Have a seat folks.



We have gotten to see the Ying of this horrific event in the structure of the United States governmental bureaucracy. This is NOT a new or unique condition that is indicative of any country, political party, administration or to democracy itself. Patronage is just part of rewarding the political faithful and has long been a big chunk of any political system. While I have some major issues with current Federal actions, this is a state of affairs that is imbedded at all levels of State and local government as well. The reality is that it will always be part-and-parcel of government, by nature and function.

The topic here is not that people will be given rewards and jobs as a function of the system, (well, it IS an issue with me, but not the top one of the moment ) but that they are put in positions of authority without any degree of ability or know-how. When private business has the brother-in-law that needs a job, he is put in charge of light bulb repair kit inventory, NOT production control. All levels and departments of our government are filled with completely incompetent and ignorant people, but my exception is that they are at the top. The dedicated and knowledgeable people that have chosen to serve our society should not have to devote most of their effort at working around them. Responsibility, authority and accountability MUST always be the three balanced components of any job.

Do we have the chance to demand the Yang of review and adjusting of our executive government positions to be staffed with someone that has a minimal amount of competence, experience and management ability? Finger pointing and ass-covering is well underway now that functional people are doing their part to help those in distress. I’m looking for a way to keep the pressure actually focused on improving the necessary evils of ALL the bureaucracies and minimize the antics of the political circus that I believe is going to take center ring. The shroud of complacency and faith was blown away by Katrina and I think we have an opportunity to truly makes the major improvements that only come in the face of such a calamity.

Do you think there is room for meaningful change to any aspect of your government, regardless of where you are? Who and how are you going to contact, not with your complaints and condemnation, but with your desire and demand for improvement? What are you going to DO to make something happen?




I need that oxygen now Lixy. :wobble:

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Whoa..... my friend. What a major can of worms you do speak of. I've been involved on the local level of emergency management here in my small town/county and it's gotten to political blows about everything. The day we have common sense seep into the position appointing I'll be shocked as hell! My baby brother has been a firefighter and EMT for years now and he's one of the most devoted people I've ever seen about his choice of career. He had a fire chief try to hang him with a bunch of wrongdoing. Fortunately, chief discovered, not all small town boys are dummies. Baby brother had everything documented and promptly dumped the turd back in chief's plate. Having to go through a suspension and court proceedings pulled some of the wind from his sails though. I haven't heard from him lately but I'm betting he's somewhere in the hurricane zone working his ass off now. After 9-11 he went to NY on his on.. his crew decided not to send anybody so Bro' said "Fuck Y'all then... I'm on vacation!" LOL He went with another crew on his own time. I know there are highly trained competent people involved, we just have to figure out how to get the pol;iticians to see that and let THEM run the show.

OK, pass the oxygen... or Lixy...that works too

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As to marriage or celibacy, let a man take which course he will. He will be sure to repent - Socrates

Love is not looking in each other's eyes, but looking together in the same direction - Antoine De Saint-Exupery

I do agree, except the problem with total ineptitude is even greater at the local and state level. What I've heard and seen infuriates me.

Seeing two hundred buses that could have evacuated people ... almost 20,000 ... but didn't. A shelter estabished, but without any provisions. Delayed for almost a week in even beginning serious preparations for the hurricane.

Then, learning the state government rejected an initial federal offer to position people closer because they were afraid it would reflect poorly on them ... seems incomprehensible to me. I think the governor and mayor should also resign as being unfit to hold a position of responsibility.

If these things are true (and I've seen the pictures of the school buses .. now flooded and needing replacing) ... I think dorkedness is more widespread than just the federal level.

No one (read politicans) seemed to have the guts to do what was required ... most of all those closest to the disaster.

By the way, the people lending a hand are SUPER! They deserve the credit in spite of their leadership.

Interesting that you used a "brother-in-law" as the example. Rarely do we hear that someone has pushed their mother, sister, aunt, daughter, sister in law, grandma, into position of authority for which they are not qualified. Truly a "good Ol' BOYS" network.

Let's see, my state HoR has 119 reps. Maybe I should take that^^^^^ complaint to them....oh there is only 27 women in the state HoR. I guess I'll get no where there.

Sorry this was about a different sort of ying yang

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The practice of putting women on pedestals began to die out when it was discovered that they could give orders better from there.~ Betty Grable

If I wanted your opinion, I'd remove the duct tape and ask you for it.~ Me
<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
One man's dream is another man's nightmare~~~~> §¤ Lilith ¤§
~>My Scribbles<~
==>Gone Shopping<== ~Just a Quickie~ *~A Celebration Vacation~* ~Surprises~ Sleeping With the Window Open
What Did You Do Today? Self Defense Class ~Short Sweet Snippets~ § Summer Spin § Story Challenge Submission Pajamas

PF my responce to all this is a goverment for the people by the people, most of the country is uneducated ( at least in my area)in any manner let alone politics, the only way to change that is to change everyone. And to put on my little rant is if people don't take care of themselves and expect someone else to do it they will get their lesson while those of us who see the brighter side will be moving on. That's the reason why the boys club works so well if these people can't blame themselves they have good ole' Billy Bob Jethro and his 20,000 family members that will be there as a figurehead.

