Editing 79-14-B4 (section)

=== Transcript ===
There are now 151 nations in the United Nations organization. There are
several who aren't there -- including good ones, too. Member governments range
from totalitarian to authoritarian, from monarchies to representative, from dictators
to more dictators and, until recently, even an Emperor (Bokassa the First -- now
disposed). But all of them have one characteristic in common, varying only in degree;
that is, the stultifying hand of bureaucracy.

I've talked about our own bureaucratic problems, criticized bureaucratic
excesses and deplored bureaucratic arrogance. Today I'd like to show what citizens
of other counties have to put up with. You'll probably find yourself saying, "We're
not so bad off after all." But, I hope you'll also say "let's get our own act
together before we are that bad off".

In one country in South America the post office was charged with burning 3
million pieces of mail rather than delivering it. The postal officials vehemently
denied burning 3 million pieces of mail -- they said they had only burned 30,000.

An American businessman in a European country had to "nationalize" his car
which he had brought into the country. It took 12 different procedures in offices
as much as 15 miles apart with hours of waiting in each office. He now hires a
private company ta expedite such problems. The expediters are all former
bureaucrats.

A Swiss woman living in Paris, wanted to marry a Lebanese. Every time she
applied to the Prefecture of Police she learned of another government form she'd
have to fill out. Always there was another bit of information she hadn't supplied
such as her grandmothers maiden name. One day in desperation she tucked a pillow
under her dress, went to another office, shed buckets of tears and told them she
was pregnant and received instant approval of her marriage.

There was the case of a woman who was billed for 11 years for her mother's
TV set license renewals. Her mother had been dead for 11 years. She was threatened
with fines for not accepting a registered letter addressed to her mother. She
had gone to the post office and tried to get the letter by showing them her mother's
death certificate. They refused to give it to her because she didn't have written
authorization from her mother.

We usually seem to follow in our English cousins' footsteps by 10 or 12 years.
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher may have some tips for us a few years down the road.

Meanwhile, a senior civil servant fired half of his staff, closed down a bunch
of government run ventures and cut his $23 million budget by a full one-third. When
he tried to show his superiors in London how his methods could be used throughout
the country, they yawned in his face.

There is one government employee to two and one half other workers in England.
We have a little way to go yet -- here it's one to four. 

This is Ronald Reagan.

Thanks for listening.
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