Yes Hatter, the fish and ship shop analogy is a good one. A bureaucrat or politician though would never understand, they have no understanding of commerce. They have only ever shuffled paper and used the system to advance themselves. Their money was earned by someone else, paid unwillingly to the government from an ever increasing array of ever increasing taxes. They never produced a single thing in their lives, most productive people would hold them in contempt.
They think the working/commercial sectors are an unlimited source of funds to satisfy their ever expanding appetite for other peoples money. They will keep adding taxes, fees, licences, permits, tariffs - call them what you will - raising them all, loading up the economy again and again, and then borrowing way beyond our capacity to ever repay. Straw after straw onto the poor old camels back until it either collapses, or gets angry and starts bucking off the load, and kicking the loaders.
Just look at the way Solid Energy was run by these types. It's many years of huge income were plowed into stupid, worthless projects and dumb ideas by these idiots. The bureaucrat who has been promoted a few times somehow forms the belief that they have some commercial abilities. Look how successful they have been to get promoted, ergo they must know what they are doing "yeah right". Just as Hitler thought he was a master military tactician, politicians/bureaucrats capacity for self delusion is endless. If as usual it all turns to shit - it wasn't their money anyway, they still have their massive salaries, golden handshakes and fabulous pensions to fall back on. Guess whose money it was that they lost, yep the taxpayer.
What does one do? I guess heading down to that creek you mentioned could be good ( I just hope no "poor bastid" is actually already doing something down there lol).
