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Government incompetence. Share your story.

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  • WT_Foxtrot

    Well-Known
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Jan 23, 2019
    1,307
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    North Texas
    Because that was the law back then. The bank was required to send an information return to the IRS attributing the income to him. For a few years after the housing market crashed, until 2007, lots of people got utterly slammed by the law. (As an aside, the IRS Problem Resolution Office folks routinely looked for any meager justification to accept Offers in Compromise that forgave the taxes arising from those situations. The IRS hated collecting those taxes. It was difficult to do the collectng, bad for their public image, and incredibly bad for morale.) In 2007 the law changed and that stopped being income. However, the law was just a temporarely relief measure that lasted 10 years from 2007 to 2017. It has been sunset and defaults are, as of now, again considered taxable income.

    Something not quite the same but analogous happens with consumer credit. If you call up your credit card companies and negotiate to pay off all of your $20K in debt for $12K, you'll get 1099C forms totally $8K that must be reported as "Other Income" on your tax return.

    Thanks for the teach! Makes more sense now, but doesn't change the fact that like many taxes collected by the feds, it's nothing more than theft, i.e., estate taxes. However in this case, it's taken from people who are in the worst possible position, often not of their own doing, and not only have nothing to pay, but have lost the only asset they had with nothing in return to which they pay taxes on.

    Just makes zero sense and can see why it would be bad for morale, even for the IRS.
    Venture Surplus ad
     

    General Zod

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    0   0   0
    Sep 29, 2012
    26,748
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    Kaufman County
    Well, my sister and I spent 7 years helping my father navigate the VA healthcare system...the sheer, institutionalized incompetence there was mind boggling. Incompetence that gets veterans killed, even - damn near killed my dad. Thank God he had private insurance that allowed him to see civilian doctors when the VA doctors did nothing but prescribe drugs instead of actually diagnosing anything.

    And then there was the time my wife's nice, hardcover book came in the mail, in a sturdy package marked "DO NOT BEND". Of course it was folded double and shoved in our apartment mailbox. When I took it to the post office and dropped it on the counter, the counter rep sighed and said "I can tell who your letter carrier is."
     

    candcallen

    Crotchety, Snarky, Truthful. You'll get over it.
    Emeritus - "Texas Proud"
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    Jul 23, 2011
    21,358
    96
    Little Elm
    Since I worked for a state gooberment agency I might have to take the 5th.

    I will say that I think the root of all bad sheit in gooberment is the inability to terminate people. I had two officers I supervised I tried to terminate and you just cant get it done. One tard called off or showed up late so much it took a month to even succeed in getting me him and the captain in the same room to tell him I was going to attempt to terminate him so the fraking time frames on appeals and such could start. The state refused to terminate and because he felt harrassed they moved him to a better assignment and shift leap frogging more Sr staff in the process. Unfrakingbelievable.

    They would need to be arrested for a felony to get canned. Even then depending on the crime its disposition and even weather it made the news the guy might keep his job. Some. Felonies that got lowered to MM or deferred prosecution where their records would be cleared and some serious MM wouldnt get people fired. Things like 2nd or 3 DUIs or bad checks etc didnt mean automatic termination sometimes. If the officer had a "Drug Problem" and asked for help even after an arrest they wouldnt fire them. Its infuriating.

    We had people who were outright dangerous and they failed upwards. Luckily for those occasions the parking lots were dimly lit and remeadal training could be administered covertly.

    Just for the record the agency was in a different state and time frames were late 80s thru early 2000s.
     
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    candcallen

    Crotchety, Snarky, Truthful. You'll get over it.
    Emeritus - "Texas Proud"
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    2   0   0
    Jul 23, 2011
    21,358
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    Little Elm
    Really Vaq?


    Sigh.

    Dang. I post a positive comment about a governmental institution (Our invaluable postal service) and get called a troll.

    I get home excited about today's gun find/purchase.
    A proud and magnificent AR.
    Check it out. I'm so pleased.
    Here:
    https://www.texasguntalk.com/threads/what-gun-did-you-buy-today.72599/page-263#post-1918196
    Then I'm a troll?

    I suppose that if I were to praise the TSA for it's astounding accomplishment at making US air travel radiantly secure, efficient, pleasant and safe I'll be castigated and reprimanded as a nay-saying moron/troll.

