Our Bureaucratic Leader

One can say the head of OMB is the chief bureaucrat of the Federal Government. Kevin Drum has a post which includes a picture of him: "gloriously arrayed in full nerd pack".

Some People Look (Too) Far Ahead

Linda Greenhouse in the NYTimes writes about the paths Chief Justice Roberts and President-Elect Obama took to arrive on the platform Tuesday. Ties it to a photo of William Howard Taft, the only man to hold both offices, and, at the very end, suggests that Obama too could go onto the Court after his term(s) of office.

On Dark Days of Winter--Fond Mommas and a Bit of Romance

Reston just got through the coldest day in a good long while, so it's time for some cheer:

• The Cottonwife looks ahead to Feb 14, with pictures of sweet eats and sweet little girls.

• At the other end of the cultural spectrum, University Diarist gets all excited about her daughter, another sweet older girl, singing on the Mall with Bruce Springsteen and Beyonce.

• And from the heart of the city which is the source of our discontents, the NYTimes has a sweet romantic story. (Having married late myself, I could identify.) (Hat tip: Noah Millman, at the American Scene.)

The Two Sides--Why Commercial Ag Is Confident

Reading, as I try to, the posts, articles, and books of the locavores, organic farming, and sustainable ag people, I usually sense an emotional conviction of the rightness of their position. There's the fervor of the evangelist about the preachments of the Pollans, Kingsolvers, and Astyks of the world.

When I switch to the other side, the emotional feel is sometimes different. Confidence seems to be the main theme--not worry about soil exhaustion,etc., just confidence that what worked in the past still will work in the future, confidence that reason (science) and hard work together will conquer all difficulties.

This article in Wired on a corn/soybean yield king might explain to the greens some of the emotion.

The First Yell from the AGI Front?

Don't know whether this is a portent, but someone there is who really does not like the new adjusted gross income requirements and forms. Linda Wuebben in the Yankton SD paper feels the information required violates her privacy and in 2 days she's picked up 4 favorable comments. There's also a link to NAIS.

From a bureaucrat's standpoint, you can't implement a payment limitation without collecting data. As FSA learned in the late 1980's, changing the requirements and getting the forms right so that the burden is minimized is always a problem. Our problem then was applying the same process to everyone, which is the bureaucrat's golden rule, but the old 80/20 rule is more practicable and easy to take. People who correctly know they aren't affected by the limitation, who know they're innocent, get a lot more hostile than those who are. (That's a generalization with absolutely no evidence to support it at all.) If FSA could only read minds, they could give the potential cheats the full rigamarole and the honest folk a rubberstamp.

From a taxpayer's viewpoint, it's the old saying: he who pays the piper calls the tune.

A Great Day in the History of American Bureaucracy

Today is the 125th anniversary of the enactment of the Pendleton Act of 1883, according to the Today's Document feature at the National Archives. What did it do, you ask? Establish the Civil Service.

Stimulus Dollars for USDA

Everyone gets a piece of the pie. Though a friend and reader beat me to it, here's the excerpt from Government Executive:

"Agriculture Department

• $650 million for construction and improvements at National Forest Service facilities
• $209 million for deferred maintenance at Agricultural Research Service facilities
• $245 million to critical information technology improvements at the Farm Service Agency
• $44 million to repair and improve security at USDA headquarters
• $300 million for fire hazard reduction
• $400 million for watershed improvement programs at the Natural Resources Conservation Service"

Don't know where the fire hazard is, South Building, maybe? (More seriously, likely in the National Forests.) I know Secretary-designate Vilsack mentioned the technology issue for FSA, but the GAO reports I've read haven't been exactly enthusiastic about the FSA computer project (MIDAS). I wonder how much of the money is for hardware and how much for software, and how much for the computer consultants. And how much of it can be wisely spent in FY2009 (which will have 7 months to go when the money becomes available).

I'm also struck by the security line. Edward Hodgman at Understanding Government blogged on the problems of getting into the Treasury Department. I know many would like to blow up the IRS (I'm joking), but few feel that strongly about USDA. When I started work at USDA there were 16 entrances to the South Building, all unguarded. Now?--don't ask.

And does NRCS have a watershed program on the back burner?

DTN Editor Endorses Locavore Agriculture

Sort of. The link requires registration. Here's his conclusion:

Some Americans are willing to pay more for locally grown food. Surveys say so, and I believe them. At least some of the time and for some foods, I am willing to pay more. As more and more people patronize farmers markets and prefer local foods at the grocery store, some farmers will see profit in diversifying to meet the demand.

But transform agriculture? Somehow, I don't see it. The future will likely offer more opportunities for different approaches to agriculture to exist side-by-side; local food can co-exist with larger operations serving larger geographies. It will not do away with large, specialized farms. Even if their numbers grow, locavores are likely to remain a trendy minority. For most of us, the rule will be everything in moderation.

An "Exclusive" House Ag Committee

Prof. Pollan has suggested making the House Ag committee "exclusive" (i.e., so important a member can only be on one).

Here's a piece which explains what's involved and why it may not work.

Another of his suggestions is separating nutrition (i.e., food stamps) and agriculture in the appropriations process, in order to facilitate cutting costly farm programs. He argues food stamps are safe in a Democratic Congress. Given his premises, I still think he's wrong--the food stamp/farm program linkage has, over the years, benefited both sides. Rural blue-dog Dems and Republicans, who once were deficit conscious and will return to that state at noon on Jan. 20, always oppose food stamps.

I too well remember my feelings in 1965, when it seemed liberals were destined to dominate forever. That dream quickly ended. Even though it's hard for young whippersnapper Dems to realize now, their dominance now will surely end, sooner or later. So I'd advise Pollan not to advocate structural changes now based on the assumption of a Democratic Congress.

Transparency and Obama

Why doesn't the Change site carry the prepared testimony of the cabinet nominees? Looked for Vilsack's testimony from yesterday--not available.