Government (Waste) Spending

Today in the mail we got an envelope from the U.S. Department of Commerce. I'm sure you did, too - if not, you will soon. Inside was a letter. To resident. Telling us that in one week we'd get our Census form in the mail. There was one line, in 5 other languages, on the bottom.

First - HOW FREAKING MUCH DID IT COST TO SEND THIS OUT?????? To everyone in the country?????

Second - why only 5 languages? And why was only one line translated? Who chose which 5 languages? And frankly, how can they determine the languages, since we're supposed to only have to answer how many people live in the house, we're not supposed to have to answer any other questions, like ethnicity or ancestral background. Tell that to the people that sent out the last Census. I was not happy that we were one of the houses chosen to do "the long form" (read "the entirely too intrusive, many of the answers which they were seeking being none of their darned business, form")

I know, tell you how I really feel.

Mind you, this reminds me of other government waste. I worked for the Department of Defense in my early adulthood. When I left, I cashed in my retirement so that I could pay for my first 2 years of college. So, first, I received a letter telling me how much money I would receive. Then I received a letter telling me that I would receive a check. Then I received a check. Then I received a letter making sure I had gotten the check, and what to do if I had not. The problem was, when I cashed it in, it was figured wrong. SO, I got a letter telling me that the calculations were wrong, and that I would receive a letter telling me the correct amount. Then I got a letter telling me the correct amount - they owed me SIXTY-FOUR CENTS. Then I got a check for 64 cents. Then, I got a letter making sure I had gotten the 64 cent check, and what to do if I had not. All the additional mailings cost, I'm sure, a bit more than the 64 stinking cents. I could have lived without it.

So...why do we put up with this wastefulness?

Hal says he'll miss me while I'm in solitary confinement for posting this. I'll miss him too.