    This propogation of negative attitudes about our treasured national public services is a sad commentary on our dysfunctional contemporary discourse!


    HKS
    Glass 100% full, always.

    Just an observation on my part.
    One post does not a troll make. Its ones
    body of work that earns them such a title. In your case the body of work is vast diverse and impressive making the title well earned.
     
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    Brains

    One of the idiots
    Rating - 100%
    3   0   0
    Apr 9, 2013
    6,904
    96
    Spring
    Heh I worked in county gov't for a while, many years ago. Didn't stay there long, neither did anyone else who had talent and motivation.

    I started as a PC tech, as a kid. Moved into doing county wide systems and networking, which was fun. Everything was usually very quiet. My office was in the courthouse, which was very close to the shore. I got to sit on the rocks at the lakefront for hours, ride my motorcycle for hours while on the clock traveling from village to village, etc. Quickly made a segue into being the de-facto unix admin when our guy moved to the private sector. Off the books of course, the union won't be having any of that working above your pay grade nonsense lol. We attempted to hire for the position, and not finding anyone, they were able to move me to the position. That meant more money, and since I was good at keeping the systems running well, more free time! I did offer to help do new system installs, which meant lots of time at the county parks and golf courses.
     

    benenglish

    Just Another Boomer
    Staff member
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    7   0   0
    Nov 22, 2011
    23,933
    96
    Spring
    ...unix admin... meant ... since I was good at keeping the systems running well, more free time!
    Best three years of my career. I'd absolutely work balls-out all night and get it fixed if anything went wrong. That never happened on my systems but I did have to fix a couple of messes made by other folks. On my systems, the worst thing that ever happened was a server melted (It happened more than once.) and I had those systems back up and running in 3 hours, from first wisp of smoke, to unboxing the replacement, to taking the first trouble call ("I know. I'm already fixing it."), to imaging the server, restoring, and putting it online.

    The rest of the time it was automating my work, monitoring my scripts and their output, and reading up on the literature.

    All of that explains why the unix side of the organization got shut down and we became an almost-100% Windows shop outside the data centers. The executives constantly saw all the Windows admins working their asses off putting out fires and admired their work ethic. They saw us unix folks just sitting at our desks with equipment that worked all the time without drama and concluded we were a lazy lot who never did anything so whatever we were administering couldn't be important and should be re-written to run under Windows. It took 'em a few years, but eventually our field officers had their unix laptops taken away and were given brand-new Windows machines with native Windows apps.

    I had Officers actually visit me, crying, because their ability to do their jobs had been deliberately sabotaged.

    I bounced around a while doing "special projects" before I became a de facto crypto implementation specialist. Once again, it was really nice to spend a few years with my bosses having no idea what I did. Then I retired.

    Since then, I've forgotten almost everything I ever knew about computers. Oddly enough, that doesn't bother me one bit.

    tl;dr - In-built government agency incompetence in decision-making processes can make a person who works hard and loves their area of expertise into someone who would have a difficult time caring less. My bosses were shocked when I bolted out the door at the first offer of early retirement. If they had granted me an exit interview, they would not have enjoyed what I would have said.

    F that noise.
     

    karlac

    Lately too damn busy to have Gone fishin' ...
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    0   0   0
    Aug 21, 2013
    11,775
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    Houston & Hot Springs
    Well, my sister and I spent 7 years helping my father navigate the VA healthcare system...the sheer, institutionalized incompetence there was mind boggling. Incompetence that gets veterans killed, even - damn near killed my dad.

    Why I advise those looking to help a hospitalized Vet with a donation, to donate to the Fisher House Foundation. Having family being able to stay close by can save a Vets life.
     

    karlac

    Lately too damn busy to have Gone fishin' ...
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    0   0   0
    Aug 21, 2013
    11,775
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    tl;dr - In-built government agency incompetence in decision-making processes can make a person who works hard and loves their area of expertise into someone who would have a difficult time caring less. My bosses were shocked when I bolted out the door at the first offer of early retirement. If they had granted me an exit interview, they would not have enjoyed what I would have said.

    F that noise.

    Ya left out "SECURE".