*slumps away* sheesh thinking gives me a headache lol

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"I've seen a look in dogs' eyes, a quickly vanishing look of amazed contempt, and I am convinced that basically dogs think humans are nuts." - John Steinbeck

PantyFanatic,

You’re quite right about ineptitude not being limited. Back in the ‘80s, there was an enjoyable sitcom which ran on the BBC titled Yes Minister

How about this quote:

"…needed to know was not known at the time that the now known need to know was known, and therefore those of us who needed to advise and inform felt that the information that we needed as to whether or not to inform the highest authority of the known information was not yet known, and therefore there was no authority for the authority to be informed because the need to know was not yet known, or needed."

Sounds eerily familiar…

Political change in democracies is traditionally brought about via elections. The limitations exposed by Katrina in the various governmental agencies are perfectly good reasons to vote for change – provided that one or more candidates offer such change.

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Eudaimonia

The only real problem is that one idiot is just as bad as the next idiot.


Sorry I mean politician, did not mean to demean the town idiot.

dream on PF in a couple of months it will be back to the norm. An old man like you should know by now that it not how hard you work or what you know it's who you blow that gets the job.

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it's only kinky the first time

it's not the orgasm but getting there thats fun

a shot in the bush is worth two in the hand

whip me, beat me, tie me up, break my arm, but please don't break my heart

"The trouble with the world is that the stupid people are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt" -Bertrand Russell

If that were the case^^^^^ we'd have a woman in the white house................ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo o or is that the case ?????????

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The practice of putting women on pedestals began to die out when it was discovered that they could give orders better from there.~ Betty Grable

If I wanted your opinion, I'd remove the duct tape and ask you for it.~ Me
<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
One man's dream is another man's nightmare~~~~> §¤ Lilith ¤§
~>My Scribbles<~
==>Gone Shopping<== ~Just a Quickie~ *~A Celebration Vacation~* ~Surprises~ Sleeping With the Window Open
What Did You Do Today? Self Defense Class ~Short Sweet Snippets~ § Summer Spin § Story Challenge Submission Pajamas

Well, we DO have a Bush in the White House.

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Eudaimonia

Your brother is the only type of person that actually does the job. We and the people of the Gulf coast will always be dependent and grateful for the many like him. The people in charge of ANY function that a public agency is charged with performing, MUST be filled with knowledgeable people. The line between ‘politician’ and capable management needs to be moved up.

(I’m going to need some of that Lixy to go on myself. )


What we have had *SLAP* us in the face is something I have long felt is inherent at EVERY level from the White House, to the town hall of Mayberry RFD. I wish I felt it were only prevalent in emergency response sectors of the system. The deeper it is in the complex structure of present society, the less likely it is that light will ever be shown on it. I guess it’s the natural outgrowth from decades of complacency. Our general prosperity inched along with jerks and drips and we were too preoccupied to notice the rotting of the foundation as we built.

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Yes it is. But as things evolve and all genders fill the seats of power, I’m sure any woman can be as incompetent as any man. I don’t have a complaint about the total fuckup, (MANY are temporarily taking care of that), but about the system we created that ALLOWED it to happen. It’s about keeping some capable people at the front of the pack in every bureaucracy and stopping the patronage from being the FIRST form of organization.


You are right about most of us being unaware of what goes on beneath the surface of those elected to take care of us AND about our responsibility for ourselves. Blind faith in Big Brother being there and doing it for us has jumped on stage with both boots. We are the ones responsible for ourselves and responsible for putting something in place to help when it’s needed. We are ALSO responsible for when that ‘help’ is not able to work because it has become a self serving entity of it’s own. I suppose that is the Yang I’m trying to see in the disaster that has unfolded.


We know that politics and being a politician is a sewer and profession of very snaky people. The division between them and the dedicated, capable people that do the deeds is the concern I have. Manipulation and spin are the things that we are going to be smothered with for months to come………. while the people with competence fumble through with what they been given in equipment and leadership

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For once I have to agree with the wisdom of the Wama-Lama. That IS what get the job, but it’s the person with ‘know’, who works at it, that gets the job DONE! It will be back to normal if we wait for them to pick up the rug and let us see what is being swept under. I was just having a fantasy that people might set their causes aside and not let all the sad facts of this event be swept away in a few months for ‘business as usual’ in the system.


I am as old as Boog says and like to dream of a woman in EVERY house, and that they may even be above the greed and self serving shortsightedness most of the politicians have shown, but as equality grows, ………………. equality grows!

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I think you're right, PF. Worst part about it is that I don't see where the relief will come from. There's the unusual one or two that seem to have some level of common sense and ... dare I say it ... decency. But, by no means, do they rule the roost ... and usually they get shunned by even their own parties. And, our media doesn't help much. Seems like truth and itegrity have deserted them, too. I remember a time when they tried to tell you the way it was ... and not the way their editors wanted it to be.

Hmmmm ... does that mean if we don't know where we're going, we stand a pretty good chance of getting there?

LOL I think it does. And I’m sure that is EXACTLY what they are working with and counting on and have been for a long time. We KNOW that is that is their profession and they are better than we will EVER be at it. It’s too bad that it has taken something like Katrina to blow the façade away from ALL the levels. It’s not about ‘parties’ or any group anywhere. It’s that we see what we have bought and what they have delivered. If WE let them go back to ‘Business As Usual’, it’s OUR fault we get BAU.

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