License Plate Agency: A Happy Place

As I approached the counter to renew my tags for this year, the woman on the other side greeted me with an unfeeling, blank stare. She asked if she could help me with about as much enthusiasm as someone asking to be poked in the eye. While handing over some papers, I explained that I needed to renew my tags. She began clicking away at her keyboard and staring into her monitor, but there was still no human reaction from her whatsoever. She turned from her computer and looked upon me with disdain. “You need to have an inspection first. Number four,” she scolded while pointing to the rules. After handing over my inspection papers, she explained that my VIN number had been recorded incorrectly and that the inspection papers would need to be fixed first. I thanked her and walked away.

As I headed toward the inspection station, I pondered why this woman had treated me so coldly. After all, she is basically doing government work. Aren't we told that the government wants to help us? Why didn't this woman seem enthusiastic to help me at all? Doesn't she have a good job? Shouldn't she be living a happy life, doing the government's work? Being a good person? What was wrong here? Even though this particular office is contracted out, it is far from the model of a free-market enterprise. Regulations are strictly in force for their operations, many details dictated by the state. Perhaps the woman had dealt with many unhappy, demanding, frustrating customers earlier that day. There was no one in line when I arrived, but maybe earlier she'd had some unhappy customers. Why should the government have any unhappy customers? Isn't all this license plate renewal stuff supposed to be good for the citizens, in our best interest? What is there to be unhappy about it?

I honestly don't understand it. Here is a woman doing the government's work, sitting in the same place for eight hours a day, five days a week, pushing the same buttons on the same computer. And this woman makes no particular effort to care about me at all, and treats me like an idiot. I could teach my five year old daughter how to do her job. A complete moron could do her job. But there she sits with her government rulebook full of regulations as proof of her superiority. And these regulations are her only concern. No concern for me as a driver, for the safety-readiness of my vehicle, or for me as a customer. What private business in their right mind would turn me away because I misspelled my name? But if I leave one number out of what is obviously the VIN to my car, it is rejected.

After some careful thought, I realized that I am completely wrong about all of this. This woman wasn't cold or disdainful. It was me, projecting my Tea Party feelings of frustration and anger on her. As a conservative I'm just so full of hate that I can't see anything else. This woman obviously has the perfect job which keeps her content. She serves many happy citizens every day because as we all know, the government exists to make us happy.

Government is a great health care administrator

America: Choice is Freedom

In 1776, Thomas Jefferson and our other forefathers produced the Declaration of Independence, the foundation of our country, our freedom, and our Choice. As a free nation, we declared certain truths to be self-evident and of the natural order, that we have the inalienable Choice of our life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

This Choice is what defines American freedom. The Choice of the People is above the choice of any government. The American Government was created to "provide new Guards for [our Choices'] future security." The existence of a government is to solely provide this security, the Choice of the individual People.

It is our Bill of Rights which spells out in detail this right to Choice. The rights of the People guaranteed, apart from the responsibilities given the Government in the rest of the Constitution. This Bill of Rights guarantees us the choice to our faith, the choice to our speech, the choice to press and publication. The People are given the right of choice to bear arms, so that we may provide our own protection to our Life and our Liberty. This freedom of Choice is to be free from hindrance of our Government, so we are guaranteed due process and protection against unreasonable searches and self-incrimination. And the rights not specifically given to our national Government are reserved for our States and our People.

These freedoms are Choices. We have the freedom to speak, but we are not required to do so. We have the freedom to arm ourselves, but we are not required to carry a gun. Our Government provides protection for these choices through our many laws. The idea is that these Choices will be protected, except where they may infringe upon the Choices of other People. The freedom to choose is of the Natural Law. It is self-evident regardless of political persuasion or religious ideals.

It is these Choices that we the People wish to protect. It is when these choices are disregarded or diminished that we, the People, become most angry.

It is widely accepted that the American health care system needs quite a bit of work. But the causes, extent of the problems, and how to address these problems make for extremely polarizing debate. Most Americans welcome the benefits of the reform that is currently being debated. Provide a way to insure those with pre-existing conditions. Prevent insurance companies from dropping coverage at will. Limit health expenses and reduce costs. Provide easier, more affordable ways to get health insurance. Change the medical environment that encourages cost explosion. Who wouldn't want these things? Why are half of Americans against these changes for their own benefit?

In our current system, we do not have a lot of choice over our own health care. It is the insurance companies' choice if we get coverage and how much we get. It is the health providers' choice how much it will cost. It is our government's choice how the insurance companies and the health providers operate and in which States. These are the things which we reject. These are the things that must change. Choice must be returned to the People.

With the plan presented by the Congress, this choice has been reduced, ignored, even trampled upon. Politicians are having a hard time giving benefits away, and many do not understand why. We the People demand the Choice, it is our right and our freedom. For anyone else, including (or especially) the Government to take the choice away from the health care system, only to give it to themselves instead of the People, is a violation of our Declaration of Independence and our Bill of Rights. When the Government is ready to return the Choice to the People, they will have my full support, and the support of many others.

Note: For those who thought that this would be an article about abortion, I want to address the confusion about abortion and choice. Let me be clear. Abortion is the complete negative, the opposite of choice. For 92% of women who have abortions, it was their choices which led to their pregnancy. The science that a baby not yet born is in fact a living, unique person, with their own DNA, is indisputable. For the other 8% of women who were victims of rape, incest, or health conditions, it was not their choice to be in their position. That choice was removed from them and it is a grievous evil. It was also not their child's choice to be created, that opportunity is not provided to any of us. But to remove the choice of life from a living child is also a wrong, against the Natural Law, which cannot make up for any other wrong. For this reason it is important that all of us do whatever we can to help those women around us who are in desperate need. These are not problems which can be solved by laws or governments, but by People.

It's a good thing Ruby Tuesday has a salad bar

It really does look pathetic sitting on the plate. It's falling halfway off the bun, and the lonely potato is missing the necessary butter and sour cream. I hold my breath and check it, but no luck. Without the ketchup I ordered. I mull over the dim lighting, the soft colors in the wannabe elegant decor. Surely this burger isn't special enough to not need ketchup.

2 minutes later we get a spoon (for my wife) and an apology that the condiments will be coming. Three bites of food already down the hatch, but the server has left to drop off condiments to another booth. After several more apologies in passing, finally some ketchup. But what will I put it on? After all this time the cheeseburger is no more.

The server reappears, apologizing that he had to take care of a party that walked in. Fine. Since the party is so important, I told him that they could leave him a tip, but I wouldn't. And I signed the receipt in front of him. The kitchen staff that dropped off the plate was right on when he explained, "More food."