    And then, along came ....
    ... the OS/2 wars!
     

    Brains

    One of the idiots
    Rating - 100%
    3   0   0
    Apr 9, 2013
    6,904
    96
    Spring
    I installed BeOS a couple times, it was definitely ahead of its time in many regards. Missing a lot of things necessary to use it as a full time general purpose machine though.
     

    candcallen

    Crotchety, Snarky, Truthful. You'll get over it.
    Emeritus - "Texas Proud"
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    Jul 23, 2011
    21,358
    96
    Little Elm
    I dont miss acting like I know what your talking about.

    I had a couple programmer friends in the 90s. They provided old broke crap to shoot I provided guns a tarp and desert shooting spot and they hauled the left overs to the dump.

    Beyond that if I need a computer fixed I've got teenagers and theres a 10 year old next door.
     

    HKShooter65

    TGT Addict
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    1   0   0
    Just an observation on my part.
    One post does not a troll make. Its ones
    body of work that earns them such a title. In your case the body of work is vast diverse and impressive making the title well earned.



    I'm profoundly complimented.
    Over coffee, we'd be friends. You are insightful.


    E1Ti05dd.jpg


    Tomorrow:
    AM Pearl Farmer's market.
    Noon Kayak in San Marcos
    PM sight in my new AAC AR15

    Yet, again, a "life is good" day planned!!!
     

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    C_Hallbert

    Color Commentator
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Nov 18, 2017
    1,318
    96
    McAlester, OK
    OK, an inveterate contrarian back at you seekers of misery.
    Your half empty glasses are all too negative.
    Mine is half full.

    How about we note examples of government competence?

    US postal service:
    In decades they've not ever lost one single thing I've mailed.
    Is gets anywhere quickly and reliably in our huge nation for a mere half buck.
    Amazing.
    Kudos to them.

    Negativism is as a pox upon our collective id.
    Cease and desist.


    And actually my glass is always 100% full.
    Half liquid. Half air.
    Full.

    Hmmmm....How far might you get in the Sahara with your canteen philosophically full of air?


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    C_Hallbert

    Color Commentator
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Nov 18, 2017
    1,318
    96
    McAlester, OK
    Huh?

    Why so negative?
    I planted a sunflower in a shitstorm thread.

    I've had about 3,000 Wednesdays and I have no idea how many I have left.
    I'm gonna' go into this one with a positive attitude.

    Morose or sullen individuals, always pointing out the down side of life are contrary to my nature.

    I'm going to mail a letter now.
    Thanks for the GTFO advice.

    View attachment 176392

    There is absolutely nothing on this planet worse than an optimist!


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    C_Hallbert

    Color Commentator
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Nov 18, 2017
    1,318
    96
    McAlester, OK
    Oh the USPS. They're not all bad, for sure. Our local carriers have been very nice and usually do a great job. Certainly not perfect though.

    If your package is shipping from Amazon, and the last mile delivery is being handled by USPS, it has a VERY high chance of the tracking showing delivered a day or two before it actually shows up. Amazon Prime has strict delivery requirements, but the USPS doesn't give a rip - they just mark it delivered so Amazon is happy, and then deal with the delivery whenever.

    One of my personal shipments was "lost", so I got in contact with the local postmaster (who was very nice, once I finally got to her). They couldn't locate it, but it was insured. She agreed I could stop in and she'd get me reimbursed. Somehow, out of the blue, the exact day I was supposed to go in to see her (~5 weeks after mailing the package) it gets delivered. Tracking never showed it ever going anywhere in their system (including any origin scan). Still head scratching that one.

    But of course, that brings us to the counter staff. They are tied with the DMV for that perfect mix of .... employee. It starts with the good old "I don't give a crap if there's 100 people in line, I'm not moving any faster than the slowest I can go. If I could go slower I would, but then I'd break the space/time continuum and start moving in reverse." Then add in the requisite "oh, it's break time. Now I'll move as FAST as I can to get off the counter and not come back until I absolutely have to." This builds on the obvious "you mean you don't know every detail of every service the USPS offers, and you have the audacity to ask me? <sigh> I've gone through this like 100x already today <eyeroll>"

    The DMV Employee was exhibiting Aggressively Passive Behavior.....


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