I Know Why We Hate The Government
NEWSLETTER FOR INTELLIGENT WOMEN & MEN
WE HATE THE GOVERNMENT, BUT WHY?
I was just stepping into the shower when I received a text. Oh great, probably a marketer. But on the off chance it was important, I stepped back out. My Kansas county had just texted me that I had 22 minutes to make it to the office, up the never-ending ramp, and inside. I hesitated. tempted. But with a broken leg, that was simply not going to happen. (For those of you who don’t know, I crushed the head of my femur.) What to do?
However, to test my premise that I couldn’t make it, my physical therapist and I timed how long it took me to leave my apartment, reach the car, and haul myself inside of it: 20 minutes. And that didn’t include slapping on some clothes, locking my door, traversing the World’s of Fun Ride Number Three (or as it is also known, the two steps down to the parking lot), and heaving my walker into the back seat.
So I called and asked for a fixed-time appointment. Nope. I wasn’t above begging, but the person was not moved. Not a chance. Apparently, I wasn’t the first. The severe county employee could only offer me a few rank options. 1. I could drive 40 minutes to a second county courthouse, the alpha test site. We know about those kinks! Given that my tags had just expired, that didn’t sound like a good idea. 2. Or I could ask to be called again and given 30 minutes to arrive—30 minutes at their discretion. Yeah, look how well that worked. 3. I could show up at my courthouse and wait.
Didn’t they have any accommodations for people with disabilities? Yes, refer to number one above. So I decided that number three was about it. Oh, yes, there was the unspoken number four: plan ahead. No! You aren’t great at planning ahead when you have a painful break and everything takes six times longer than I anticipated!
The next morning I awoke when it was still very dark and very silent. Was it time to get up? No. Not at 3:15 a.m. I fell back into a troubled sleep. The next thing I knew it was 4:45. Then 5:31. Then 6:01. Then 6:15 when my alarm went off. I could already tell this was not going to be a good day with such broken sleep.
I bound out of bed. Okay, okay, I gradually, oh so gradually raised myself and started my day. At last! At 7:01 I was at the courthouse. There was already a line out the door, down the sidewalk, and down the dozen steps I dared not attempt. I looked to the right of the steps and decided the ramp was further away than to the left. So I trudged all the way to the left. And lo and behold, there was NO ramp! How rude. Okay, so I started over, heading toward the right side where I had actually seen the ramp…at least I hoped it wasn’t an hallucination.
Then, it started raining. Have you ever tried to manipulate a walker and carry an open umbrella? I opted for drenched. At the top of the ramp, people were lovely, though, and offered me a spot under the overhang and six feet from the door. When this government employee opened the floodgates, my new friends ushered me inside.
I entered my name into a kiosk and sat down to wait. Sure those able-bodied folks who could hurdle through the space and time continuum appointment had already entered. But, I would be up soon. After half an hour people who had been outside in the rain were moving on through. It belatedly occurred to me that the kiosk hated me. Who knew? What had I ever done to it? I returned to where the long line used to be and entered my name. This time it took.
Five hours later, when there was just a handful of people remaining in the room, three of us bound together, eying those granted admittance with jealous longing. Three lost souls were easier than being one lost soul. Then, the woman left. The guy moved to another seat — 20 feet away.
After six hours, a tired and frazzled employee called my number. The guy in our trio turned away from me. She was nice and even told me I was buying, not leasing, my car. Really!?! I was sure I had leased it, but who was I to argue with her? After all, I had been on some of those remarkable special gummies at the time of signing.
And finally, it was over. Six hours. Six looong hours(no exaggeration). No wonder people hate the government.
Be safe and be well, my Friends. COVID is out there and the flu. Boosters are still available so that we can all enjoy our holidays!