TITLE: WHO GETS THE JOB? AUTHOR: Jeanette Jackson, Caldwell High School, Caldwell, Idaho GRADE LEVEL: Appropriate for grades 9 - 12. OVERVIEW: While the federal bureaucracy is one of the least understood aspects of U.S. Government, it affects the American people most directly. Few Americans give any thought as to how the heads of this huge bureaucracy, the Cabinet, are chosen. PURPOSE: The purpose of this lesson is for students to understand that even though Senate approval is needed for presidential Cabinet appointments, there are no qualifications or standards set for each position. OBJECTIVES: Students will complete the following as a result of this lesson: 1) Match Cabinet positions with current secretaries. 2) Evaluate the qualifications of each secretary with respect to his/her position. 3) Develop a set of qualifications for two Cabinet positions. RESOURCES/MATERIALS: The biographical sketches do not need to be current in order to fulfill the purpose of this lesson. However, as Cabinet secretaries change or when a new administration begins, teachers may want to update the sketches. Keeping the sketches current also makes the lesson more relevant to students as they study current news. Biographical information on the Cabinet can be obtained from Congressional Research Service, The Library of Congress, Washington D.C., 20540. Your Senator or Congressman may be helpful in getting this information from CRS quickly. ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES: 1) Divide the class into small groups of 3 - 4 students. 2) Distribute the material titled "Who Gets the Job". Read the introduction out loud and answer any questions students may have. 3) Allow the groups 15 - 20 minutes to complete the activity. 4) Have each group announce its choice of Cabinet position for each biographical sketch. Group members must justify their choices. After each biographical sketch has been discussed, tell them the correct position and the name of the current secretary. TYING IT ALL TOGETHER: After discussing each biographical sketch, have the students list common characteristics found in the members of the Cabinet. These qualities should be listed on the chalkboard. Next, assign each group 2 or 3 Cabinet posts and have them develop a specific set of qualifications for the head of each department. This activity could be turned in as a graded assignment. WHO GETS THE JOB? Introduction: We have been studying the presidency and the executive departments, specifically the role of the Cabinet. You have read a description of what each Cabinet department does. Keep this in mind as you read the biographical sketches below. The sketches give some facts about the current members of the Cabinet under President George Bush. The persons are not identified by name in the sketches. As you read each sketch, decide which executive department each person would be best qualified to head. Cabinet Positions: Sec. of State Sec. of Labor Sec. of the Treasury Sec. of Health and Human Services Sec. of Defense Sec. of Housing and Urban Development Attorney General Sec. of Transportation Sec. of the Interior Sec. of Energy Sec. of Agriculture Sec. of Education Sec. of Commerce Sec. of Veterans Affairs Individual One - ___________ Individual Three - ___________ Age: 52 Age: 61 Former public school Campaign chairman for teacher Pres. Bush Served in Illinois House Served in Marines of Representatives Trustee for Woodrow Served in Illinois Senate Wilson International Served in Congress from Center for Scholars Illinois (10 yrs.) White House Chief of Staff National co-chairman for under Reagan Bush-Quayle Lawyer Presidential campaign Undersecretary for Dept. of Commerce Secretary of Treasury under Reagan From Texas Individual Two - ___________ Individual Four - ____________ Age: 51 Age: 55 Lawyer Owner of taxi company Former Governor of Tennessee Illinois State legislator (8 yrs.) Served in Congress from Legal assistant to Sen. Illinois (18 yrs.) Howard Baker Chairman of Republican President of University Research Committee Tennessee Served on House Agriculture Member of President's Task Committee Force on Federalism Chairman of National Governors Assoc. Individual Five - ____________ Individual Ten - ___________ Age: 64 Age: 61 Independent Texas oil and gas M.B.A. Harvard University producer U.S. Senator from New Jersey Chief Executive officer & Chairman and chief executive chairman of Mosbacher officer of an investment Energy Co. and securities firm Chairman of Nat'l Petroleum Served in MX missile Council development options panel National finance chairman for Served on Central America Bush for President Study Commission Director New York Life Ins. Co. Chairman of President's Co-chairman of Republican Commission on Executive, National Finance Committee Legislative, and Judicial Salaries Individual Six - ___________ Individual Eleven - __________ Age: 50 Age: 59 Congressman from Wyoming Lawyer (10 yrs.) U.S. Attorney for Pennsylvania Aide to Governor of Governor of Penn. (8 yrs.) Wisconsin Asst. Atty. General for Dept. Deputy Assistant to Pres. of Justice Ford Director of Institute of Assistant Director of Cost Politics, JFK School of of Living Council Government,Harvard Univ. Republican leader in House of Representatives Individual Seven - ___________ Individual Twelve- ________ Age: 65 Age: 58 Served in Illinois Physician legislature Associate Professor of Congressman from Illinois Medicine, Boston Counselor (24 yrs.) and under- University (6 yrs.) secretary in Dept. of Dean of School of Medicine, State Morehouse College Delegate to the U.N. (14 yrs.) General Assembly Individual Eight - __________ Individual Thirteen- ________ Age: 56 Age: 63 Special Asst. to governor Insurance and real estate of Calif. businessman Congressman from New York Served on President's (18 yrs.) National Commission on Professional football player Space (13 yrs.) Congressman from New Mexico Public relations officer for (20 yrs.) bank Chairman of House Science, Ran for Republican Space, and Technology nomination for Pres. Committee 1987 - 1988 Served on President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Individual Nine - __________ Individual Fourteen- _________ Age: 64 Age: 53 U.S. Naval Academy Lawyer graduate Salesman for IBM Chairman of Presidential Asst. U.S. Attorney for Commission on the Illinois HIV (AIDS) Epidemic U.S. Attorney for Illinois Admiral in U. S. Navy Chairman of Regional Commander in Chief of U.S. Transportation Authority Pacific Fleet for Illinois Served on advisory boards Served in U.S. Army in education and energy Vice Chairman of the fields President's Commission on Organized Crime Illinois Campaign Director for Bush Answers for "Who Gets the Job?" Individual One - Secretary of Labor - Lynn Martin Individual Two - Secretary of Education - Lamar Alexander Individual Three - Secretary of State - James A. Baker, III Individual Four - Secretary of Agriculture - Edward Madigan Individual Five - Secretary of Commerce - Robert Mosbacher Individual Six - Secretary of Defense - Dick Cheney Individual Seven - Secretary of Veterans Affairs - Edward Derwinski Individual Eight - Secretary of Housing and Urban Development - Jack Kemp Individual Nine - Secretary of Energy - James D. Watkins Individual Ten - Secretary of the Treasury - Nicholas Brady Individual Eleven - Attorney General - Richard Thornburgh Individual Twelve - Secretary of Health and Human Services - Louis Sullivan Individual Thirteen - Secretary of the Interior - Manuel Lujan, Jr. Individual Fourteen - Secretary of Transportation - Samuel Skinner