Comments on: Your tax dollars at work http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/philg/2008/09/08/your-tax-dollars-at-work/ A posting every day; an interesting idea every three months... Sun, 29 Nov 2009 20:08:49 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Tyler http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/philg/2008/09/08/your-tax-dollars-at-work/comment-page-1/#comment-87181 Tyler Wed, 10 Sep 2008 03:07:18 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/philg/?p=1086#comment-87181 I work in government and that is one of my biggest complaints. It's the simple fact that in business you must be efficient to survive. If you can't trim the fat your failure will be caused by the competition who will do it cheaper/faster/better (or all three). That doesn't exist in government. So they'll continue to print out and mail silly cards because heck, when times get tough they'll just get a budget increase. Of course that raises the question: Why bother sending out the cards at all? It isn't like you're going to go somewhere else to get your decal. I work in government and that is one of my biggest complaints. It’s the simple fact that in business you must be efficient to survive. If you can’t trim the fat your failure will be caused by the competition who will do it cheaper/faster/better (or all three). That doesn’t exist in government. So they’ll continue to print out and mail silly cards because heck, when times get tough they’ll just get a budget increase.

Of course that raises the question: Why bother sending out the cards at all? It isn’t like you’re going to go somewhere else to get your decal.

]]> By: chris http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/philg/2008/09/08/your-tax-dollars-at-work/comment-page-1/#comment-87031 chris Tue, 09 Sep 2008 04:14:53 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/philg/?p=1086#comment-87031 This is all too typical of government operations, I'm afraid. Your tale reminds me of the hold notices that my local county library sends me via snail mail. Despite three repeated attempts to get library staff to change my hold notifications back to email delivery, the library persists in snail-mailing them to me. In almost every case, I receive the snail-mailed notice two or more days _after_ I've picked up the item in question. So the library system can afford to send out completely useless snail mail hold notices and, worse, can't figure out how not to. This is all too typical of government operations, I’m afraid. Your tale reminds me of the hold notices that my local county library sends me via snail mail. Despite three repeated attempts to get library staff to change my hold notifications back to email delivery, the library persists in snail-mailing them to me. In almost every case, I receive the snail-mailed notice two or more days _after_ I’ve picked up the item in question. So the library system can afford to send out completely useless snail mail hold notices and, worse, can’t figure out how not to.

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