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"Who's that dude?" asks a short, heavy man, pointing to a person dressed in a suit and an attaché case.
"Damned if I know," answers the truck driver.
People stop unloading the truck and are hypnotized by the man in the suit, who sets his case on the tailgate of the truck, opens it, and removes a pencil and a clipboard.
"Some kind of survey?" asks the truck driver, a tall woman with a mild voice who glances over the man's shoulder at the clipboard while speaking.
"I am the Regional Delegate for this neighborhood," answers the man in the suit.
"Delegate for what?" asks a woman who is still holding the basket she was unloading.
"Food distribution," answers the delegate.
"You're what?" shouts a man who was passing boxes from the truck.
"I am here to coordinate the distribution of food," says the delegate.
"What's wrong with the way it's being distributed?" asks the truck driver.
"It's in a state of absolute chaos," answers the delegate. "There's no coordination. There are no central records of resources and users. The newly constituted Regional Planning Commission lacks the very data with which to begin bookkeeping."
"But everyone's being fed!" shouts the man on the truck.
"Resources are being irrationally allocated," insists the delegate. "There are constant shortages—"
"You know, that's true," interrupts the woman with the basket. "Last week I wanted strawberries but they were gone by the time I got here."
There is a brief silence. People are apparently thinking of other shortages.
The short heavy man breaks the silence. "Are you and your clipboard going to prevent shortages?"
"The Regional Planning Commission will from now on
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