John’s Assignment Desk: John Rosenberg suggests that some enterprising journalist or graduate student add up the cost of the federal government’s redundant affirmative action and civil rights bureaucracy. Good idea. I would think it’s quite expensive–don’t lots of government agencies have little non-essential offices dedicated to “equal employment opportunity”? Rosenberg suggests we let a mere two agencies–DOJ and EEOC –do the job. …
P.S.: Obviously, Rosenberg wants to get rid of the expensive affirmative action bureaucracy because he wants to get rid of affirmative action–or at least race preferences. He doesn’t pretend otherwise. But that’s why timid Congressional Republicans will probably shy away from his solution the way they’ve shied away from the affirmative action debate generally. Before they do, though, let’s see how much unnecessary bureaucracy they are leaving in place as a result. …
P.P.S.: Wait, sorry, I forgot. The discretionary budget is already “lean” because it’s been repeatedly combed over for cuts! That’s because, as Ezra Klein assures us, “its beneficiaries tend to be politically weak.” I can’t think of a strong interest group that would support overly generous spending on the machinery of affirmative action, can you? …