A Monty Python Moment
Now, please explain to me EXACTLY what is so damn appealing about government running things???
I had a terrible time when I married getting SS to STOP paying my survivors benefits (from my dad). It is no wonder that there is such a damn deficit - these idiots in bureaucracy land just keep the checks coming until somehow someone with a brain types in the correct information - and then Uncle Sam wants his money (in full) 5 minutes ago.
My question with this gem - who was the moron who told SS that this man was dead - I thought a death certificate was needed. Oh well someone bored with their day and too stupid to visit BMEWS, hit the check mark key on dead on this poor guy’s page and the rest of the mess will probably kill them both!
A computer glitch (read: incompetent data entry) put my military allotment into our savings account and someone’s SS check into our checking account. I called the bank, they found my allotment but said it was SS’s fault and to call them on the other. I called SS and they said it was the banks fault. We just sat back and waited to see how long it took - 6 damn months.
As I said, no wonder we have such a damn deficit. Wasteful government at work.
Remember, to the bureaucrat, the paper is the reality. Flesh & blood people are a nuisance. When you are lucky enough to get overpaid, notify them of the error, in writing, return receipt, and let the money stack up for six months, a year. Use the interest, be prepared to return the principle.
In case of stubborn premature death, do what this fellow did—contact the media.
When they request your date of death, tell them you don’t know yet, but you’ll get back with them ASAP.
Posted by Oink
03/04/2006 at 05:32 PM
That’s what I was getting at - there is not death certificate, so how has this gotten so out of hand??? This is a pathetic state of affairs we have come to, if the only way to get anything done (or corrected or arrested or changed) is to have the stoooooooopid media get a hold of it. Which brings us to another point of late - who to you get in touch with to call the media on it’s ‘problem’???
Just read a piece (I’ll contact my daughter for the exact location; at the bottom it says MilitaryPrideNews) about a Mother of a soldier killed in Iraq who has the exact opposite message of ‘Mother’ Sheehan and has been silenced, even after producing a tv spot with another group. Just such a point about how the msm wants only to ‘show’ or ‘report’ on their take of what is the ‘news.’
My mother died 5 days before becoming eligible for Medicare, but that was apparently close enough for her Medicare and Social Security account to be opened. Between Medicare, the hospital, the private insurance company and Social Security, it took my poor father more than five years to untangle the mess for her final two-week hospital stay.
Social Security is allegedly the most efficient government agency; isn’t that a comforting thought?
Oink I nearly had a “coffee/keyboard interface” moment with that last comment!
Thanks, LBJ, always good to crack that British Reserve.
Could you pass some of it along to your Compatriot? Dreadful overuse of the F-word, and all that… 
The chap appears to be picking up all our bad habits and none of our good ones.
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JOKING DONE, Now listen to Uncle OINK—Former bureaucrat, Social Worker, Stock BrokerDEALING WITH
FOR BRAINS BUREAUCRACIES
1. Immediately begin a ‘Diary’—a folder if you like
2. In it, chronologically list every phone call received and sent. The NAME & number of every person, their Department & job. “I talked to some black-sounding woman a couple of weeks ago” does not make a good beginning to a complaint.
3. Send every letter “return receipt” with a copy kept.
4. BE POLITE. These people (they are people) have their fill of ranting assholes daily. It won’t help you any but you’ll feel good about yourself.
Actually, it won’t hurt.
5. Stay on the chain of command for a reasonable bit—longer than you think. Going over someones head may slow it down.
6. When you must crank it up a level, avoid capitalizations, red ink and underlining. That marks you as a nut-case. Any newspaper editor knows that. If it’s Federal, write to your local Congressman.
7.RULE: The people are f-ed up. Therefore you MUST be organized.
Posted by Oink
03/05/2006 at 11:06 AM
Thank you OCM, thank you for this counter example: “What you want to avoid”.
Posted by Oink
03/05/2006 at 11:35 AM
Where oh where do I start - perhaps the idiots who think my hubby is 103 (and want us to pay for a credit card with a company we never had)! I really had to bite my tongue on that one. Sent them a letter to ‘prove’ it - have never heard back.
Or MCI who sends us through the collection ripoff artists every 5 years over a $498. bill we ended up paying $603(they let the account garner penalties and fees for 2 months) on - I have copied every collection letter and our response which lists every check # and when it was cashed - and send that in response.
Or my all time favorite our health ins co which took a year to send our first payment check back and said, we never applied!!! Then when proven that we did (like duh, why send a check) and that they have been paying on us all year - finally did something when we mentioned that we guess our next step to straighten this out was to inform our Representative (hubby’s a vet). We exchanged something like 4 checks, they have messed up my son’s ongoing dr. as they send checks and we pay him and so he ends up with double payments. It is all stupid.
I can’t wait for SS and/or Medicare - just more to mess up an already messed up system. I would prefer to pay cash, but you ought to see their faces when you say that - first words - No Insurance???
No, I have insurance I’d rather not put up with the crap.
just keep keeping your mexicans, they are your future after all.
you fucking wankers, there you go myron i said it for you,
Myron manders
Oink, you are correct. In fact that is how I have managed to keep us afloat all these years - I keep it all, organize it and can throw back at them every letter, phone call, proof, proof and more proof.
It is why as soon as I say prove it or send my proof (for the stubborn ones) I never hear back.
I got one stupid company by telling them that I was going to the State Attorney General because there was a blank on the form - damn I found out that a guy sued them and got 5 mil for messing up his credit on the same type of mistake on his form. Should have just gone after them and not warned them.
But you know with the sleezy tactics these companies are taking now days, it’s getting harder and harder to deal with them. A certain credit card company really went after us and then when I pointed out that they had breeched their own contract (she was trying to make me feel guilty, didn’t work) she hung up on me.
Bureaucracies are worse - they get paid just for showing up, don’t care if you are having problems or not - if you owe them the money was due yesterday - but they will drag out admitting their error or their debt to you until your dead (or wish you were).
That is why I am seriously wanting to just live the cash life. Now if I could just get my hands on some cash!
With the internet it’s easier to lodge an official complaint with a State Agency. But if you look carefully at your phone bill, etc., you’ll find a place to write. Don’t overuse this, or use it FIRST. Avoid: “It’s THAT nut, again.”
Posted by Oink
03/05/2006 at 07:27 PM
Our Government at work.. Remember an Elephant is a mouse built to Government Specs..
03/05/2006 at 03:00 AM
03/05/2006 at 05:49 PM
