Welcome to the world of bureaucracy, Don Horner. As chairman of the state Board of Education, you undoubtedly were hoping to use your extensive business background to straighten things up at the Department of Education. But as you noted in testimony before the Hawaii Labor Relations Board Thursday, you were “very surprised” when the executive board of the Hawaii State Teachers Association rejected the recommendation of its negotiating team that it accept the state’s “last, best and final offer” on a new contract for HSTA members.

Truth is, government bureaucracy cannot be run like a business because it isn’t a business. Its income is derived from taxes, its expenditures too often are determined politically, and its employees enjoy protections usually not afforded private sector workers.

But nice try.

An employee who made a difference

It conjured up the cartoony image of an oblivious worker pulling a plug out of a socket, plunging a whole city into darkness — but for 5 million people left powerless Thursday from Arizona to San Diego to Mexico, there was little humor in the situation.

An employee of Arizona Public Service Co., that state’s largest utility, was switching out some equipment near Yuma when he apparently tripped the power, leaving a swath of darkness, chaos and discomfort for millions. Power was steadily restored throughout Friday.

Energy suppliers (HECO perhaps?), take heed: This might be a timely reminder to retrain and emphasize safeguards against, well, falling asleep at the switch.