How many state employees does it take to change a lightbulb in a traffic signal? Let's see:
First, you have to form a commitee to address the issue. Let's assume 6 people. Then you have to have a majority vote to approve the change.
Now you have to have a department head issue the order to change the light bulb.
Then the manager of the area that the dead light bulb recieves the order and passes it to a supervisor.
The supervisor says that there is nobody qualified to change a light bulb, so he turns it over to personel.
Personel places ads and hires a person to change a light bulb.
This person has to go through training, so a trainer is brought in to train the new employee.
Then the employee gets his orders through a dispatcher.
The employee then has to get the lightbulb through a warehouse clerk.
The warehouse clerk doesn't know where the lightbulbs for traffic signals are kept, and has to ask one of the warehouse workers to find a lightbulb for a traffic signal.
The warehouse worker checks and discovers they are out of light bulbs, so the clerk then turns it over to their ordering department.
The ordering department submits a purchase order, which has to go through accounting for budgeting allocation.
Accounting takes the purchase order to the manager, who in turn gives it to the commitee to vote on approving the purchase of a light bulb. Let's just assume they vote in favor.
Meanwhile, accidents are happening at this intersection, and dozens of ambulances and police and other emergency vehicles have been dispatched, not to mention the countless medical people involved in saving these accident victims.
The media issues a warning to the public about the city's deadliest intersection.
The manager gets notice that the commitee approves the purchase of a light bulb, and then purchase order is given to the purchasing department.
Someome from purchasing goes to a hardware store and buys the wrong lightbulb and gives the register person a hundred dollar bill and leaves before getting the change.
A police officer is assigned to the intersection to direct traffic, reducing accidents.
Purchasing takes the lightbulb to the warehouse clerk.
The warehouse clerk gives the lightbulb to the warehouse workers so it can be stored properly.
The warehouse clerk tells the manager that they purchased the lightbulb and it is waiting in the warehouse.
The manager tells the supervisor to go to the warehouse to pick up the lightbulb.
The supervisor tells the person they hired to go to the warehouse to pick up the lightbulb.
The employee, while driving to the warehouse, goes through the intersection with the burned out bulb, is hit by a drunk driver and is killed.
The county coroner, EMT's, the police and fire are dispatched to recover the body.
The supervisor tells personel they need a new lightbulb changer.
Personel hires a new person for the position.
The new person is trained.
The supervisor, who knows a safer route to the warehouse, goes and picks up the light bulb.
The supervisor gives the lightbulb to the dispatcher.
The dispatcher gives the light bulb to the new bulb changer.
The bulb changer goes and teams up with a truck driver and an assistant who is trained in ladders.
The truck with the bulb changer, truck driver, and ladder operator arrive at the intersection.
The truck driver stops the truck by the traffic signal with the burned out bulb, but noticed there are now other bulbs burned out at others signs now, so he radios it in to the dispatcher.
The ladder operator sets up the ladder.
The bulb changer climbs up the ladder, opens up the traffic signal, and turns the bad bulb the WRONG WAY, and reports he can't remove the bulb.
The ladder operator gives the bulb changer a radio.
The bulb changer radios for help and gets the trainer on the radio.
The trainer tells the changer to turn the bulb the OTHER way, and sure enough, the bulb comes out.
The bulb changer tries to screw the new bulb in place, but it won't fit.
The bulb changer radios that they have the wrong bulb, and dispatch tells them to come back to base.
The warehouse clerk is fired for ordering the wrong part, despite the fact that purchasing screwed up.
One of the senior warehouse workers is promoted to the clerk position.
A new warehouse worker is hired through personel.
The new clerk submits a new purchase order through accounting for the correct bulb.
Accounting submits it to commitee, who approves it.
Purchasing goes to a hardware store, buys the correct bulb this time, and again pays with a hundred dollar bill and doesn't wait to get the change.
The fired warehouse clerk applies for unemployment and welfare.
The wife of the killed bulb changer sues the city for gross negligence.
The cop who was directing traffic suffers from heat stroke and collapses, causing accidents to happen at the intersection again.
Ambulance, police and other emergency vehicles are dispatched as a result of the officer down and the accidents.
A new cop replaces the other cop.
The intersection recieves national attention for being the most dangerous intersection in the country.
Purchasing gives the light bulb to the warehouse clerk, who HOLDS it and phones in to the supervisor that the new lightbulb is in.
The light bulb trainer is retrained due to the passage of time.
The supervisor picks up the new light bulb, makes sure it is the right one. He then calls dispatch.
Dispatch sends out the light bulb changer, a ladder operator, a truck driver, and sends them off the change the light bulb.
When they get there, the entire intersection has had all the traffic lights removed and STOP signs put up.
As you can see, it's not easy to change a light bulb.