT! We need a public bowling alley ASAP! What do we want? A PUBLIC BOWLING ALLEY! When do we want it? AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!

[@keithwinget526]

ImmaterialDigression We pay for it with............... Ugh, you either STILL pay for shoes, or you pay for it in your taxes....... I hate this idea now lol, it made me think about money leaving my wallet.

[@ImmaterialDigression]

Keith Winget Well we pay taxes anyway, I'd reassign money rather than raise taxes. Would you rather spend money invading other countries or giving tax cuts to big business OR have bowling alleys. This is the choice I offer you! :P

[@keithwinget526]

ImmaterialDigression Honestly...... I hope someday I'll be able to have the 100%(I'd settle for 80% or 90% even)factual truth about what's going on in the world and with my country so I could actually have money reassignment opinions backed up by real facts. The reality is that's never going to happen. We basically rely on government for that, because they get the best information feed. Sure, they are massively politically motivated, but the bigger problem is that even THEY do not get 100% of the picture. Even if they did, there's still the possibility of making the wrong decision even with the best of intentions and the world's best experts(I'm definitely not saying they are, either). TLDR: Simple thing like a bowling alley appropriations bill taking money away from enforcement of.....idk....marijuana law ;) I could see that working out :P It'd be at the state level though.

[@matthewkaseman7457]

Head on a military base of any decent size.

[@professorcomics2736]

I really like the way this is organized. I find the order of which he videos are organized to be logical.

[@mbarraicua]

Excellent video! Fun, instructive, clear... Congrats!

[@slh3940]

Thankful for this course , without it I was all over the place trying to understand any of it really!

[@geeway5923]

people: "legislative is the most powerful branch!" me: * laughs in bureacratics *

[@space2895]

Go rose

[@reverseflashes]

We watched this in our Management Science class. Very educational.

[@ca1682]

This was excellent and exceptionally informative!

[@xionkuriyama5697]

You know why Craig prefers to be optimistic and skeptical of all the cynical horror stories? So that we can get past all the junk the media throws at us at actually work on fixing what really needs fixed. I love this guy.

[@mikesanchez4356]

Power is divided into three branches: Kings, Lord's, Peasants...same old story only branded differently.

[@janviiic]

This is actually my most favorite Crash Course because of this guy hahahhaa

[@kendrawilson1697]

Why is your mug always empty? I'm far more concerned about that than why you punch your eagle every episode.

[@solomonfinn1272]

Great video, again! If I were to make a playlist of these politics videos could I call it Craigslist?

[@mavisdom-animeonpiano]

Solomon Finn lol

[@kenzyfranco8745]

Regarding crash course presenters, I don't like choosing favorites... but you're my favorite

[@36inc]

love this guy "Rage agianst the correct machine" PERFECT WORD PLAY~

[@iwantmyfriescrispynotburnt3981]

Anyone thought about Hermes from Futurama?

[@mouse2335]

Only reason Wasn’t not failing civics until this

[@MakeMeThinkAgain]

I've always thought any government agency should be established for a fixed period of time, say 10 years, after which it would have to be evaluated and either: Not renewed or Renewed but based on lessons learned during the previous 10 years. It would be even better if an entirely new agency were created based on those lessons with fresh hiring for all positions in the "new" agency.

[@SaidinRage]

I love the animators putting Bobby in the videos.

[@brandonthesteele]

Craig, you are technically correct. The best kind of correct.

[@Alman556]

Brandon Shaffer Yes, also politically correct. Now say it with me War is Peace Freedom is Slavery Ignorance is Strength

[@PJDAltamirus0425]

Sounds like we need some bureaucratic separation of powers at the federal level. Some nice establishment of types of bureacracies which and which can be provisioned into the executive, judical, and legislative branches.

[@jsuarezucf]

At first I wasn't sure if Wheezy Waiter was going to be a good fit as a show host for CC but I have to say, I enjoy all of the topics he covers, learn a ton, and his humor is freaking hilarious!! Keep up it WW, you're doing absolutely, positively, wicked awesome.

[@mortimerlivan557]

I was just thinking that eagle would have a no-punch day until 2:33

[@Leolukpeu]

you should do a series like brain games. it'd be awesome!!! kinda marketing/psychology/neuroeconomics course or somethink like that

[@bizn0nka]

Schools are bureaucracies too!!!!!

[@TheFireflyGrave]

When I was four there was a hurricane in Kingston Town with a foot and a half of water Everyone was alright, but I cried all night It blew my alphabet blocks out of order And they said this boy’s born to be a bureaucrat Born to be all obsessive and snotty I made my friends and relations file long applications To get into my tenth birthday party.

