Lincoln’s cabinet
The epic and often reprehensible composition of Trump’s cabinet suggests that the time has come to restructure the cabinet to better represent the administrative part of our triune system of governance. An incompetent Cabinet is not new to Trump. A redo of the Cabinet should create a role for the VEEP as Chair of the Cabinet and Secretary of Management. I would also give the Speaker of the House a role as a formal member of the Cabinet and one not chosen by the President.
Our current system has historic roots in the rather simple days of Washington and Adams where we had no political parties and the cabinet, as in most parliamentary systems, represented different departments charged with serving of what was then a much smaller and simple country. As for the VEEP, no one knew what do do with the man who got elected as a runner up.
Over time the cabinet has taken on a confusing melange of political patronage and interest group politics. Ben Carson, Betsey Devos, Rick Perry have no expertise relevant to their jobs. Other cabinet jobs reflect our history, eg Agriculture represents a time when 80% of American grew crops or herded animals. The Treasure was once just where the mint was.
Often our Cabinet secretaries have no apparent expertise. This contrasts with the model in typical European 
countries where the opposition party maintains a shadow cabinet with politicians expert in the affairs of the government. Our system looks more like the Israeli system where jobs are relegated to whatever partisan group is part of the hacked together governing coalition. If we reformed the Cabinet, a candidate’s picks for those jobs would give the voters a much better chance to avoid the massive blunder of 2016.
countries where the opposition party maintains a shadow cabinet with politicians expert in the affairs of the government. Our system looks more like the Israeli system where jobs are relegated to whatever partisan group is part of the hacked together governing coalition. If we reformed the Cabinet, a candidate’s picks for those jobs would give the voters a much better chance to avoid the massive blunder of 2016.Another anomaly in the US is that Cabinet secretaries head major government departments. As a result, every interest group fights hard to create an expensive Department that represents the group’s interests. Other departments, like the Post Office, exist because of a historical role. The same might be said of Agriculture, a relatively small number of farmers today have a much bigger influence on government then, as one example, service employees making fast food.
Trump’s Cabinet
Perhaps most striking to me is that the US does not have a Cabinet secretary responsible for the environment or for intelligence or a secretary who oversees science. Nor do we have a Secretary with responsibility for the vast management tasks involved in running the Federal enterprise.
So, the cabinet should be redefined, probably independently of whether there is or is not a specific Department, but reflecting the key positions that make administrative policy.
To accomplish this, I would eliminate several Depts to replace them with:
State, Defence, Homeland Security, Science, Commerce, Justice, Energy, Economy, Environment, Intelligence, Employment, Management
I would also create a Cabinet Level post for the Speaker of the House. As third in live to the Presidency, why shouldn’t Nancy Pelosi have the right to sit in on Cabinet meetings?
Current cabinet posts .. as well as some no Cabinet major agencies … not obviously on this list … would be moved under one or more Secretaries:
Labor .. Employment, Commerce
Education .. Science, Economy, Commerce
Post Office .. Management
Corps of Engineers … Management
Veterans … Management, Defence
Veterans … Management, Defence
Interior .. Environment, Management, Energy
Housing .. Management
Transportation … Management, Commerce
Agriculture .. Commerce. Environment
Immigration .. Homeland security, Employment
Treasury .. Economy. Management
Health and Human Services .. Science, Management
Health and Human Services .. Science, Management
The Management Secretary plays a big role here. She or he would oversee the service functions of government that are hopefully not political. Examples include the IRS, Core of Engineers, National Parks, Transportation. It seems to me that this cabinet post would best be filled by the new VEEP. That would also naturally make the VEEP the chair of this new cabinet because Management would provide services to all the federal bodies under each of the other secretaries. This VEEP would have something like real power. So would Nancy Pelosi!
The cabinet works for the President, and for the former Veep, unless he replaces the whole cabinet after taking the oath of office. And every corporation has officers but in none does the officers work for a Vice President, and if ine does it goes against every school of business unless the President is a mere figure head.
Maybe the Veep should have more power in his role as the President of the Senate. Maybe get to vote other than to break a tie.
Incidentally there was no massive blunder by the voters in 2016, they got the government they got under the rules as they were. One would think you do not trust the wisdom of the voters. Is the blunder you are referring to the natural turning out of the former cabinet when a new party is voted in.
All very nice but NONE of what you are saying is constitutional.
As for corporations, the titles are different. The US President is more or less like a CEO and corporations usually have a Chairman of the Board pr a President above the CEO. The division I propose is actually the usual structure with a top policy maker and under her someone who heads management.
The Constitution, as far as I know, actually does not establish a cabinet. The functions of the cabinet are decided not by the Consitution but by the legislature.
For the record, I don’t trust the wisdom of the people who voted for Trump, and especially those who still support him. Just thought I should put this out there, so there’s no misunderstanding.