A .pdf of the sign isn’t enough for the government. It was professionally printed on hardback paper, not copy paper from a local printer. Nothing gets done in government that isn’t planned and “procured”. It has to be approved and paid for. During Viet Nam we had B-52’s grounded because they had a broken knob on a radio or some other instrument and the knob was custom made in some god forsaken factory with 10 employees that charged $119.00 for a 20 cent knob. The B-52 stayed grounded until we robbed a knob off another plane more damaged or we waited for the knob to be replaced. A $1.00 knob from radio shack would have done the trick, but that’s not how the gubmint rolls. To get these special signs with certain verbiage on them, I’m sure had to be decided on through some committee and then appropriated would have taken at least weeks.
I used to work at a large bank. It was the bank that would come into your small New England town and take over the bank you used as a child.
Generally on a long weekend (Columbus Day or Washington’s birthday most often) we would “merge” this bank into computer system.
Now, most of the time these mergers went without a hitch. Once they did not. We had to extend our shut down time.
From that date forward we included several new signs in our “package.” Those signs were printed in medium quantities and kept in storage until they were needed (if they were needed.)
We never used them again during my tenure. But, they are probably still there. Looking as fresh as the day they were printed. They could have them printed at a local PIP shop in about 4 hours.
I know you want to think that these guys had this all planned out. Well, to a certain degree, they have had it planned out. But you are thinking these is some master cabal in DC that did all of this in secret.
If you worked for me and you had not prepared your staff and signage for this possibility, I would fire you.
If you did not have the right button for your B52, I would make sure you did not ever rise above the rank you were today.
Its called management. Many folks have never seen decent management.
I am not defending Obama. I am simply saying that good managers plan for these things. And not every manager in the government is an idiot.