esrosedotblog

Donald Trump is about to meet the real government.

The Civil Service that actually runs things. They can kill the initiatives of any purely political leader. Or one who thinks government is just like a business and needs to operate on good business principles.

This pretty much reflects my views of the situation:

Donald Trump, Bureaucracy Apprentice

They will grind him down and spit him out again if he does not pay attention to the way things work in government.

When I trained managers, I often encountered the idea that government needed to operate more like a business. Nothing could be further from the truth. I never heard this from the civil servants I trained.

It reveals an astonishing ignorance on the part of business people of how things work in government and politics.

I had to run my programs differently for government workers because, to be frank, their cynicism would defeat me.

They do not like change. They feel as though they are under attack on all sides. They are particularly angered by people who think that they are lazy, resistant and not capable.

And they can smell that attitude a mile off.

Presidents come and Presidents go. The same for Congress. But the Civil Service, protected by law, is where governing gets done and they do not suffer fools gladly.

Herein lies the stability of our wonderful system. It will kill the guy who has been surrounded by business yes-men unless he wises up.

Want to bet on who will win?

Labels: government, President Trump

RECOVERY

In 2010, the IRS sent a memo to its offices from their legal department.

The department had ruled that for domestic partners in California, the partners could file as a couple. This is because California is a "community property" state. The link eludes me to this day but when we heard this we got in touch with our accountant and refiled for years 2007, 2008 and 2009.

If there is disparate incomes, the jointing helps a lot.

Well.

No one in the belly of the IRS had gotten the memo and, if they did, no one agreed on how the claims should be refiled. There was a joint property form which we subsequently filled out but as far as we can tell, when the joint claims arrived at the IRS, someone split them and the twain never met.

Over and over shit would happen. One of us would be declared delinquent, one of the Social Security accounts was garnished (max allowed 70 dollars a month) and so on.

Over and over we were hit with red tape, disinformation.

They also kept handing the hot potato to other offices. In the process we received instructions, often conflicting, from seven or eight offices.

Fast forward. In desperation our accountant got in touch with the IRS Advocates office, an internal watchdog. He also sent a letter to Senator Boxer who never replied.

Whatever worked, worked.

We have just gotten notice that our refunds will be forthcoming. We have two of the checks. Cashed them fast.

There is a lot of money involved.

Victory.

And I will be most happy when the other checks arrive and get deposited.

Labels: government, money

DONE

For the, what, 60th time, I have sent in my IRS stuff.

I started working and had income reported when I was 14.

It took some effort to work through the whole thing this time and I am as late as I have ever been sending it in.

It gives me the willies to be so close.

They, the Feds and the State, owe me money. Too bad about the State. I will probably not get it back and will just use it for future returns.

I am waiting to actually mail them because my accountant has some new thing he heard about that can expedite certain reports.

Why I would want to do this I have no idea but I trust him with the work and will wait although I did use the extreme epithets with him on the phone today. Not at him. More at the situation. It is OK. He will get his fee and we will continue to be friends.

I not only feel obligated to pay taxes but I am honored to pay for the expenses of operating my country. I was even happy to do it when W was in there. It is beyond politics as far as I am concerned.

I have been out there and seen the rest of the world and I am more than happy to have our wonderful country over any other, anywhere. Period. End of sentence. No more paragraphs.

Labels: America, government

PASSED

I passed my drivers license renewal today.

The eye test was nothing.

The written test was hard. But I went slowly and carefully read the questions. A lot of them are inferential. If you know the regulations, OK, but you have to think it through as well. They say that there are no trick questions and that is true. They are, however, tricky.

The guy ahead of me, another old crank, flunked so badly even the marker was amazed. He had not read the book. And worse, he kept coming back to the counter to verify that, indeed, he had flunked and why some of the answers were the way they were.

When I last took this twelve years ago, I didn't take it seriously and flunked the first test.

But you can take it three times. Or test three times. Not the same questions.

There are pretty much the same issues. Right of way for pedestrians, the inviolability of keeping intersections clear, distance questions and questions about turns. Blind people. They are almost always in the tests. Smoking in cars with lower then 18 years of age people. None.

And so on.

But, the questions are thought problems for the most part. Not rote.

It is amazing what relief I had after it was over.

Our DMV incidentally, is marvelously well organized.Computer controlled queueing. They know where you are all the time.

You go to reception, state your problem, get a number and wait, not long, until the number is called. You go to the first station to pay for the license process, have identity checked and so on. Then to another station to have a picture taken, no glasses. Then the same guy gives you the test. You work the test in a special area. It is NOT open book. Then hand it in. The guy checks it and then, pass or fail, sends you out the door or for more study and another test.

I did not have to wait more than two people at any station and there was no bullshit. No cranks. Nice people wanting to help.

The line into the place was a bit long maybe five people in front me because it was right at opening time.

I had an appointment and so I got out of there in an hour.

People are in the place for myriad reasons and the sorting process helps get everyone to the right spot in the right order.

Nice.

Labels: automobiles, government

WIKIMADNESS

Actually the world seems to be responding rather well to the latest data dump by WikiLeaks.

I liked the NYTimes editorial this morning.

WikiLeaks and the Diplomats

I don't think that I have heard anything unexpected in the reports so far. Some things are funny. Sarkozi as the "emperor without clothes". I suppose some things are personally embarrassing. But we know all this stuff more or less.

There will be some bits about the Bush renditions and all. There are notes about Guantanamo.

Perhaps some lives are now in danger but that is hard to credit at this point. In any event, we will not learn who they are.

Some think that this will lead to more secrecy. Perhaps. But I imagine not. People will always exchange frank comments behind the lines of public knowledge. It is part of the human game. Have a front, keep it up and snicker behind and talk rough and tough when you want to get a point across.

I lived through the period of The Pentagon Papers.

While their exposure of government lies, including those of President Johnson, was shocking, it wasn't the information itself that was the surprise. It was that the lying had been so systematic and planned out. Everyone knew they were lying. This was merely the proof.

The idea that someone would steal the high security reports was the shocker. And then that the NYTimes would publish.

Maybe there is a smoking gun in this dump of data. I think not. All the speculation that goes on about what is "really" happening is usually rather accurate. It is the group cloud of opinion and data gathering. Almost always right.

I do get pissed off at the head of the WikiLeaks gang, Assange. I think that he is a slippery arrogant bastard on a power trip but most people who take risks like this are. Assholes with a purpose. Watch out for them. They are often successful because they don't give a shit what people think of them.

Labels: government