...Politicians say, "We support entrepreneurs," but the bureaucrats make it hard.

Huh. There's a difference? I thought politicians and bureaucrats were one and the same.

Huh. There's a difference? I thought politicians and bureaucrats were one and the same. -- Flynne at July 20, 2012 5:14 AM

The politician is the guy that is elected. The bureaucrat is the person behind the counter that will do nothing in the name of efficiency to provide you the service you need.

Stossel did something similar a few years ago. He went to Hong Kong, hit an office in the HK government with a one page form and was open for business the same day. He was selling ABC memorabilia in an HK mall.

No, no, they're not the same.

The bureaucrats work for the system, are paid by the system, and have wages and benefits bargained for by their union. They bargain with the aforementioned politicians. Then, part of their union dues are sent back to the politicians in the form of campaign donations, and some of their time is donated to work for the campaign.

I call that "money laundering" or possibly "theft by conversion".

I had to look up the puffer fish question. I would have guessed neurotoxin, but I suspect they're looking for specifics: tetrodotoxin, or perhaps saxitoxin.

I hate to sound like a broken record (do people know what that is anymore?), but regarding the following:

"...and have wages and benefits bargaind for by their union."

This is not correct. SOME bureaucrats are unionized. Some are not. Bureaucrats are people who work professionally for government, but is generally limited to those desk-jobs that deal with paperwork, regulations, and the inner functioning of the agency (the administration).

For instance, generally not beat cops, firefighters, and (depending on who you ask) anybody you would see outside an office (park ranger, meter maid, janitor, and similar), although they may also be employed by the government.

Also, in the federal government, there is often a push between employee unions and the agency administration (often political appointees). I experienced this myself.

This is not to say there's not a LOT of issues with career bureaucrats. Some are on massive power trips, and some are just lazy and annoying. Some don't realize that some jobs are no longer necessary and a department should really be shut down.

However, the person who files your baby's birth certificate is just as much a bureaucrat as the person at the DMV counter. I haven't heard any complaints about the former, but many about the later.

In short, not ALL government workers are evil, lazy, greedy, power-tripping jerks. Some people genuinely go to work and try to do a good job - even if it is nearly impossible to fire them if they don't. Sort of like teachers. They can be hard to fire, but there are still plenty who really try to do a good job, even when hamstrung by the educational bureaucracy.

If we call all of them bad, nobody good will want to step up to the plate. Some of these jobs ARE necessary and useful (county clerk, office of vital records, government HR and payroll).

Many politicians are also bureaucrats but most bureaucrats are not politicians. I see bureaucrats as basically paperpushers. WHich most politicians would also qualify as.

Shannon, Have heard complaints about the people who file birth certificates, though not as many as the DMV. Partially because you only get named once, but you visit the DMV every few years.
Complaints about the Birth Certificate people: Personally family name routinely gets mispelled, which getting corrected is a headache. Trying to force parents to name the baby before they leave the hospital. Name the father (making him legally and financially responsible), without his knowledge or consent, even if he has never even met the mother.

Joe J,

Fair enough. My grandfather found out (in his 60's) that the person who filled his out decided that "John" was too long and put "J."

However, I don't think that invalidates my point that SOME workers (particularly the ones we don't see as much) are more likely to spend their time actually working than driving citizens nuts. Not always true, but sometimes.

Even good employees make mistakes. Occasional errors are not a sign that the system is broken. The fact that correcting these errors is enough stress to make someone go bald is a sign that something's wrong. Having to go in circles forever to get anything done is another.

I remember a conversation with a clerk from Citibank a few years back. My mother had died, and I did not yet have power of attorney for my father, who was deaf and and had Alzheimer's. My brother had stolen his credit card and racked up thousands of dollars in charges, and I filed a claim with Citibank. I got this phone call at 8 am:

Citibank employee: Good morning. May I speak with [MonicaP's father]?
Me: I'm sorry. He's deaf and has Alzheimer's and doesn't do well on the phone. I'm his daughter. Can I help you?
Citibank employee: This is regarding his account. I can only speak with [MonicaP's father]. May I call back this afternoon?
Me: He will still be deaf and have Alzheimer's this afternoon. If this is about the fraud claim, I filed it, and you can speak with me.

He declined and I hung up. It got worse from there and took forever to sort out.