Every year at tax time, or when I have an experience with a branch of government, I'm reminded of how much I hate government waste and incompetence. It just so happens both are happening right now -- we filed an extension this year, so we're getting our tax info together now, and this morning I had a classic, ridiculous, completely illogical encounter with our very own Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) office in Kansas City, MO. It was the proverbial straw that broke my Libertarian back.
Amy and I are working on our second international adoption. Our son, Joe, was adopted from Guatemala. We're working through the same international adoption agency -- Children's Hope International -- to adopt two children -- siblings -- from Colombia, South America. We started the process two years ago, and what should have been a 15-month, start-to-finish-process, is turning into a 3-year wait. It's primarily due to supply and demand in Colombia -- a lot of couples are waiting for kids. But the extended wait creates other problems for us.
The entire adoption process hinges on paperwork -- tons of it. One of the key documents is called an I-600. It's an INS form that allows us to bring an "orphan" child from another country into the U.S. for adoption. Applying for an I-600 requires a "home study (which is another long process in-and-of itself that asks more personal questions than you'll care to answer) and an FBI background check, which is accomplished via fingerprinting, which has to be done at an INS facility. Our fingerprints for the I-600 "expire" after 14 months -- on August 14. Never mind that we were fingerprinted as part of our home study by our local police department because we had to have a Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) background check as well. So we need to get re-fingerprinted.
Now, the first time we were fingerprinted at INS, it was a two-day affair. We made an appointment online, like we were supposed to. Took off work, drove an hour to the facility, went through security, and then were told we'd have to come back the next day because they had too many people to fingerprint that day.
"But we have an appointment," we said.
"Our online appointment system was messed up," they said. "Come back tomorrow."
So we did, paid our $70 per-person in fees, and got it done. The money is a whole other issue! I mean, seriously, we already have FBI and KBI files/background checks from Joe's adoption...but anyway, I digress.
We tried to make an appointment for our updated fingerprinting, but all the slots were full this week, and we have to go this week because we're on vacation next week, and then our fingerprints expire. So we called our adoption agency local contact. They told us to show up on WEDNESDAY to get it done -- Wednesday is the day for walk-ins.
So we show up this morning and go to the fingerprinting window.
"You have to go to the front window to pay first before we can fingerprint you," the guy said.
"All the front windows are closed," we said.
"They're closed on Wednesdays," he said.
Strange look between Amy and me.
"You realize that's ridiculous," Amy told him.
"I'm sorry, we're just contractors -- we don't take money here. You have to come back tomorrow and pay, then you'll get a receipt, and you bring it to me, and we'll fingerprint you," he said.
"But we re-arranged our schedules today, and we live an hour away -- is there anyway you can do it," we asked?
"No," he said. He wasn't mean, but just matter of fact. It was clear he had to repeat this speech many times before.
So we leave -- pissed. Amy called our agency contact, and she told us we're supposed to get one FREE fingerprint renewal.
Awesome! So we go back in, back through security (you can't take your phones inside the building, so we had to exit to make a call).
Back at the fingerprint window..."Our agency said we are supposed to get a FREE fingerprint renewal," we say enthusiastically. "Here's our receipt from the last fingerprinting, just to prove we did it last year."
"Yes, you get a free renewal, but you still have to go to the window to get a receipt that says you get it for free," he said.
Confused look between Amy and me.
"But we have a receipt from the last time -- clearly, we've done this before -- can't you just fingerprint us now."
"I'm sorry -- we're just contractors -- they have to do the paperwork at the window, and, you know..." he said.
"Why are they closed on Wednesdays?" we ask.
"That's the day they're closed," he answered.
Of course. Closed during the middle of the week. A government agency office that serves the public with time-sensitive, life-impacting services. That makes complete sense.
So we leave. And we'll be going back tomorrow to go to the window, get our receipt that says we can get our fingerprints renewed for free, then walk 50 feet to the fingerprint window, which is contractor run, and spend 3 minutes getting it done, so we can go back when the I-600 expires and get it renewed so we don't lose our place in line for two kids somewhere in Colombia that we want to give a home to and love and raise to be good people that we've already been waiting on for two years.
The fingerprinting process -- which is about 1/10th of what we've had to endure for this adoption -- is so inefficient it's laughable. That's what our taxes are paying for. And that's just one tiny example. Multiple this by the millions and millions of daily inefficiencies playing out all over the bloated monster that is our federal government. And that's just the federal level! Think about your state and municipality! The next time you file your tax return, think about that.
So I've had it. I'm making this pledge. I will no longer support any candidate -- local, state or federal -- that has ever voted for a tax increase of any kind. And if they're a first-time candidate, I won't support them unless they pledge not to raise taxes. In other words, I'm looking for candidates that will pledge to CUT taxes -- to the bone.
I'm sending a link to this post to all my elected representatives -- local, state and federal -- and to several media sources, plus several online sources that I know will spread the word. If you're reading this post, I ask you to do two things:
1. Think hard before you cast your votes this Fall for Congress and President.
2. Pass my post along, or link to it, if you agree with me.
Thanks for reading.
