4 ms·

Let me rephrase: why isn't the DMV and the NYPD liable for the damage caused by their actions? Of course you're going to get a bureaucracy Kafka would be proud

by emn13 10y ago

Let me rephrase: why isn't the DMV and the NYPD liable for the damage caused by their actions? Of course you're going to get a bureaucracy Kafka would be proud of if it doesn't have to face any consequences for actions it takes. If the police had to indemnify all parties for all damages (regardless of innocence - let the courts assign fines, not the police), they'd be reorganized with saner policies in a heartbeat. As is... well, they should rename Russian roulette.

soperj 10y ago
I don't think Kafka was ever proud of bureaucracy.
- emn13 10y ago
  Well. Driven to write about then ;-).
- Nomentatus 10y ago
  He was a highly valued part of a very large bureaucracy. He did keep the job and presumably liked it: but he knew from the inside what was possible when the job wasn't done well.
btschaegg 10y ago
> Let me rephrase: why isn't the DMV and the NYPD liable for the damage caused by their actions? Exactly my thoughts while reading this. I mean just think about it: Given a nation that spans half a continent, you're bound to have two people with the same name and birth date living in the same state occasionally. HOW THE HELL can a justice system then assume that those two things are enough for a unique identification? It boggles my mind that they would invalidate one person's driver license for another one's misdeeds. Don't they link those to something unique? You have mandatory social security numbers, right? So, you have to have some pressure on the according actors so they do their job correctly. Reading about that judge made the whole thing even more bizarre. There's someone judging people without having their identity confirmed properly first? WTF? Edit: I had a similar experience lately with my ISP. Okay, in that case, I get that it can happen - and funnily enough, I haven't talked to a single boneheaded person while dealing with this. But in a justice system? No way!

by emn13 10y ago

soperj 10y ago

I don't think Kafka was ever proud of bureaucracy.

emn13 10y ago
Well. Driven to write about then ;-).
Nomentatus 10y ago
He was a highly valued part of a very large bureaucracy. He did keep the job and presumably liked it: but he knew from the inside what was possible when the job wasn't done well.

btschaegg 10y ago

> Let me rephrase: why isn't the DMV and the NYPD liable for the damage caused by their actions? Exactly my thoughts while reading this. I mean just think about it: Given a nation that spans half a continent, you're bound to have two people with the same name and birth date living in the same state occasionally. HOW THE HELL can a justice system then assume that those two things are enough for a unique identification? It boggles my mind that they would invalidate one person's driver license for another one's misdeeds. Don't they link those to something unique? You have mandatory social security numbers, right? So, you have to have some pressure on the according actors so they do their job correctly. Reading about that judge made the whole thing even more bizarre. There's someone judging people without having their identity confirmed properly first? WTF? Edit: I had a similar experience lately with my ISP. Okay, in that case, I get that it can happen - and funnily enough, I haven't talked to a single boneheaded person while dealing with this. But in a justice system? No way!