[@Dinuial]

Re: UPS and the postal service. For day to day deliveries, yes UPS is quicker and more efficient, BUT during high traffic times (like Christmas) private delivery companies rely on the USPS to get everything taken care of. Private companies are concerned with profit and will keep their staff and infrastructure as small as possible to ensure maximum profit. Public agencies (when provided with adequate funding) can be made as large as necessary to fulfill their function whether it be delivering the mail or policing the foster care system.

[@EmperorZelos]

If we didn't have bureaucracies we would have too much time to do other things. So they help us manage our time by reducing the availiable time we have.

[@bz3105]

Good video overall, but one slight correction at about 3:30: final rules/regulations are published in the Code of Federal Regulations ("CFR"), not the Federal Register ("FR"), which is more of a day-to-day publication that informs the public of proposed rules/regulations, notice and comment periods, etc.

[@royloebe7398]

Hey! I love your videos and all the Crash Course content but I'm commenting to point out that, for the colorblind (like me), the list shown on screen around 2:04 only contains a 1. and a 3. Whatever combination of colors you have working here makes what I can only assume is the 2. in that list completely invisible.

[@JeffreyLipton]

Craig, you say there is unlikely to be private meat inspection, however the Orthodox Union has inspected food including meat since 1920. The Edison Labs and United Labs have been certifying other products for a long time as well. Often government certifications can be less strict than private ones and are used by entrenched interests to shield themselves from public scrutiny and future competition .

[@PinkChucky15]

I have honestly never had a bad experience at the DMV.

[@dford192]

Appreciated the "rage against the [correct] machine" comment while I was wearing my RATM shirt. :)

[@CasaStudios]

They do have public bowling allies. They are on military bases.

[@desireeholloway3353]

I LOVE YOU CRAIG!!💘

[@WillhelmSundman]

"Rage against the correct machine", i like the sound of that.

[@exodia6579]

Good one Craig!!! 😆😆😆😂 that was such a great joke, "Byzantupid!!" That was to great!!!

[@SapphireCrook]

Oh, so the DMV is state, not federal? Oof, that means I can shake my fist a few degrees lower. That's really going to save some calories in the long run! :D

[@randyepp5459]

Good work, thanks.

[@ImperatorZor]

WE NEED MORE BUREAUCRACY!

[@fluorideenjoyer]

when you forget the entire course material for ap gov and you're doing your study guide for the exam at the last possible second

[@emilebichelberger7590]

I’m just interested in government, politics and how things work. It’s rather important.

[@fluorideenjoyer]

Emile Bichelberger i could not possibly care less

[@emilebichelberger7590]

Nick Sexton Yea I can see that, just before we part ways forever. You might be interested in the show Yes Minister.

[@sharkzombiess]

right on time for the ap gov test ! :)

[@Aibytours]

"It seems unlikely that a private corporation would spring up to inspect meat." This is a funny example. I have a friend who works at a veterinarian institution and inspects meat and other food before it will be available on the market. This used to be a state institution, but it was bought by a private (US [and I don't live in the US]) corporation and was basically outsourced. It seems kinda worrying, really. But the main point is that there actually seems to be quite a bit of profit to make from food inspection, since everyone who wants to sell his food on the market needs some kind of seal of approval.

[@Zakary749]

The greatest bureaucrat of all time Hermes 😂

[@chrnogirl]

I've never had a crazy wait time at the DMV...maybe like an hour at most. :)

[@dynamicworlds1]

Can we take a moment to notice the fact that dollar bills (which say, "this note is legal tender for all debts, public and private") is not accepted as payment by an agency working for the government.

[@Eunacis]

In Florida, the DMV is delegated to the county gov't, so it can be either pleasant (St. Johns) or a living Hell. (Duval)

[@bernernovak]

it would be awesome to have a section of carsh courses dedicated to "electricity"

[@OSheaPunk]

The Post Office would be as efficient as FedEx if they were allowed to compete. So the choice is either let the Post Office charge $2.00 for a stamp or deal with a longer wait time. Also the largest federal bureaucracies are the Social Security Administration and Center for Medicare Services. If you can find a way to make that interesting to an audience of teenagers next week, I will be impressed :)

[@DougiebearTheEpic]

***** UPS was rated as the most expensive way to send something in the United States, while FedEx and USPS are neck and neck the cheapest. The main thing that people seem to forget is that USPS does compete. It gets no tax dollars to support itself, so it stays open by making money like every one else. I think it was Forbes (don't quote me on which magazine) that put those three against each other and USPS won out because they generally have faster shipping times. And they also have the lowest rate of damaging packages. So there's that lol

[@peddlerinc5332]

OSheaPunk OOOOOOooo GGOOTT EM!

[@OSheaPunk]

The Epic Dougiebear The entire infrastructure that UPS relies on to make deliveries was created by the USPS.

[@2sites]

OSheaPunk Just like how Obama said the internet was created by the government. Lmfaooooo oh man.. that's hilarious.

