Perspective #86

The Lifecycle of Bureaucratized Compassion

Greetings.

Today, I write about the “lifecycle of bureaucracies.” We take them for granted like the plumbing in our houses, but bureaucracies are surprisingly important ‘plumbing’ but with a mind of its own. I avoid the hair-on-fire outrage to give an overview of how they can evolve (or devolve) over the decades.

Locally, we’ve spent 40 years trying to improve the Warsaw (IN) Airport, home to 41 aircraft, including three jets. Last year, the interfering power lines were finally lowered ($7 million) by removing the old towers. Now the FAA (not the Indiana DOT) is changing the rules and ignoring local proposals and related requests. It’s classic bureaucracy. Maybe this year. Maybe not.

Here’s the link: FAA Continues To Frustrate Warsaw Airport With Rule Changes, Pushback On Projects - Times-Union

Thanks for reading.

Blessings, John

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We all know how it works. There are endless genuine pressing social needs. A politician identifies a need, forms a coalition, secures support from some likely not-for-profits, and makes a proposal. The argument is, “Big need, high compassion, and affordable dollars.” Those who fear accelerating costs are resisted for the sake of compassion. Stage 1. Congress adopts the new program. It may pass by a small margin, or occasionally by only one party. The new area of compassion becomes an agency. We say, “Well, that’s OK. There may be some wasted dollars, but it’s a good thing.” If only.

The 30-year-old welfare program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), was established to “end welfare as we know it.” Proposed by Newt Gingrich as part of the Contract with America, the bill was signed into law by President Bill Clinton and helped approximately 2.5 million families. Today, about one-third as many families are helped, and only a quarter of the TANF budget actually goes to families in need. The rest goes in the form of block grants to states that use it as a slush fund, according to the WSJ. Congress’s refusal to require reporting and accountability has led the GAO to cite 37 states for 137 deficiencies (56 are severe). (WSJ Jan 9, 2026 p1). New SNAP and Medicaid verifications are underway. Do they help without fraud? If only.

Here’s a description of how such bureaucracies devolve. Despite the large number of people who actually care and work with non-profits, a new stage emerges. Stage-2. A gradual change of metrics. They come to measure mainly two things: a growing staff and dollars out the door. When people ask about indications of actual results, they are resisted (or even demonized) as needed. In Stage 2, the agency expands its footprint by hiring more staff and sending more dollars out the door. The program is deemed a success. Some may say, “Well, I guess that’s just government these days, but at least they’re helping some people.” If only…

At Stage 3, the agency undergoes complete bureaucratization, characterized by actual indifference to the people it is supposed to care for. One recent example was the Veterans Administration’s failure to arrange needed and timely medical procedures. The typical response is, “We don’t have enough money, and we need more staff.” Even then, nothing important improves because improvement is not a vital metric. Compassion devolves into a mere slogan. As criticism mounts, an agency may add the irrefutable argument: “People will die.” You might say, “Well, it may be incompetent, but at least it’s not corrupt.” If only… another topic entirely.

At Stage 4, the people to be helped are ignored, even trivialized, except as pitiable images on display. It is no longer a compassion-focused bureaucracy. It is operated for its own employees. This has been demonstrated by urban public schools during Covid-19 (and California teachers’ unions today): Do the students need their own union to look out for their interests? Hardly compassion. The children are (amazingly) neglected. Another example. Last week, Medicaid’s Dr. Oz demanded answers to 50 pointed questions about how New York spends $124b on one third of all New Yorkers ($12.5k each), which is deeply suspect. The concern is paying for home care in NY (and hospice billing in LA). We will see what happens. Isolated? Are we helping people (If only...) or just keeping the money flowing?

At Stage 5, an agency may work against those in need. The longstanding Bureau of Indian Affairs has a troubled history of mismanagement that warrants examination. Another example is the foreign aid or economic development industry. America’s bureaucratic approach to compassion has negatively impacted developing nations for decades. Field experts like Easterly and Collins see through the gauzy veil of misguided official compassion. Money spent, workers paid, and power increased; these are poor metrics.

Acts of compassion often evolve into bureaucratic harm, as governments justify their actions. People of the world cry out almost in vain for mercy, justice, and hope. The church can and has provided help on our level. We must be sober to these same warnings, so that our help is not deformed by our own bureaucracies.