Where do we draw the line on red tape? Red tape is everywhere. But if we cannot transgress the tape, then somebody laying the tape must be held accountable.
"Everyone has a proper role to play, don't overstep your bounds, please leave it to the 'professionals', follow the proper avenues to get things done, be a good cog in the machine, wait for approval cause the officials are paid to do the job and they know whats best, don't overstep your responsability because then you will be liable, stay in your place, wait of authorization, obey the law no matter what, if you steal to survive we have the right to shoot you, don't do anything beyond your duty or you may be unnecessarily liable..."
I am sick and tired of red tape. I realize it has its place. Maybe without it, society will not function... But in the wake of a crisis like hurricane katrina, aid was halted by red tape. People died because of red tape. Not the red cross, not private enterprises like walmart (shipping aid on their own), not even foreign aid packages were able to bypass red tape, and yet the aid did not come from those responsible for the tape, or from whom the tape was supposed to let do their jobs. Even the aid that came, was held back until the proper avenues of distribution were organized. The bottom line is: I am sick of hearing arguments that politicians are not accountable. This is not an issue of accounting. This is a crisis. It is an issue of action. Right away. We needed professional emergency response, not bean counters. An architect is liable because they have a duty of care, professionalism. Incompetence or ignorance is not an excuse. There is red tape that makes us liable. Red tape is there to make sure that the professionals do their jobs and everyone else is supposed to stand aside and just contribute funds, volunteer, but generally to stand out of the way and let the professionals take care of things. Well, if they have all the power, even the red cross is powerless, then damn straight authorities should be held accountable.
If not, then to hell with red tape. The system is flawed. And if people break the law to do what they need to survive or to help, then the government has no right to prevent them from doing something that they do not.
Isn't the whole idea of red tape flawed if:
A. Liability (which is supposed to protect people) in facts creates risk that prevent people from helping others?
B. There is a double standard when it comes to liability: between those with power to lay red tape, and those who are subjected to power of red tape?
in the case of katrina the problem wasn't red tape, it was universalism, the idea that a single identity can respond to and solve every problem with a one size fits all template. it is the idea that local authority is wasteful, that locals are too ignorant of the bigger picture to be trusted, that local problems are the same everywhere.
it is one of bush's doctrines, and was the way that russia was once (still?) run. it works in some ways, but when it comes to things that need to be done fast the only way to go is to let the locals take over. In this case they apparently happily abrogated their power, as evidenced by the way the mayor and state officials continually repeat how their big daddy hasn't been taking care of them properly.
Not that the feds didn't totally mishandle things but the small players did even less than was their duty. that wasn't red tape either, just laziness and wishful thinking...
red tape is an abstraction created in order to do the 'most good for the most people'. you have to accept that the system will often fail in the case of the exception.
was it true that New Orleans officials or the Louisiana governor denied the Red Cross access to the Superdome because they didn't want to attract even more people there (to be given food and water)? did Bill Clinton avoid killing Osama because his lawyers suggested there wasn't enough criminal evidence against him? did I drop three grand on a flat screen monitor to take advantage of a tax loophole (without any thought of how that monitor might actually help my business)?
i would say i would recommend we follow the spirit of the law rather than the letter. but, that would only apply for simple, clear laws. laws today have no spirit, they are abstractions of abstractions...political payoffs, pork, back-room deals, meaningless regulations as payback for political contributions, socialist schemes. so, people in exceptional circumstances are screwed either way. sorry.
the ironic thing is that everyone thinks the answer to red tape is to create a cabinet level position for hurricanes. more red tape.
once 'legal liability' replaces personal responsibility in a society, persons in positions of power will generally first look out for their own necks. if they knew they would be judged only by their performance and decisions, they'd be free to act as they saw fit. rather, they call their lawyer to see how they can avoid lawsuit, to avoid being legally pinned.
-failure in the UK school systems is now 'deferred success'
-some school systems now use a number system instead of A-F
-we don't want to 'hurt the students feelings'
when government encourages mediocrity and avoidance of personal responsibility why should we expect anything more from the government?
