Reply #6: Okay. I'll get right on it. In the meantime, let me tell you a little government [View All]

[acmavm]

employee story from this friggin' week.

I had to go to the SSA office because when I got robbed they got my I.D. and my son's Social Sec Card (I had to use it and so I had it in my purse). Well I had to have a card and so I finally got the old courage up to haul ass out to the SSA office (dealing with the federal government on ANY level is to be avoided at all costs AFAIC). First I had to find it. They moved it from a totally accessible location to one that is almost impossible to get to. No bus, have to go out on West Dodge Road by the now infamous clusterfuck by the Westroads, and on to 108th Street. Now they moved this place where it's so fucking hard to find the have to have signs pointing out where it is. No bus line, hard to get there, once you're in the neighborhood it's next to impossible to find, and they put the utility meters out over the sidewalk on the South parking lot so that if you're not totally aware of what's going on, well let's just say I hope you have insurance.

Anyway, there waw the typical bald minimum wage security guard with this macho attitude and (obligatory) shaved head acting like he's guarding the US Mint. To get past that schmuck you have to pick a number by pressing a field on a computer screen that indicates English or Spanish. (Now why the fuck only those two? We don't have other foreign speaking persons paying into SS?) Anyway, I get the number and go to wait and they call my number. NOW THIS IS WHERE I GOT PISSED. They have a blind person at the window. Now I believe in hiring people with physical disabilties. They definitely have a right to work. But the punchline to this story is that there is a person who sits next to her reading everything to her. And minding the printer. And pretty much doing everything except asking questions and some typing. I was floored. We are paying 2people to do that one job. I have been out there twice this week and it's been the same scenario both times. And this is how they work it out there.

They accomodate someone out there that is blind by paying another person to do most of the work for her. Okay, fine. But explain why they put the office in an area where there is no way to get there unless you drive. And in a really unfriendly driving area. With no bus route. Why would they do that when the people who need access to that office are the poor, the elderly, the sick, the handicapped? They have a seeing eye person for one of their employees, but they put the office where it is a total hardship for a majority of the people who need access to it to even get there? The old office on West Center Road was always packed with people. This one, both times this week, had five people in it at best.

Your federal tax dollars at work.