County compels 91-year-old woman to tear down home wheelchair ramp

Bob tore down the ramp. Weeks later, Haitham Hijazi, the county inspections director, wrote a letter admitting "something obviously went awry" and stated top managers could have worked with the Strahles if county employees had notified managers.

I've worked a few govt jobs, and this is pretty much how it is everywhere.

This guy's job is to check this box. So long as he checks the box, he considers his duty fulfilled. You cannot pose a question to him such as "what if you put an X in the box? What if you circled it?" He has no idea. He doesn't question why he checks this box, nor has he ever reflected on it because he considers half his job to be covering his own ass. Keep checking that box, and he'll still have a job tomorrow.

There are very few people capable of 1) thinking outside the box, 2) acting beyond what is routine; what they have been instructed; or what is spelled out in policy. Until you talk to that one upper management guy who knows how to figure shit out, but of course he's on vacation that week.

So stuff falls through the cracks constantly. People are inconvenienced or affected by it. And nobody really does anything about it, because that isn't their job. Their job is to check this box.

/r/news Thread Parent Link - jla.com