How things work (in bureaucracy)

Once upon a time in a kingdom far, far, out of sight from most people...

... there's a big, rather unimpressive building, filled with Managers, Administrators and assorted Clerks.

These people, let's call them MACs, were charged with keeping things organized and running smoothly ... doing more than paper-clipping reams of paper and less than declaring war on you-know-who ... they were tasked with things, such as, removing snow from streets, checking that elevators work properly and keeping bad people in jails.

However, MACs are often ambitious and many of them desire to do more than what's listed in their job description.  Some MACs are overly clever. When they realized they also managed the Rule Books ... presto-chango, a simple snip and tuck and the Rule Books became their very own precious Book of Power.

However, there's always a catch, a fly-in-the-ointment ... the messy yucky part for the MACs was having to get touchy-feely and folksy with ordinary people.

Ordinary people have this sort of odd, anti-MAC logic because real life tends to temper how things get done.  For example, for ordinary people:

Ω  Someone has an Idea.

Ω  Everyone talks about the Idea.

Ω  If there isn't agreement on the Idea, the Idea is postponed, re-worked until almost everyone is happy or it is cancelled.

Ω  If  and when there is agreement on the Idea, then money is saved-up to build the Idea... Specialists are hired to make the Idea the best Idea possible and the MACs are told to manage and administer the process of making the Idea a reality.

Ω  Eventually almost everyone enjoys or uses the completed Idea.

Ω And ordinary people proclaim, "Gee, we sure do live in a nice place!"


Noooo, that's too normal and rational and practical ... and way tooo common sensical.

Once the MACs controlled the Rule Books - this is how things happen in the kingdom far, far, out of sight from most people:

ø  Certain MACs with impressive badges, titles and nice offices with pictures of themselves on the walls, get a bit restless and so they have lunches & meetings with their bestest friends and, after group-hugs, they decide they have terrifically important good Idea(s) which must be done as quickly as possible. 

ø  Of course their Idea is a good idea because their special friends will benefit from the good Idea.

ø  The MACs spend lots of ordinary people's money to develop their self-proclaimed, especially good Idea. Because they have the Rule Books it's easy-peasy to convince everyone the dire place, the sad place we will be if their good Idea is ignored - or rejected (gasp!).

ø  When the MACs are satisfied with the expensive plans for their special Idea, they spiff themselves up, polish their brass horns and in very serious tones, using powerful summoning skills ... they announce to ordinary people, "Surprise, we have something you will absolutely LOVE!"

ø  And from the Rule Books they find chapter and verse and inform ordinary people, "It's your turn, you have three special evenings and three minutes per person ... please tell us how much you love our wonderful Idea."

ø  And so, public meetings are held - just so ordinary people can comment on the MACs' wonderful new Idea.

ø  Once the ordinary people make small little suggestions to make the MACs' good Idea a little bit better, MACs spend more money and eventually the MAC idea is built.

ø  MACs' special friends are once again happy and some people are almost happy and others aren't happy at all with the newly built Idea ... but hey, some people are MACs and others are just ordinary people.