[9YearLurker]

But consolidating under the Dept of Commerce would lead to efficiency cuts in staffing, whereas another huge bureaucracy as, admittedly, W created with DHS, is an opportunity for endless patronage hiring!

[Brookhaven]

The Dept of Commerce is the Dept of Business. The words commerce and business mean essentially the same thing. This is like proposing a Dept. of Teaching when we have a Dept. of Education. Dictionary: commerce   com·merce   [kom-ers] noun 1. an interchange of goods or commodities, especially on a large scale between different countries (foreign commerce) or between different parts of the same country (domestic commerce); trade; BUSINESS. business  busi·ness   [biz-nis] noun a person, partnership, or corporation engaged in COMMERCE, manufacturing, or a service; profit-seeking enterprise or concern. Thesaurus: Main Entry: commerce  [kom-ers] Show IPA Part of Speech: noun Definition: buying and selling Synonyms: BUSINESS, dealing, dealings, economics, exchange, industry, marketing, merchandising, merchantry, retailing, trade, traffic, truck, wholesaling