What people call "The Government", in this case, is the Municipal Corporation of Boston.
This corporation profits from a monopoly control over many aspects of people's lives and special legal privileges within its geographical boundaries.
Like any other human organization it's true "purpose" and "motivation" is the collective desires of the people that run and make up that organization. Which is, mostly, going to be:
Financing the life styles and political ambitions of the people running it. That is how it works once you strip away all the flowery language and idealism.
People get involved in city government because it benefits them. It may be a stepping stone in a career in bigger government. Maybe they are looking for stable income, cheap benefits, and solid pension. Or cushy job they can't get fired from. Or its social status; they enjoy having power over people's lives, they enjoy having their opinions matter and being perceived as a person of importance.
Lots of different motivations. The corporation's motivations are their motivations. Its purpose is their purpose.
> As a result we now have a commission for bureaucracy reduction which manages several operating bodies for bureaucracy reduction, all with their own processes and guidelines.
The first order of business for any bureaucracy is to ensure its own survival.
Nobody wants to eliminate their own well being. Everybody wants security in their job. And everybody wants more money and a promotion, for the most part.
With large very stable organizations like government corporations anybody that wants to make more money (ie: get a promotion) will usually have to wait for the guy above them to retire or quit, which can take years. Sometimes education can open doors, but mostly it's going to be people leaving the organization that have been there longer then you have. Things like seniority ensure there is very little opportunity for growth.
The main opportunity for growth for a government bureaucrat is laterally... Meaning new agencies or bureaucracies need to be created that they can move into and have seniority there.
So once a bureaucracy has secured its own survival the second order of business is to grow new bureaucracies.
Which is exactly the pattern we see in all governments.
>People get involved in city government because it benefits them. It may be a stepping stone in a career in bigger government. Maybe they are looking for stable income, cheap benefits, and solid pension. Or cushy job they can't get fired from. Or its social status; they enjoy having power over people's lives, they enjoy having their opinions matter and being perceived as a person of importance. Lots of different motivations. The corporation's motivations are their motivations. Its purpose is their purpose.
You listed many reasons, and built a long argument on the implications of these reasons. Perhaps this was an oversight but it’s worth mentioning that civic engagement for its own sake is a fairly natural instinct and is arguably more important than any of the other aforementioned factors.
What people call "The Government", in this case, is the Municipal Corporation of Boston.
This corporation profits from a monopoly control over many aspects of people's lives and special legal privileges within its geographical boundaries.
Like any other human organization it's true "purpose" and "motivation" is the collective desires of the people that run and make up that organization. Which is, mostly, going to be:
Financing the life styles and political ambitions of the people running it. That is how it works once you strip away all the flowery language and idealism.
People get involved in city government because it benefits them. It may be a stepping stone in a career in bigger government. Maybe they are looking for stable income, cheap benefits, and solid pension. Or cushy job they can't get fired from. Or its social status; they enjoy having power over people's lives, they enjoy having their opinions matter and being perceived as a person of importance.
Lots of different motivations. The corporation's motivations are their motivations. Its purpose is their purpose.
> As a result we now have a commission for bureaucracy reduction which manages several operating bodies for bureaucracy reduction, all with their own processes and guidelines.
The first order of business for any bureaucracy is to ensure its own survival.
Nobody wants to eliminate their own well being. Everybody wants security in their job. And everybody wants more money and a promotion, for the most part.
With large very stable organizations like government corporations anybody that wants to make more money (ie: get a promotion) will usually have to wait for the guy above them to retire or quit, which can take years. Sometimes education can open doors, but mostly it's going to be people leaving the organization that have been there longer then you have. Things like seniority ensure there is very little opportunity for growth.
The main opportunity for growth for a government bureaucrat is laterally... Meaning new agencies or bureaucracies need to be created that they can move into and have seniority there.
So once a bureaucracy has secured its own survival the second order of business is to grow new bureaucracies.
Which is exactly the pattern we see in all governments.