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”.
Gee, I hope the guy in the picture is being careful. He may get a traffic ticket since his left foot is almost on the double yellow line.
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.
