DO BUREAUCRATS HAVE TO BE STUPID?

The Logical View ^ | 5/11/03 | Mark A Sity

[arthurus]

It is not actually required if they show some aptitude for faking it.

[DugwayDuke]

Now that you've vented your rage at the bureaucrats, try remembering that they are only doing what the politicians told them to do. The politicians, state and local, put the money to do these road projects in the budget. The bureaucrats work for the politicians elected by the people. That's what they call a "hint".

[jim_trent]

This City (and probably most, if not all, others) MUST hire the lowest and best bidder. That should mean that you can prevent incompetent bidders from getting a job. The reality is different. In several cases I am aware of, that means that incompetent bidders are given the project.

The Consulting firm I work for has designed many of the projects and inspects most of them. We have recommended SEVERAL TIMES that the low bidder NOT be given the bid because of a history of bad workmanship (cost overruns, time overruns, bad workmanship, or all of the above). In EVERY case I am personally aware of, the City Council has overruled the recommendation and given the job to the incompetent low bidder. There MAY be dishonesty involved, but in most cases, the politicians make self serving speeches to the TV crew that they are saving the taxpayer money so they may just be posturing. The more I have to work with politicians, the more disgusted I get.

[umgud]

There is a super secret cabal of highway and traffic planners whose only goal is to go to bed every night revelling in the frustration and anger that they caused us normal folks.

There can be no other answer.

[Beck_isright]

I thunk dem dad gum booracrats gots two be stoopid or day kan't git a joab wit da gubmint.

[teancumspirit]

AMEN!!! Smart people are usally to busy working for somthing possitive to be buracrats.

[snippy_about_it]

Perfect. Best answer yet!

[SSN558]

There is a good book on the subject of BUREAUCRACY, titled the same, by Guy Benveniste, 1977. Organizational mediocrity breeds like rats (pun intended)when elected officials create programs unaccountable for results. Such as the public skool system, which can lead to a lifetime of spelling errors.

[SSN558]

"Instead of whining about it, why doesn't he actually DO something?"

What did you have in mind, something like the Timothy McVeigh plan ?

[Paulus Invictus]

Most vote for RATS as they strive to keep people stupid and locked into a union whose funds support more RATS. We need a law that requires all gummint agencies to reduce the number of burocraps in their agency by 10% a year, with no new hires, until they disappear from power. Think of that!

Local gummint burocraps should also be held to the same rules, but the locals need another new requirement: that no county or city politician can serve more than two terms or can they own large tracts of land, or be active developers. That would eliminate all of our County Commissioners and City Councilmen. They are all FINKS!

[yooper]

When you have earned a BS in Civil Engineering (Transportation) you can advance your theories. Until then, be satisfied that people with such degrees are doing your thinking for you. It's what we get underpaid to do......

[Rome2000]

Union paid private bills for Tornillo
A UTD officer says reimbursement covered trips, clothing, groceries
BY JOE MOZINGO AND MANNY GARCIA
jmozingo@herald.com






Murray Sisselman, 73 and dying of cancer, walked into the Rascal House deli near his home on Feb. 25 to meet with James Angleton Jr., the chief financial officer of United Teachers of Dade.

Sisselman, who served as UTD president for 27 years, wanted to come clean in his final days. He directed Angleton to a file cabinet packed with records showing that longtime union chief Pat Tornillo and his wife were apparently reimbursed for at least $155,000 in personal expenses in less than three years, including:

• More than $10,200 during the couple's short stay in St. Bart's and other Caribbean islands, covering airfare, meals, hotels, jewelry, French fragrances, cosmetics and swimwear.

• A five-night stay at The Pierre Hotel in New York City that cost the union $8,671.98.

• A $1,400 spa visit at the Silverado Resort in Napa Valley, Calif.

• A $4,158 shopping spree at Silvio Bresciani clothing in New York.

• $1,525 in merchandise from Wayside Antiques in Reddick, Fla.

The Herald reviewed 13 months of charges made between 2000 and 2003. They were incurred on two union credit cards and three of Tornillo's personal cards. The bills for all five accounts were submitted to the UTD for payment.

Tornillo, 77, declined to comment Friday evening.

''I'm not going to talk to you,'' he said.

[yooper]

"The scumbag contractor often rides the job as long as possible because,

A: it was a time and materials bid, NOT finished product(ALMOST NEVER HAPPENS, 99.9% OF THE TIME), or

B: they are incompetent and hope to figure it out as they go. (THIS HAPPENS FREQUENTLY; IT'S ONE OF THE DRAWBACKS OF THE LOW-BID SYSTEM).

A certain amount of Texas bids are required to go to minority owned contractors. This leads to horrible corruption and pi$$ poor roads. Many have to be re-done because of shoddy work. I'm not saying Hispanics cannot make a good road."

The best flat work crew I've ever worked with were Hispanics; many were illegals who hauled ass when INS showed up, but their work ethic, and their work, was superb. I would gladly grant them a green card were it within my power, if we could ship some of our own shiftless American peons south of the border.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

The city planners where I live, are fighting a new proposed exit ramp off of the interstate, that would decrease congestion and improve safety in our town. Their reason is the tax revenue at the over-crowded shopping malls and restaurants. Because putting a new exit in, to the south, would allow people to completely by-pass the shopping district, on their way home from work. How is that for nice?

[logic101.net]

As a truck driver, I often wonder about your theory.

Mark A Sity

[logic101.net]

I never gave elected officials a pass on this, but in most cases they are not the ones who decide what roads get done when. They don't want anyone upset with them, so they farm out those decisions!

Mark A Sity

[logic101.net]

Yes, exactly. This is why I spell it constriction.

Mark A Sity

[logic101.net]

Ok, I conceed your point in the larger picture. In Milwaukee we know about corrupt govt quite well. However, I doubt it is corruption that is behind this pattern I was bringing up; just idiocy and/or arrogance. In addition, I submitted this to the local rag and am limited to 200 words; so I could not get too far ranging with it.

I do agree that many of the problems govt cause are the result of corruption. I just couldn't go that far in this post. Besides, we are in the process of buying a new house and packing up - I don't have the energy right now to go on a major rant!

Mark A Sity

[logic101.net]

Instead of whining about it, why doesn't he actually DO something?

I wrote an editorial, and submitted it to the local rag. I posted it here. What more do you want me to do? Do you want me to start shooting road crews? Sorry, that won't happen; they are just trying to make a living. I AM doing something; showing that there is a better way so that hopefully in the future there will be opposition to future stupidity in road constriction. How much have you done? Mark A Sity

[Consort]

Since smart people generally have trouble following stupid orders, they are often unsuited to working in bureaucracies.

The bureaucracy is costing us plenty of money and it is not going away any time soon. Therefore, Republicans have to take back that bureaucracy from the Liberal mopnopoly on it in order to make it leaner, more efficient, and more responsive to our needs. We can't keep allowing the Democrats to run our schools, unions, bureaucracy, courts or anything else for that matter.