Sundquist's Response to Professor Balutis

Abstract

tant. The governmental process is not like a see-saw where as one end goes up other must automatically go down. It is, rather, like a gasoline engine which operates most efficiently when all of its cylinders are functioning. It is not necessary to strip President of power to increase power of Congress, but time has come for Congress to exercise some of powers which it has always formally possessed but which have been permitted to atrophy. In this process, public administration can offer new insights into legislative structures and their environment. The Executive Branch is by no means only location of formal organizations which may have common features. In addition, if we consider administration to be a process as well as an academic discipline-that is, as a body of knowledge and techniques for effective management of any enterprise-then it is needed in legislatures just as in other organizations. Sundquist is correct in his view that the important thing is that country begin talking seriously about what should be done about presidency. An obvious conclusion, in this author's mind, is that public administrators ought to end their long love affair with Executive Branch and seek to apply principles and precepts of public administration to study of legislative institutions. But how to maintain strength and direction provided by President while guarding against excesses which led to great political crisis of age remains a major challenge confronting professional public administrators and every citizen of United States.