Wednesday, September 06, 2006

The copier at the legislative history library on the capitol complex in St. Paul is the perfect embodiment of government bureaucracy:
  • It won't copy the top three inches of your document if you line it up like you would on a normal printer;
  • It charges 20 cents per page;
  • When you push the coin return button, it will take no fewer than five minutes to actually release your change (no hyperbole here--it literally takes five minutes. You may as well go read a book or something until you hear the coins drop);
  • When it finally does return your change, it will only give you nickels;
  • Said nickels will only add up to 25 cents, even though the machine owes you 60; and
  • Rather than fixing any of the above, the librarians cover the copier with signs indicating that you have to line up your margins differently, that it will take "a long time" to get your change back, and that the machine will only dispense nickels.

4 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anxious to get off on a good start with your future mother-in-law the LIBRARIAN are we!

Thu Sep 07, 12:31:00 AM CDT  
Blogger T-Mac said...

Cut to: you pushing it out a window. :-)

Thu Sep 07, 12:33:00 AM CDT  
Blogger Your Friendly Neighborhood Clark Bar said...

T-Mac: Now that you mention it, there was a window nearby.

Dave: I'm not talking about Idaho libraries. ;o)

Thu Sep 07, 08:45:00 AM CDT  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wow, that's pretty good.

I've got a good one too:

The federal government's Corporation for National Community Service (CNCS) is responsbile for the "living stipend" that all AmeriCorps volunteers get. Because it's a stipend and not a salary, it's not subject to state taxes. But guess what? The federal government still gets to take FICA and Social Security out of an already meager stipend.

Out of one hand and into the other. No doubt.

Thu Sep 07, 01:52:00 PM CDT  

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