“War is too important to be left to the generals” is a famous quotation, often attributed to French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau. He, however, continued, “… who now control the field.” That is, not all generals. That applied to World War I. The point is that the generals of the moment were too close to the action to remember the long-term strategy and the bigger picture. Generals, as all officers in the field, have a limited assignment and objective.
Someone else has to determine the overall strategy. That is the function of presidents, prime ministers and legislatures. On the other hand, there are decisions to be made on the battlefield for which the only qualified people are the soldiers, on the ground, who can be aware of details that politicians can only speculate about. The politicians, whatever their level, should be focused on long-term goals and strategy and leave details to the experts, technocrats.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation was created in 1908, The FBI was designed to be insulated from politics, with a director appointed for 10 years by the president, approved by the Senate, and allowed to operate with near autonomy, but within the law.
As a result, the FBI earned a reputation for integrity, honesty, thoroughness and scientific investigation that may be the best the world has ever known. The FBI may assist local law enforcement, but is required to cooperate with local law enforcement as much as possible.
The FBI is also restricted to domestic issues and leave international issues to the Central Intelligence Agency and military intelligence organizations. The FBI and the CIA may assist one another, but are each forbidden to interfere in the other’s jurisdiction.
After a series of financial panics, Congress sought central control of the monetary system to stabilize the currency. To do this and alleviate future financial crisis, Congress created the Federal Reserve in 1913. This was done with the same sort of semi-autonomy as the FBI to protect it from political meddling.
Everything the Federal Reserve does is far too complicated for this space, or this author, but over the last century, they have learned how to maintain a stable monetary system. A system that avoids bank runs, gross inflation, or deflation, outrageous unemployment, and other financial crises most of us may not even be aware of except that we feel the mysterious effects.
The Federal Reserve Board is a true brain trust of some of the brightest, best-educated financial managers on the planet. Their decisions should not be second guessed by politicians and ambitious candidates who think they can do better.
To do this, Congress wisely has designed the Federal Reserve system to be as much as possible beyond the reach of political emotion and operated solely by experts. However, to prevent it from running amok, the members of the Federal Reserve Board are appointed by the president and approved by the Senate, just like a treaty. The terms are 14 years long to keep them insulated from popular political pressure.
Many other federal agencies have been designed the same way. They are given an assignment and a budget and are expected to operate with some autonomy, but according to the law and rules, to create the maximum benefit for the minimum cost.
Unfortunately, government, as George Washington told us, has a tendency to grow and cause liberty to shrink. This means the proper authorities with due consideration need to make changes in the structure, but this should be done conservatively, as if with a scalpel, not an axe.
For example, offering redundant employees the option of an early retirement bonus can shrink the payroll without major effect on the facility of the institution. On the other hand, wholesale reduction of force applied without cause can result in the loss of institutional knowledge that may never be replaceable.
These are the benefits of the checks and balances, written into our Constitution by Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, Gouverneur Morris and George Washington.
Unfortunately, some people in politics are meddling with the FBI, the Federal Reserve and other semi-autonomous departments looking for results that don’t fit the evidence or experience.
Ken Obenski is a forensic engineer and safety and freedom advocate in South Kona. He writes a biweekly column for 91直播. Feedback is encouraged at obenskik@gmail.com.
