Why bureaucracies become wasteful and inefficient

As probably all of you know by now I am on Social Security. I lost my other two pensions last year with the Wall Street catastrophe and since I am considered below the poverty line I can apply to some SOCIALIST government programs that would pay for some medical expenses should I have the misfortune of getting ill.

For that reason, I went to get a medical emergency card so that I have something to rely on until my 65^th birthday when I can get the other SOCIALIST program: Medicare.

It is incredible the amount of paperwork and the hoops you have to jump through in order to get some basic medical care. I was flabbergasted just to see the paperwork and the number of people that had to interview me. Then we came to a halt. According to them, I needed a recent print out of my Social Security benefits. Never mind that I am already providing with six months worth of bank statements where it clearly shows a deposit, consistent, month after month from the Treasury Department.

Now think about this: I went there and spent at least three hours. I had to see three different people and fill out 17 different pieces of paper. I spent my time, which at the moment is worthless, but I also spent gasoline. The interviewers get paid but did not solve the problem. So now I have to return with the stupid piece of paper from Social Security.

The office for Social Security is 9 miles away. Now I have to travel west and spend more gas. I have to waste more of my time, (still worth nothing) and waste some Social Security office employee’s time. Then I return to the place to get my eligibility again. Same bullshit, different day. Still, those employees have to see me and they get paid by the State of Florida.

Surely, they explained to me, it is not them; it is that the legislators in Tallahassee are very strict in requiring all of this paper work. To which I say: surely, the legislators in Tallahassee have very nice Health Insurance and most of them are Republicans, they follow a very obtuse philosophy that opposes any help to seniors or poor folks. We are all supposed to fend for ourselves, or crawl into a corner and just die. If it was up to them, all of these SOCIALIST programs would be eliminated.