Opinion: Beware Of The Bureaucracy Blob
May 31, 2012 
If you’ve read my editorials before, you know I am critical of government bureaucracy and regulations from time to time. I struggle with that to some degree because I have had the opportunity to work with many people in state and federal government over the years.
So, why the struggle? By and large, the vast majority of people in government I’ve been exposed to are smart and good people. They are well intentioned and just doing their job after all. It feels like when you are critical of some government agency’s action or regulation, that by extension, you are being critical of the good people who work in the ranks there.
Recently, I watched “Waiting For Superman,” which is an interesting documentary on our nation’s education system. The documentary illustrated the sometimes heartbreaking effects of union-fueled government bureaucracy on the education and dreams of children in our public school system. It is worth a watch.
As U.S. students’ rankings continue to slide against other countries, it is clear our education system needs an overhaul. Believe it or not, there are many great teachers and administrators out there trying to improve public education.
So, why are we not seeing improvement in scores and graduation rates? I am sure there are a lot of complicated answers to that, but one of the main reasons is when those good people try to affect positive change they run headlong into the massive bureaucracy that governs our schools. According to the documentary, in teaching circles, this is referred to as the “blob.”
Blob! I love that term. In the dictionary, it is defined as an object, an especially large one, having no distinct shape or definition. Consider agriculture’s dealings with EPA in recent years — blob sounds about right.
Recently, I was at a presentation from an official from FDA giving an update on the upcoming Produce Safety Rule (it was due in January) and the massive Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). I’ve sat in on several presentations from FDA on the FSMA. One thing I’ve picked up on in these presentations is often the speaker says they are not aware where other offices in their own agency are in regards to FSMA, or they put it off on hang-ups in other agencies. Things like, “It’s lost over in so and so’s office. Who knows what they’re doing over there.”
As growers wait for one of the biggest — and no doubt costly — food safety regulations in history, the primary agency responsible for it has a hard time adequately explaining what it is and what to expect. Again, by and large, these are good and smart people.
So, what gives? The blob. These federal agencies, FDA included, have become so large and unwieldy that common sense is often squashed under the weight of the blob. When a bureaucracy grows too large, the good intentions of the people within it can and often do become irrelevant.
I am not suggesting that all government activity is bad. Let’s be honest, agriculture has turned to the government many times seeking funds to support its diverse interests. But, when the blob sets in motion some new set of regulations, it is the grower who often foots the bill and becomes a little less competitive in the marketplace amid the process.
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