If you’re dealing with a situation and it involves a seemingly impossible level of incompetence of those involved, chances are it’s happening by design. I’m talking about stuff above the bureaucrat whom you’ve waited two hours to see who doesn’t know how to solve your problem in the very office responsible for that sort of thing. Not every evil agreement happens in a deep, sequestered cabal. The influence pushing, the calling in of favors, the closed-door meetings are all things that can lead to desired outcomes for some and very undesired outcomes for others. This is why it never pays to be on autopilot.