This week we discuss Playing with Fire by Scott Lazenby and introduce you to Ben Cromarty, city manager of Trillium, Oregon and original bad-boy MPA.  When he is not picking fights with unions, circumventing city council rules, or backpacking in the midst of winter, you can find him in his office seducing middle-aged women via his government provided email.  We also discuss micro vs regular cheating, the dark-ages of the internet, and potential re-branding of Red Taped as a natural sleep aid.

Unfortunately, Inside Bureaucracy almost took us out. Fortunately, the magnificent and magical phoenix that is Red Taped was reborn this week in the fictional flames of Playing with Fire by Scott Lazenby. Get the book, read it, and join us on Sunday for the full episode. As always, you can reach us on Twitter @RedTapedPodcast or drop us an email at [email protected]. Music: Admin by A.A. Aalto from the album The West (CC BY NC)

This week we discuss Inside Bureaucracy by Anthony Downs. 22 minutes in, we drop our academic pretense and travel to Indiana, Westeros, and a faraway galaxy to trap, identify, and tag endangered bureaucrats—just in case you want to skip ahead to the usual drunken banter.

This week we drink several bottles of wine, get emotional, regret major life decisions, opine on the wonders of guava paste, and think deeply about change.   We also get a visit from 50’s dad, who is still trying to make friends and influence them.   It is time to quit your hemming-and-hawing and join us for our review of Who Moved My Cheese?  by Spencer Johnson, M.D.

Fun fact:  Bearcat urine smells like buttered popcorn.   Sad fact: Bureaucrats smell like burnt popcorn, old coffee, and loneliness. Don’t worry about this unfortunate situation because we have your back.  This week we drink like Don Draper, suffer subway shame, exchange vintage marriage advice, and review How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.

Water your horse and gather around the Red Taped campfire. This week we reminisce about Ross Perot, search for milk of the mare, debate the efficiency of equine-based microwave technology, and plan for the end. We also read the management cult classic, "Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun" by Wess Roberts, PhD. Hold on tight!…This one gets a little weird… Drink: Hugo cocktails

Squirter:  A person, assumed to be an enemy, running away from a military attack. Alternative: A reluctant bureaucrat turned podcaster running away from the microphone. This week we read Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin.   In hindsight, we should have saved one of our favorite books for a later episode and picked authors that don’t scare us...Lesson learned...Please join us for our fumbling, awkward, and oddly sticky attempt at podcasting. 

The Red Taped Podcast was born during a post-work happy hour that went several hours too long.  In this episode, your hosts, Andy and Larry, briefly introduce the show's vision and accidentally stumble across our quasi-official mascot. Music: "Bubblegum Punk" William Settle - Guitars & Drums Chris Settle - Bass https://exit.sc/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Db-M3DGB-9ZQ Picture: By TassiloRau, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=207524