I Am So Mad...

[davidschroth]

...to steal a phrase from one of Anastasia's favorite books.

My plan today was to stop by the Social Security Administration and a) acquire a Social Security number for Anastasia, and b) get a replacement Social Security card for me (my original one disintegrated 20 or 30 years ago. I haven't actually needed it since it disintegrated, but I thought that state of affairs might change in the next few years).

When I got there, the lobby was full. I made it to the front door, at which point the rent-a-cop decided the line (starting with me) should wait until he got damn good and ready to let it go again. Not so much of a problem for me - I was in the doorway to the room. For the others in the line (which stretched through the "airlock" and out to the parking lot), including several women with infants in carriers, I suspect it was more of a problem. The rent-a-cop spent several tens of minutes futzing about, occasionally stirring himself to roust people (including, noticeably, one of the aforementioned women with infant in carrier) out of the warmth of the anteway because they were "blocking the exit".

Eventually, a couple of us were allowed up to the security checkpoint. At which point, we discovered my Swiss Army knife. I could either forfeit it, or I could take it back to the car, and return to the end of the line.

I spent a lot of time with the translator in government offices in Russia. The Russian government may not match our so-called standards for human rights, but they certainly treat their people more respectfully, and more like adults. Not us - we pay rent-a-cops more than they're worth to throw their weight around, keeping the SSA free of oh-so-dangerous Swiss Army knife (with a 2 inch blade), and keeping the hoi-polloi out in the cold until they (the guards) are satisfied.

I left. I'll go back next year, and complete the paperwork.

My current thought on the Fiscal Bluff - while it wouldn't help much, de-funding those bits of Homeland Security that return no benefits for their cost wouldn't hurt. It would certainly make more sense than further impoverishing the elderly poor by switching to chained CPI.

Comments

[don-fitch.livejournal.com]

Sadly... If my experiences with Big Businesses & Government economizing have anything to do with predicting, I'd suggest that they're most likely to rent smaller offices and keep them open shorter hours, with smaller staffs, in the future. I've never known an attack of "Save Money & Increase Efficiency" in any large-scale Operation to do anything but decrease the quality of the product/service.

[davidschroth.livejournal.com]

At this point, I have no idea what the quality of the service provided by this SSA office *is* - I didn't make it past "security". It's not difficult to figure out how to decrease costs and improve services in at least one of my issues - if Immigration forwarded the necessary information to SSA at the same time they issued a Certificate of Citizenship, it would probably save both the SSA and us time and money. Small potatoes, I know.

[don-fitch.livejournal.com]

Oh, I was thinking that not having to wait for long to see someone, and being able to do whatever waiting is necessary under comfortable conditions, are the first steps in "service".

I don't yet think in terms of "security" because I don't deal with such things often, but yeah, last time I used the local SS office (to get Income Tax witholding done) I might have picked a remarkably non-busy day (or location) -- there was enough seating for everyone, total time elapsed was less than half an hour, and the Security guy mostly just held the door open for people going in & out.

[skylarker.livejournal.com]

I've lost several pocket knife/utility knives to security checkpoints over the past some years. I tend to forget I have them on me.

[lakeboy-55.livejournal.com]

That's appalling treatment, David. Is the SS office in a Federal Building with other agencies, or all by itself? The SS office up here in Houghton is staffed by one woman. Sometimes there is a sleepy Houghton cop sitting in the waiting room, which has 6 chairs. I've never had to wait. I've always walked in, taken the obligatory number and stepped up to the counter. No bullet proof glass, just a plain old 3 and half foot tall counter. There are some things about living in the City that I just don't miss.

[davidschroth.livejournal.com]

It's all by itself. Once I get through the metal detector (after removing all metal, including belt and watch) and past the rent a cops, I get to take the obligatory number, etc.