The Essential Executor's Handbook: A Quick and Handy Resource for Dealing With Wills, Trusts, Benefits, and Probate

Chapter 8

Know Your Bureaucrat

Technically, a bureaucrat is any government official. But, in its more colloquial or pejorative use, it refers to any inflexible, low-level government official who extolls the rules over public service. So, technically, the president of the United States is a bureaucrat. But in practice, the term is more likely to refer to the grim-looking person behind the counter at the Department of Motor Vehicles; the one who returns your registration application because your Social Security number is missing a dash. For our purposes, however, it means any person, in any organization, business, or government office, who processes paper. They may, in fact, be the sourpuss at the DMV or they may be the pleasant and helpful branch ...