Making-the-Case People

The problem in America-led business management and social arrangements paradigmatic thought is ONE – the entrenchment of just too many making-the-case people. Finally, when it all gets too expensive to sustain, whole activities like Education and NASA get cut whole sole instead of the unnecessary file pushers that make it agonizing for the recipient of the activity and uneconomical for the providing organization.

We all know too well that America is reeling under a massive public deficit that is sought to be cut to ensure the global currency does not lose its meaning. The Corporations too are saddled with incredible costs and are not able to manage the pricing of their products to meet the new spend levels of people now without easy loans that they previously recklessly bit into resting assured on the ‘strength’ of their home ‘valuations’. Overpaid Executives with sticky ‘bonuses’, no matter what the company performance, is, of course, one cause. But there is another generic problem.

American thinking relies, and merrily weaves in, too many making-the-case people into how organizations, associations and governments are run. Your manager does not decide what you are paid and how you are rewarded. S/he, and the level above him, will make the case for what you might deserve. In fact, a whole layer will together make the case. This layer could include several ‘coordination’ departments many of which might not be of any value add and perhaps coordinate NOTHING. Rather, YOU have to coordinate between them to remove impediments to do your own straightforward job! And the decision on your pay, perks, and ‘performance’ will come from someone who does not even know who the heck you are! 

You want to exist and involve in economic activities in America as a free person, your company will hire a lawyer to file for your Permanent Residence. But even before that, there will be a whole department to make-the-case for your absorption as a Permanent Resident in the USA. And they will make no case by themselves. Your own departmental manager will have to do that, and this facilitating department will okay it. An expensive Law Firm would be billing the company to take these documents to make-the-case (relay) to the Government officials, that will further make the case if they are convinced. Then some final group of officials will make a decision based on the dynamics between the Company and the Government. YOU, your family, and the goal of becoming a free economic agent, don’t matter! You are just a number tied to your company.

File pusher jobs, and making these sham roles appear wily nilly relevant, is the bane of the modern Organization and Government. Consequences include horrendously complex tax codes, immigration patrols where 20 people want to check your boarding card and passport on airports one after another (thankfully, US is the best on this one as far as domestic flights are concerned or when you are outbound from the US). Visit the Niagra falls and its very easy to get onto the bridge that goes to Canada. There is no sign warning you of it, and once you get onto that bridge, you cannot turn back. If it was not your intention to cross over into Canada, you still have to go all the way to Canada side and then turn back. If you are not carrying your passport, there is an array of officers over there to toss you around, when FINALLY one will run your Driver License through the system and give you the clearance to get back into the US side. Result: Upto an hour of your time lost, NOTHING gained by anybody, at least 10 people’s jobs are supported by the tax you pay, who are all your lords now, not facilitators. And all this to achieve NOTHING – just to record that one guy (you) made a “wrong turn” onto the bridge to Canada!

Healthcare is sought to be provided via the Employer, and now it becomes imperitive to keep a substandard Corporate entity going, with all it's existing Executive and Bureaucracy perks and star-studded payments, else 40,000 people that it employs will lose affordable healthcare.

The big problem is that this file pusher atrocity and waste is not on anybody’s radar. “Government costs too much, so just close down NASA, and remove Music, Drama, and Arts from Public Schools” is just not the way to go. Nor is cutting staff uniformly across all functions in an Business Organization to reduce costs, and lose the ability to serve customers in the process. Executive Bonuses need to be truly Results Linked and not sticky on previous years’ performance, while making-the-case Lordships' burden needs to be located and cut.
It might be a good idea to be a "Nation of Laws", but not of Lawyers, with complicated, confusing and confounding laws and procedures to artificially make lawyers and case makers appear to be of "value".