In The Belly Of The Beast — By John Reed

In The Belly Of The Beast
Recently I spent a morning at the Social Security office in Vidalia. There’s no more accurate definition of governmental bureaucracy, unless maybe you count the drivers license office. But that’s a state program, while social security is federal.
The office was packed with folks, all grasping their assigned paper numbers and looking hopefully at the counter showing which number was being served. The various windows were close enough that we could hear the interactions between clients and officials.
At this point let me point out the difference between the government bureaucracy and the people who work there. Those poor souls have to put up with all the abuse the public can throw at them: rage against the system, sob stories, confusion, and more. And yet the people I spoke with were unfailingly professional and polite.
Some churches (not all, even locally) preach “hate the sin, love the sinner.” We should consider the same approach for those government workers who toil daily to make the wheels of society grind a little more smoothly. And then maybe extend that some to those higher up the food chain.
For example, I have a bigger problem with some politicians’ issues than with them personally. To name one: Tulci Gabbert is an honorable person with an enviable military record. While I don’t agree with much of her political stances, I highly regard her personally.
I do have a problem with those bureaucrats who think their position entitled them to set policy, rather than carry it out. And that’s where the “Swamp” really shows its true colors. Career apparatchiks so deeply entrenched that they see themselves as more important than whichever Congress or President is in power at the time.
Presidents come and go, but the nameless bureaucrats remain. So it remains, so it ever shall be.