Originally Posted August 17, 2007

Bevis, not Butthead

Um, I had a little "tiff" with the State of Florida this week.

Specifically, I asked them to comply with the law.

This did not go over well with them. Bureaucrats don't want to know the law, they want to follow their procedure, even if whatever procedure it is violates the law.

Yesterday--I had a very nice conversation with "Buddy" Bevis, who is the Director of the Division of Licensing of the Florida Department of Agriculture. He basically told me to "fuck off," although his exact words were: "See you in court."

Today--I had a very nice conversation with "Buddy" Bevis, who is the Director of the Division of Licensing of the Florida Department of Agriculture. He had some good news for me. The Division has now added the "Rusty" rule, which, without going in to great detail, means that they shall heretofore abide by the law in the State of Florida.

What's the difference between yesterday and today? It's actually quite simple. I fight bureaucrats for a living. A rather 'okay' living. If you know what makes a bureaucrat tick, you can actually induce the behavior you seek. Yeah, now I owe a political favor to someone, which I will gladly pay, but the outcome is correct. I actually made the State of Florida abide by the law. What a fucking concept.

I am not to be trifled with. Some years ago, in a raided office swarming with teams of armed FBI agents, one of them tried to intimidate me. Even with large weapons, FBI agents are still bureaucrats. I explained that I didn't find him intimidating in the least, since I deal with the IRS on a daily basis, and I was now going about my business unimpeded by him or his weapon. He told me, "Even WE don't mess with them."

Should you ever have to resolve an issue fairly with a government bureaucrat, feel free to give me a call. It only took 24 hours for Bevis to see the light.

And for today--Buddy Bevis, you're not a butthead.