I periodically compare the actions of brainless politicians and bureaucrats in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
One of the most bizarre examples I cited was from England. It showed how a local government decided to install the most pointless sign in the history of the world.
Our British friends are famous for their sense of humor (as illustrated by this glossary of financial terms and this guide to terror alerts in selected nations), so perhaps the sign was meant to be a joke.
Nonetheless, taxpayers picked up the tab.
And now we have another example of incomprehensible government stupidity. Taxpayers in one community just paid to have road markings painted in an alleyway.
I’m not kidding. Check out the photo and this excerpt from a BBC report.
Lines have been painted on both sides of the passageway, off Newhall Street in Swindon, leaving a gap of just 13in (33cm). Nathalie Fisher, a local resident, said it was a “bit of a mystery” as “you couldn’t even fit a motorbike down it.” …The council said local residents had asked the authority to “deal with illegal parking in alleyways”.
To be sure, I’m not sure this story means that U.K. government official are worse than U.S. government officials. Just look at some of these examples of PC-run-amok and you’ll have plenty of evidence of foolishness on this side of the Atlantic.
The moral of the story is that bureaucrats and politicians want to run our lives, but they’re some of the world’s least competent people.
P.S. While it’s amusing to highlight examples of government stupidity, let’s not forget there are real-life victims of bad government policy in the United Kingdom, particularly if you look at the healthcare system and welfare system.
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[…] But perhaps harassing kids is the best we can expect from the British government. After all, this is the place that is sometimes too incompetent to give away money. Though our cousins across the Atlantic are remarkably effective at producing pointless signs and road markings. […]
Remember something: These idiots were VOTED into office. So who’s the idiot now?
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[…] winners of this dubious honor include a rather amazing example of British road painting and a horrid incident of anti-gun political correctness by American school […]
The real tragedy is that in the past government hired the lazy and incompetent. Now with the job market a mess and government salaries much higher than private, we will have more efficient, smarter people figuring out how to complicate our lives. 32 oz. Coke anyone?