In our government’s protective reflex to swat away any annoyance, its first response is to “Discredit the Complainant” who is causing the trouble.
When it comes to discrediting the facts that conflict with and undermine government policy making decisions; authorities can choose from a number of passive and proactive methods. A bureaucratic favorite is to present the public with background information that deliberately misrepresents, and even omits key facts; in order to validate their chosen course of action.
If getting government authorities to admit the facts is difficult; getting them to accurately report a situation and make appropriate policy decisions is almost impossible. Not only do they occupy a “high ground” that allows them to cite everything from jobs to jurisprudence as an excuse; they can change the ground rules to suit their objectives.
An important part of today’s regulatory process is how well it works to protect the interests of those who are regulated. Our government continually legislates ineffectual regulations; that effectively protect the wrongdoers.