[rbancroft]

Pournelle's Iron Law of Bureaucracy states that in any bureaucratic organization there will be two kinds of people: First, there will be those who are devoted to the goals of the organization. Secondly, there will be those dedicated to the organization itself. The Iron Law states that in every case the second group will gain and keep control of the organization. It will write the rules, and control promotions within the organization.

[astrange]

Yes, he's a Republican.

Typical engineering humor of that era where they'd make up "rules of the universe" that were just them saying something vaguely cynical.

[rbancroft]

It is cynical and is simplistic but there is an element of truth to it. Maybe is republican ideology, I don’t know about that.