Wednesday, August 26, 2009

In Memoriam- and a little extra

So I'll start off this post with a dedication to the late Senator Edward Kennedy in recognition of his service and principled leadership in the United States Senate. He was, I believe, one of a rare breed of politicians- namely not a clown or a sideshow for media attention and cute soundbites. The loss of yet another politically influential Kennedy is truly a sad event, though we saw it coming. Leaving my own political beliefs aside, I think it is reasonable to say that Ted Kennedy was a relatively major part of this country's cast in the show that its second century of existence has been.

Another testament to the efficiency of government: I was at the local circuit court today trying to chase around a record that was recently modified. Seven or eight buildings, ten offices, and an hour and a half later, someone who seemed to know what she was talking about finally told me and my father that what we were trying to do wouldn't be possible for another few days (read: who knows how long) and that besides we'd have to complete a packet of forms, have it notarized, certified by the Court Clerk, and sent to Tallahassee to have an official there do something to it.

Needless to say, each secretary, clerk, public servant, and court police officer seemed to have his/her own opinion on how one went about getting the information we needed. Every one. So we made repeated repeat visits to several buildings, in which broken elevators eagerly slowed things down for us. Naturally, this is to be expected when one seeks something from such edifices of bureaucracy, but its still irritating. And, of course, I'm the only one who has to go through it. Right? I must admit, though, that I probably couldn't organize such a massive system of networked departments, offices, administrations, infrastructural records, and the amount of data implicit in the function of today's societies any better.

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