The bureaucratic debate over the big fires which surrounded our newsroom rage on. The real flames have gone out, thanks to, it seems many things. The firefighters did their part, although we hear lots of yada-yada about that. At a public meeting, a DWP boss made it clear they did have equipment and were ready to help but someone in charge of the Independence fires said they didn’t need DWP’s help. Wow. We have our bloodhounds on that one.

Then, there are stories we have uncovered that leave the bureaucracy out of the picture all together. Several accounts of the kind of prayer people utter from their hearts when they stand on the verge of total loss. That’s when most of us turn to something far greater than 911. Many people, of just as many philosophical persuasions went to the source and prayed that our town would be saved. In fact, we confirmed that prayers pinged all over the internet and from one side of the country to the other. One firefighter said he had never seen the wind stop so suddenly as fire advanced like a ruthless killer.

Now, don’t get us wrong, we in the Bureaucrat Beat newsroom pride ourselves for our irreligious, cynical side, but we just wanted to report the facts, all of the facts. You decide for yourself.

From the sublime to, aw-come-on-ridiculous. Jules Feiler of “Call Agent For A Day” emailed our newsroom with the untempting offer to test some software on angry on the edge phone callers.

Seems someone came up with software than can detect emotion. When a customer’s voice hits a certain decibel level or if you use harsh or foul language, the call monitoring system (yes, they call it NICE), will issue an alert to call center managers that there’s a problem on the line. A manager intervenes.

We have a better idea. Pass a law that bans telemarketers of any kind. As a sub-text to that bill, let’s outlaw voice menu systems. Make someone talk to us. That’s why we’re mad out here, because we have to talk to computers all day long. By the time people get to a real person, they’re fried. Who needs software to figure that out?

Here’s another no-brainer, that few of our brains really considered. With millions of big agriculture subsidies from the government for corn and soybeans. This, some point out, leads to lots of lower-priced snack foods and not to lots of fresh, healthy vegetables. Yikes. Who woulda thought? Now, activists have turned up in the halls of Congress to demand an end to something like $70 billion a year for growers of soybeans, corn, rice, wheat and cotton. Fruit and vegetable growers get bupkiss (that’s nothing). The battle has hopped from the simmer burner to boil.

Finally, here’s a grim piece of news – Just released government statistics whos that one in 12 full-time workers in the Untied States acknowledges having used illegal drugs in the past month. Don’t’ look at us, the Bureaucrat Beat staff looms far lower than 12.

Signing off for Bureaucrat Beat, and standing up for good, clean, legal fun, this is BK.

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