We’ve all heard the excuses ad nauseam from government managers that:
• Maria was an extraordinary storm;
• The infrastructure was in horrible condition;
• Communications were knocked out;
• There was no money available; and
• Disaster relief was slow in reaching us.
Okay, but these same managers were responsible for preparedness and operations. Those ARE their job descriptions! They have failed miserably. They have behaved arrogantly, hoarded information, had their own power agendas and priorities, hidden their decisions in darkness, deflected meaningful offers of assistance, blamed others for their own errors and omissions, and failed on every objective measure of competence imaginable.
Under extreme circumstances and conditions, satisfying results may be difficult to come by, but we can applaud valiant efforts to accomplish worthy goals. On the other hand, macho, pigheaded refusal to act in the best interests of the community in a crisis is cause for immediate dismissal.
Business as usual is unacceptable. Incompetent management needs to be replaced – both the jerks and the well-meaning. And in some other universe, we could dismiss all of the unqualified bureaucrats who have truly ruined the Commonwealth and the Municipio. Unfortunately, regardless of the evidence of out-and-out horrible performance, it is extremely unlikely that significant changes will be implemented. The problems are systemic and require a radical, comprehensive reformation.
Some of the employees are working extremely hard to get things fixed and working right, but like the crew and passengers of the Titanic, when the captain screws up, everyone ends up in the water.