Emperor Bloomberg’s bureaucracy gone mad: City inspectors hassling heroes who feed Sandy victims

NY Daily News ^ | november 20, 2012

[lowbridge]

On Sunday, Eustace and dozens of fellow firefighter volunteers served 800 free hot meals from a steamy Army tent in this hemorrhaging beach community, where there are no longer stores or restaurants, where most people have no gas to cook with, no heat or hot water and no hot food.

That afternoon, a freon-blooded inspector from the city’s Department of Health issued Eustace a notice of violation for not meeting the same food-handling standards as, say, the Four Seasons.

This is beyond outrageous.

This is Emperor Bloomberg’s bureaucracy gone completely mad in a time of death and destruction in the week of Thanksgiving and when the decent people of this city have united to help the unfortunate.

Even the Grinch who stole Christmas would have protested.

-snip

Then last Friday, a Buildings Department inspector started checking the soundness of the tent poles. “We told him to take a hike,” says Eustace. “Then on Sunday, as we fed 800 to 1,000 people, I served one dazed-looking woman, middle-aged, tired, and I asked how she was doing. She said, ‘Best I can. The bulldozer is coming tomorrow.’ My heart just broke for her as she took a plate of hot food and prepared for her home to be demolished.”

Then two officious bureaucrats wearing Department of Health jackets arrived.

“One has a clipboard and a camera,” says Eustace. “The other does the talking. He asks who’s in charge. I said this is a volunteer operation. No bosses. He starts asking if we have hairnets. I say, no, just helmets. Rubber gloves? No, work gloves. Thermometers? I say, ‘Yeah, rectal and oral, which one you want?’ ”

The Health Department inspector wasn’t amused as he started marking boxes on a bureaucratic form.

[cableguymn]

I think a firefighter boot would be a suitable stand in if the hammer is not available.

Be sure it’s on the biggest, meanest firefighter in the group of course.

[Ohioan]

Proof that even a billionaire can be a crack-pot! But then, we already knew that.

[Robe]

Brooklynites, Brezzy Pointers, and Rockawayans, you disappoint me .......Back in the day these clowns would have been grabbed from behind , blindfolded and tied to the nearest light pole.
An announcement would have been made, that they would be turned over only to Blombers himself,then they would have tied his a$$ up, and enjoyed dinner...