They want to do this for healthcare?

For the second time in less than a year I am going to battle to protect my paycheck from the overbearing incompetence of government. You see I like millions of others pay child support each month. And like millions I have always paid my support on time. In fact I’ve often given more than I am required because I think my kids are more important than some long running argument with my ex-wife. She just isn’t that important to me but my kids certainly are.

Unfortunately the government is often unable to conduct what most of us would think simple tasks, even mundane by most standards. You see the big wheels of government grind us peasants slowly and usually without regard despite the grandiose claims candidates of all parties make from the campaign podium.

Recently the company I work for to broadcast the Steve Gruber Show on 15 stations was sold. No big deal right? Well not if it weren’t for child support. When I was first hired 18 months ago I found myself in a battle to explain my child support payments had just been adjusted to recognize that I was now working another full time job. The Friend of the Court computers didn’t get the memo. Those computers recognized my social security number and bam generated a letter to my new employer explaining that they must deduct child support payments. The problem is I was already paying my child support in full from another full time job! After weeks of battling back and forth the problem was rectified. The company I worked for was powerless to do anything as they had received an order to deduct child support and until I could get a letter generated to say otherwise they had to do so. The law requires it.

Now after all that like I just explained the company was sold. Nothing has changed for all practical purposes. My radio show is the same. My paycheck is the same. My circumstances have not changed except the letterhead of my company changed. Bam! Another letter this week notifying me that the new owners have been ordered to deduct my monthly child support payments in full. So this coming week I will begin the battle all over to make sure I am not making double payments again. In fairness it did get worked out but make no mistake it isn’t easy and frankly it isn’t excusable either. I mean seriously just because my social security number shows up somewhere the government meat grinder just goes to work on my paycheck and my patience.

The good news is soon all of you will get to experience government efficiency like this. For what they have done for child support and other rather simple government undertakings they will soon apply to healthcare. Yours, mine and everyone else’s.

I think the government should just stick to what it’s really good at; raising and collecting taxes, building really big machines that are designed to destroy other really big machines and kill people... and uh... well that’s all I can think of off the top of my head.

Welcome to the party my friends. It is a great deal of fun.