Dear Citizen,

Who is to blame when a public agency fails to fulfil it’s purpose, the agency, or the public which organizes it?  This is not a trick question.  The trick is what probably happened in your head when you read it. 

Blame is not singular, or at least it is not singular in definition.  It is, however, singular in the modern vernacular of The Empire.  Did you fall prey to this cultural trap and chose either the agency or the public in my above hypothetical, or did you bravely and correctly identify that both groups are at fault?  There may be hope for you yet (you – I’m afraid there isn’t much for The Empire)!  Finally, if you correctly identified that both groups are failures did you adequately place yourself in the mix of responsibility?  Are you flummoxed at the proposition now that I’ve said it?  Perhaps there isn’t much hope…

I am sorry, Dear Friend, for impugning you so.  We here on Terminus equally share your blame, as we too were present when the public’s failings took place.

By way of example, let’s examine the Disease Control Directive and the latest major uncontrolled disease.  The Imperial agency clearly and spectacularly failed in preventing and controlling the disease.  You know this, they know this, every single member of The Empire knows this.  There is difference, though, in who admits this uncontestable fact and who refuses to.  Those who refuse, instead of acknowledging that multiple parties may be culpable in any given instance, only discuss the failing of other Imperial agencies, the Imperial Leadership, extra-Imperial groups, sections of the citizenry, etc. etc.  A public agency devoid of the ability to publicly address and inspect its actions with both internal and external feedback has no hope of improving for future events.

Not to be outdone, a public which creates and names something the “Disease Control Directive” better be damn sure it will actually direct in a way which controls diseases.  The citizenry of the Empire (a democratic republic I’ll remind you) is governed by the people.  Any failure of Government is a failure of the people to plan, oversee, or administer. 

The example of the DCD is not a one-off occurrence.  Do you, Dear Citizen, believe that the Meals and Medicine Administration is adequately administering meals and medicine?  Do you actually think the Transportation Protection Agency has any actual agency in securing your transportation?  Do you blindly feel protected by the Bureau for Consumer Protection?  Surely the Central Imperial Bank knows what it’s doing, right?

Be sure to hear me say this, public groups have failed since the dawn of public groups.  Our species is fallible, thank God.  But it is the sacred duty of the public to observe these failures, identify their causes, and implement changes to attempt to prevent them in the future.  Additionally, it is incumbent upon the public to realize that structural mistakes in one group are likely to imply design defects in others.

The Empire is far beyond such introspection; so far beyond that its leaders, institutions, and public all fail to even acknowledge the truth before all of our eyes dare it lead through fault to reform.

The fall continues, but remember Dear Friend, we can always work on ourselves.

Stay true my Friend,

Terminus