How efficient and effective government services are when in monopolistic control was pointed out to me in glaring detail today, as I spent 3 hours obtaining a learners permit for my 16 year old son today.
As long as we're doing anecdotes and DMVs--I did the same with my daughter a couple of years ago. She was, as is her wont, anxious about everything, from the way the car looked (the rear bumper was badly dented from an accident months earlier that had not yet been fixed) to her ability to steer around the barriers that the DMV set to test her driving. It is done in two different trips in my county--the first to get paperwork done, take a written test, and schedule the driving test. In the first visit, we waited a whole 15 minutes to talk to someone and get my daughter set up with the written test while I filled out the paperwork. I spoke with the officer behind the desk about my daughter's worries while she finished the test, and he smiled and offered to go out with us to look at the car when she was done. He did, looked at the car, gave her the non-driving part of the driving test (i.e., turning turn signals on, testing lights, etc.), and after another 2-3 minutes, reassured her by telling her that she passed everything so far.
It was silly of her and sweet of him to address her silliness in a way that I couldn't have done (after all, I had to tell her that it would be fine and she would pass, didn't I?).
Damn good for nuttin' government.... |