Sep 11, 05 1:03 am ·
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RED TAPE: powerlessness, "professionalism", crisis, and accountability
Where do we draw the line on red tape? Red tape is everywhere. But if we cannot transgress the tape, then somebody laying the tape must be held accountable.
"Everyone has a proper role to play, don't overstep your bounds, please leave it to the 'professionals', follow the proper avenues to get things done, be a good cog in the machine, wait for approval cause the officials are paid to do the job and they know whats best, don't overstep your responsability because then you will be liable, stay in your place, wait of authorization, obey the law no matter what, if you steal to survive we have the right to shoot you, don't do anything beyond your duty or you may be unnecessarily liable..."
I am sick and tired of red tape. I realize it has its place. Maybe without it, society will not function... But in the wake of a crisis like hurricane katrina, aid was halted by red tape. People died because of red tape. Not the red cross, not private enterprises like walmart (shipping aid on their own), not even foreign aid packages were able to bypass red tape, and yet the aid did not come from those responsible for the tape, or from whom the tape was supposed to let do their jobs. Even the aid that came, was held back until the proper avenues of distribution were organized. The bottom line is: I am sick of hearing arguments that politicians are not accountable. This is not an issue of accounting. This is a crisis. It is an issue of action. Right away. We needed professional emergency response, not bean counters. An architect is liable because they have a duty of care, professionalism. Incompetence or ignorance is not an excuse. There is red tape that makes us liable. Red tape is there to make sure that the professionals do their jobs and everyone else is supposed to stand aside and just contribute funds, volunteer, but generally to stand out of the way and let the professionals take care of things. Well, if they have all the power, even the red cross is powerless, then damn straight authorities should be held accountable.
If not, then to hell with red tape. The system is flawed. And if people break the law to do what they need to survive or to help, then the government has no right to prevent them from doing something that they do not.
Isn't the whole idea of red tape flawed if:
A. Liability (which is supposed to protect people) in facts creates risk that prevent people from helping others?
B. There is a double standard when it comes to liability: between those with power to lay red tape, and those who are subjected to power of red tape?
in the case of katrina the problem wasn't red tape, it was universalism, the idea that a single identity can respond to and solve every problem with a one size fits all template. it is the idea that local authority is wasteful, that locals are too ignorant of the bigger picture to be trusted, that local problems are the same everywhere.
it is one of bush's doctrines, and was the way that russia was once (still?) run. it works in some ways, but when it comes to things that need to be done fast the only way to go is to let the locals take over. In this case they apparently happily abrogated their power, as evidenced by the way the mayor and state officials continually repeat how their big daddy hasn't been taking care of them properly.
Not that the feds didn't totally mishandle things but the small players did even less than was their duty. that wasn't red tape either, just laziness and wishful thinking...
red tape is an abstraction created in order to do the 'most good for the most people'. you have to accept that the system will often fail in the case of the exception.
was it true that New Orleans officials or the Louisiana governor denied the Red Cross access to the Superdome because they didn't want to attract even more people there (to be given food and water)? did Bill Clinton avoid killing Osama because his lawyers suggested there wasn't enough criminal evidence against him? did I drop three grand on a flat screen monitor to take advantage of a tax loophole (without any thought of how that monitor might actually help my business)?
i would say i would recommend we follow the spirit of the law rather than the letter. but, that would only apply for simple, clear laws. laws today have no spirit, they are abstractions of abstractions...political payoffs, pork, back-room deals, meaningless regulations as payback for political contributions, socialist schemes. so, people in exceptional circumstances are screwed either way. sorry.
the ironic thing is that everyone thinks the answer to red tape is to create a cabinet level position for hurricanes. more red tape.
once 'legal liability' replaces personal responsibility in a society, persons in positions of power will generally first look out for their own necks. if they knew they would be judged only by their performance and decisions, they'd be free to act as they saw fit. rather, they call their lawyer to see how they can avoid lawsuit, to avoid being legally pinned.
-failure in the UK school systems is now 'deferred success'
-some school systems now use a number system instead of A-F
-we don't want to 'hurt the students feelings'
when government encourages mediocrity and avoidance of personal responsibility why should we expect anything more from the government?
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