Pardon Me While I Rant

I received a letter from the county this week. The document took two pages to say that the county has determined that there is a problem with my septic system and I need to fix it and let the county know it's fixed. It said I need to get in touch with them within 60 days to let them know the problem has been repaired. What it didn't say is what problem I am supposed to fix! Basically they said you better guess what the problem is, fix it, or else! Only a taxpayer-funded entity could come up with something like this. Oh yes, I almost forgot.... True to form, the county's letter arrived on a Friday so I can stew over it over the weekend.

I guess it goes to show you, even if you move out of the city you are still subject to oversight on your own property. At any minute you can be thrown into the paperwork maze that others have spent your tax dollars to build.

My wife noticed a man in front of the house earlier in the week. She said he was taking photos of our property. Now that I have this letter, I'm assuming he was a paid county employee taking photos of the alleged problems. It's not that exciting of a building and it sure isn't the cover of house beautiful, so this must be what all that was about.

I question why the county has to do this in such an inefficient manner. If they are going to pay a man to come to my house in a tax-funded pickup truck, on the tax payers payroll, using tax-funded film in a tax-funded camera...why not have him come to the door and say this is what I have to fix? Why have someone type a two-page letter that tells me absolutely nothing other than the number I have to call ...then spend more money on stamps to send me the meaningless form? Oh yes, I almost forgot... they are doing this with my money (that's where tax money comes from) so why would they worry about wasting it?

I would let the person have it on the phone Monday, but I'm sure I'll get a computer telling me to punch this number or that number. When I do get a human on the phone it will most likely be a low-paid clerk who has no power to do anything but to tell me what problem is putting his or her supervisor's underwear in a twist.

I'm sorry, do I sound as if I have low respect for some publicly-paid officials who make two to three times my salary? Surely you must be mistaken.