Zombies in our midst
It seems that the latest and greatest on the Internet is that by punching the wrong key on their computers, government bureaucrats wind up "killing" people. Not literally, of course, but figuratively is just as good when it comes to dealing with the government. I’ve seen several of these stories in just the last few weeks.
Once you’re "dead" in the bureaucratic system, it doesn’t matter how much you breathe or how much you get screwed over by the system, you’re going to stay dead.
And the problem can go on and on and on, for years. And who’s held responsible? No one.
When an insurance company, bank, or any other corporation screws you over through incompetence and shoddy work, then doesn’t respond to your complaints and make a real effort to fix it, they get fined millions and millions of dollars, may find themselves on the losing ends of gigantic civil lawsuits, people can get fired, reputations can get fried. And the watchdogs follow their later work, sometimes for years.
But when it happens because of "public servants" (an oxymoron if I’ve ever heard one), it’s business as usual. No one loses his or her job, people actually get promoted, and it’s more than just possible that you’re going to think that, just because you’ve been told the problem has been solved, the problem will continue to rise from the dead (even if you don’t) until…well, you’re really dead.
And even when you’re told it’s been solved, you’re going to need more lives than a cat because you’re more than likely to find out you’re dead again and again and again as the news of your "demise" spreads through the system like mold across an old piece of bread.
And the problem isn’t rare. Estimates are that there are tens of thousands of living people erroneously reported as dead by government bureaucrats, and there are at least another 35 new zombies every day. And for these new 35, as I said, their nightmares can go on for years and years and years…
In the meantime, the people who make these mistakes and the people who are supposed to fix them go home at night, get a good night’s sleep, pay their bills, go on vacations, and otherwise have pleasant lives. For the victims, it can mean tax refunds (and tax rebates) that never come; Social Security (including Social Security disability) checks that are discontinued; bills that don’t get paid, so utilities get shut off; credit cards that get cancelled; your life history is now an open book leaving you completely exposed to identity theft; health insurance and Medicare are cancelled so real and life-threatening ailments can’t get treated…the list goes on.
What can we do? There will never be a solution to bureaucratic stupidity, inefficiency, and incompetence until people are held accountable. And do you you know what that’s going to take? You.
And look at you. There you are, still sitting on your big butt doing nothing about it. Do something. Write or call your Congressman. Demand bureaucratic responsibility. And don’t desist in your efforts, even if they tell you they don’t have to listen to you because someone hit the wrong button and you’re dead.
March 2nd, 2008 at 10:31 am
Does that mean that if they declare me dead I can stop paying taxes? If so, then sign me up!
March 2nd, 2008 at 8:38 pm
Ah, but if it were that simple. We’re dealing with bureaucrats here. If they screw up, no foul. If you take advantage of their screwup…you know what’s going to happen. You’re accountable, they’re not.
March 7th, 2008 at 10:08 am
A few years ago, I received a request from the IRS for additional information. I promptly sent the necessary documents via certified mail with a return receipt requested and received back the confirmation. My next pay check, from the company where I worked, showed a total of $10.00. Needless to say, I was shocked! A call to my employer and I was told the IRS had taken my funds. I call the IRS and was told they had not received the information requested. I informed them of the return confirmation I had revived back and was told my information was lost in the system. They said until it it found my salary would continue to be taken. I hand delivered this time. like you said NO Accountability!!!
March 19th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
John, you say “not literally, of course…”. Why “of course”, when in reality, government types have a pretty bad habit of making innocent people literally dead, as well. This usually ruins the rest of the government thing’s day, because it then has to dream up an excuse for why that person probably needed killing anyway.