Connecting the dots

Mark Steyn has a fine column, as usual, on the missteps of the bureaucracy in response to the Knickerbomber.
But that's what bureaucracies do. Make poor decisions when something happens.
It reminded me of my newspaper days, back in 1989. Our publisher saw a reporter out in public covering a weekend event and felt he wasn't dressed appropriately. So the edict came down, all newsroom employees had to wear a tie during their work hours.
Even on weekends, in the late evening, those who worked in the office eight hours had to wear ties. My friend, who went onto work at the Weekly World News, had this ugly wide, green tie in his desk for the occasion.
Eventually, the edict passed away, and copy editors didn't need to wear ties on weekends. Sports guys didn't need to wear a tie while covering baseball games.
Now, let's complete the circle of dots. The publisher of my newspaper in West Virginia in 1989? He became the publisher of the Orange County Register in 2007. The paper website that Steyn usually links his weekly column.
A poor, quickly-mocked decision didn't harm his career. And the bureaucracy will roll on.