Who are these terrible government employees?

[Texsox]

I just spent a week along the Natchez Trace Parkway with side trips to Vicksburg and Shiloh National Military Parks. These are all run by the National Park Service (Government employees). From the early phone calls when we began planning the trip to being on the site, customer service was first class. All the information was delivered via my very friendly and efficient postal carrier. The parks were very well maintained, the interpretive presentations were well produced and delivered.

 

I have also recently had to contact Social Security twice on matters and both times my questions were answered quickly and completely with additional information mailed to me. I will also admit, while the IRS was shoving an audit and tax lien up my ass, they too did it in a professional and timely manner.

 

Shall I also mention our military? While we may agree or disagree about their missions, they are the best in the world.

 

I know it is easy to talk about how our government employees suck, but I believe they are much like the private sector. Some may be better than others, but overall, I think they do a fine job.

[Balta1701]

There's this one totally racist woman at the Dept. of Agriculture, and from what I hear Vilsack won't even fire her.

[bmags]

I just spent a week along the Natchez Trace Parkway with side trips to Vicksburg and Shiloh National Military Parks. These are all run by the National Park Service (Government employees). From the early phone calls when we began planning the trip to being on the site, customer service was first class. All the information was delivered via my very friendly and efficient postal carrier. The parks were very well maintained, the interpretive presentations were well produced and delivered.

 

I have also recently had to contact Social Security twice on matters and both times my questions were answered quickly and completely with additional information mailed to me. I will also admit, while the IRS was shoving an audit and tax lien up my ass, they too did it in a professional and timely manner.

 

Shall I also mention our military? While we may agree or disagree about their missions, they are the best in the world.

 

I know it is easy to talk about how our government employees suck, but I believe they are much like the private sector. Some may be better than others, but overall, I think they do a fine job.

 

the workers at rocky mountain NP were amazing.

[NorthSideSox72]

The NPS generally has very good staff. They get 10 times more applications than they have positions in good times, more in bad. Jobs like that, there are always passionate people who WANT to do the job, so you get a lot of good people who you don't have to pay a ton of money for.

 

Shiloh? When I was loving in Tennessee, I had a buddy who was a teacher and a history buff. He was a "Sergeant" in the 37th Tennessee regiment that did re-enactments, and he convinced me to tag along on one. Dressed the part, did the marches and the battle simulations, the whole bit, over a weekend at Shiloh. Great experience, even for a Yankee, though it was a little weird dressing with the grey coats.

 

 

[G&T]

I would guess that 90% of most people's interaction with government employees is at the DMV. The other 10% is probably law enforcement or the legal system.

 

 

[NorthSideSox72]

I would guess that 90% of most people's interaction with government employees is at the DMV. The other 10% is probably law enforcement or the legal system.

Yeah, and in that 90% are people mostly who aren't going to be very engaged at their job. And in the other 10% of course, you won't care if they are or not.

 

[bmags]

The NPS generally has very good staff. They get 10 times more applications than they have positions in good times, more in bad. Jobs like that, there are always passionate people who WANT to do the job, so you get a lot of good people who you don't have to pay a ton of money for.

 

Shiloh? When I was loving in Tennessee, I had a buddy who was a teacher and a history buff. He was a "Sergeant" in the 37th Tennessee regiment that did re-enactments, and he convinced me to tag along on one. Dressed the part, did the marches and the battle simulations, the whole bit, over a weekend at Shiloh. Great experience, even for a Yankee, though it was a little weird dressing with the grey coats.

 

traitor.

[NorthSideSox72]

traitor.

You should have seen the looks I got from some other guys in this "regiment". I'd say something, they'd look at me, ask where I was from... told them Chicago... they'd usually either laugh or just stare at me like I had two heads.

 

[jasonxctf]

the last few times ive had to go to the DMV, its been smooth sailing.

[EvilMonkey]

the last few times ive had to go to the DMV, its been smooth sailing.

Half the issues with being at the DMW is when you go there just to renew your license, it seems like every idiot in front of you is there because they were driving on a suspended license or some other such crap that takes forever for them to handle. When you are dealing with idiots all day who probably shouldn't be driving to begin with, I can ALMOST sympathize with them. It's kinda like working retail!

 

In the past 6 months I have had to deal with people at the county recorders office (efficient but quite monotone and detached), Debbie Halvorson's office (very friendly but pretty much wanted me to get out and seemed very uninterested in doing anythign for me), Joliet Police Department (very professional), Will County Animal Control (should all be fired) and the social security office (wow, um, if they hate their jobs that much, they really should quit and stop taking it out on the people). So you can see it is a mixed bag.

[lostfan]

Federal employees are really like any other professional type of employee, but the ones who I hate are the cocky ones who know they won't get fired and they talk to you any way they feel like it. Not ones that deal with the general public (although they exist), I mean some admin types who think that they're running your life (at a great inconvenience to themselves) because you need them to process a piece of goddamn paperwork.

[jasonxctf]

i had relatives from New Orleans during Katrina who stayed with my in-laws. Melissa Bean's office helped them a ton.

[Iwritecode]

the last few times ive had to go to the DMV, its been smooth sailing.

 

 

I was always able to go to the DMV in Oregon, IL. It's just a small little town so the DMV was always empty when I went.

 

No lines!

[whitesoxfan101]

I was always able to go to the DMV in Oregon, IL. It's just a small little town so the DMV was always empty when I went.

 

No lines!

 

Haha, I can attest to this because I actually ended up at that exact DMV about 5 years ago or so. And indeed, no line.

Edited July 28, 2010 by whitesoxfan101

[bigruss]

Ive had terrible times at DMVs and Social Security offices.

 

When my family moved to Michigan we went to the Ann Arbor DMV, waited 2 hrs in line, then my parents got their liscenses and my brother who had his liscence for about a month tried to get his, the clerk said that the state laws were different so he wouldnt get his. We were astounded, but stayed polite, asked her what needed to be done and what the reasoning was. She just shrugged it off and told us there was nothing we could do.

 

Next week, we went to another DMV and she was astonished tehy treated us that way and got my brother's liscnence right away and had no idea about any of those laws the other person was spewing to us.

 

The Social Security Office I went to was terrible too, long wait just to get a social security card, and the person was extremely unfriendly. Also, when I first went to them it was a Saturday, and I had checked the tiems they were open online, inlcuding holidays, and when I went there tehy were closed. Yea, that pissed me off because it was 30 mins away from my house.

 

The DMV in Waukegan screwed me over too, I went there to get an Illinois drivers liscence after I moved back here and its a far ride from my house (about 45 mins), and I get there and they want proof of my home address, so I had to go home and get that. Then I come back, get the liscence, and they mess it up. They misspelled my first name, but in a way that you wouldnt notice unless you really looked at it (theres a color line that goes through the letter that makes it hard to see) and so I had to once again go back for that.

 

I have not had good luck at all at those places.