[@36inc]

***** They privatized years ago theyre a joke- In the 80s and 90s- but suddenly Usps jokes in 2000 comedies dont happen anymore. In my experience havin used both- Theyre comparable and if safety is a concern then Usps is the better option. like its said Ups willl Just leavee it there. something that doesnt hurt me much because I have a raised porch with a noisy screen door and my dads always hom.

[@smeggie42]

The ATF is a good example of government agencies making up rules. They recently wanted to change an interpretation of a law to ban M855 green tip ammo. The thing is even the guys who wrote the law never wanted it to be interpreted that way. Luckily they didn't change it but they did use the same kind of rules to stop importation of cheap russian ammo last year.

[@Tytoalba777]

smeggie42 May I ask, do you have the direct quote of the rule? I want to read it to see if they could potentially read it that way

[@nolanthiessen1073]

smeggie42 The Russia ammo issue was likely more due to with Federal trade sanctions than anything to do with it being cheap.

[@smeggie42]

James A Clouder check out 18 U.S.C. § 921(a)(17)(C) (17) (A) The term “ammunition” means ammunition or cartridge cases, primers, bullets, or propellent powder designed for use in any firearm. (B) The term “armor piercing ammunition” means- (i) a projectile or projectile core which may be used in a handgun and which is constructed entirely (excluding the presence of traces of other substances) from one or a combination of tungsten alloys, steel, iron, brass, bronze, beryllium copper, or depleted uranium; or (ii) a full jacketed projectile larger than .22 caliber designed and intended for use in a handgun and whose jacket has a weight of more than 25 percent of the total weight of the projectile. (C) The term “armor piercing ammunition” does not include shotgun shot required by Federal or State environmental or game regulations for hunting purposes, a frangible projectile designed for target shooting, a projectile which the Attorney General finds is primarily intended to be used for sporting purposes, or any other projectile or projectile core which the Attorney General finds is intended to be used for industrial purposes, including a charge used in an oil and gas well perforating device.

[@smeggie42]

this site sums it all up well. www.ammoland.com/2015/02/atf-framework-logic-would-ban-additional-ammo-beyond-m855-as-armor-piercing-ammo/#axzz3ZvfI08yR

[@watchdiz91]

I love crash course !

[@twelge15]

Sheldon the bully was about to hit me when I said we could 'settle our disputes through administrative adjudication'. Then he broke my nose. - Woody Allen

[@kellysmith8565]

Little does wheezy know I'm entitling my first book "rage against the correct machine".

[@iamastick1931]

The fact that this isn't John Green is weird.

[@rosec5629]

I am a stick You made it this far without realizing it wasn't John Green?

[@theplaguedoc1997]

i dont know who he is either, but he seems tired, or at least trying hard to keep up with a fast pace of speaking he's not normally used to, just for the sake of keeping up with how these videos normally go, probably cos of time constraints to gain retention time, damn KZbin bureaucracies...

[@chadbugansky]

Craig for president!!!

[@harshtanksale7511]

Pls do something on Gallipoli (WW1)

[@davidsteventaylor]

Love your mug. I have one myself

[@TimberWolf2025]

I enjoyed this crash course at .75 speed. I could catch a lot more of the jokes and have time to laugh.

[@jorzer18]

Props for the Rage Against The Machine connection 👍

[@tornadospin9]

So basically the bureaucracy is congress' version on the president's executive office

[@aryaahmadi4029]

These videos deserve more views :-(

[@markrabon8160]

You are the MAN!

[@beenokok529]

I love that bureaucracy is like king George. Effective but everyone hate being under them.

[@scoutlover55]

THANK YOU!!!

[@starlo3]

Thanks, that was cool

[@myfamilyiscrazy]

I need a "Rage against the correct Machine" sticker by, like, yesterday.

[@rashad123us]

This video is very bureaucratic.

[@Angiiee14]

My brain just went, HJGFZHBJKHGJBGJSIO, but I thank you for that! This helped me better understand bureacracy for my project for governemt ugh wish me luck thoiugh!

[@reesemcgeese824]

i love "rage against the correct machine"

[@ronaldjoel4827]

good luck everyone taking the ap gov exam tomorrow!

[@BigKeithDog]

they make their own rules, and prosecute their own violators, where are the checks and balances?

[@CaptainBill22]

That's why they're illegal.

[@colorfulsporty]

if i mention CrashCourse on the FRQ on my APGov Exam will they give me a 3, 4, or 5?

[@KristianLyhnenielsen]

Rage against the correct machine... Love it.

[@nataliewilliams344]

Helping me pass the ap gov exam :)

[@jackherzog5398]

Great elbow patches!!!!!!

[@CorneliusSneedley]

Funny you didn't mention that bureaucracy essentially means "Rule by desk."

[@benaaronmusic]

I learned a lot on this episode. Thanks, Craig! From a fellow beardlover, -Ben