OT Michael Solden our memory

This week I had some dealings with the federal government. Sending an application via the internet I had it kicked back as the information I gave did not match what they had re my SIN number. That part got solved quite quickly by providing a copy of my signature.

I then went to the social insurance numbers administration people to see what was wrong. My mothers maiden name was Dickey, govt. has it on record as Dickie. Of course the computer kicked that out quickly. How this happened and how to get it changed is another matter. I was amoung the first Canadians to receive a SIN number. In those days they advised me that employers just sent in the info and they issued you a number and card. They advised that my employer's secterary must have made the misspelling. I suggested that was highly unlikely as my mother was my employer's secertary at the time. Dad was my employer. One would have to know how adamit my grandfather was on the spelling of his name to truly appreciate this. His daughter would have been disenfranchized for misspelling her own maiden name.

Truth is some overpaid public servant made the mistake, some where along the past 40 years. They tell me to correct this, I must take a day, go with my birth certificate to some place in London where parking is 1/2 mile away, and present myself for correction.

Just when we though everyone paid for their own mistakes.

I spoke with a lady involved in the geneology business. She tells me she has to maintain an online subscription with government to access family tree information. She said about 5 min. on a computer and any government dept can have this information.

The main problem with these nameless bureauacrats is they know no shame. You point out to them how stupid they are, and they take that as feather in their hat. We know a lady that works for government, tells us she did absolutly nothing one day. At the end of that day a supervisor patted on back said good job. I suggested to her he was just trying to get up enough courage to pat her on the butt. She agreed, probably took him all day to figure out how to achive that, then chickened out in the end.

A friend of mine in the satire magazine business, discovered a bureauacrat in Halifax. (fed) He read 5 daily newspapers cover to cover everyday, did absolutely nothing else and was paid $50,000. per year. Actually refused a promotion as it would have interfered with his passion for the news.