A month ago we learned that Hennepin County, MN was looking for eighty-four of our dollars for an unpaid parking ticket that was issued to me in MN. Really, it belongs to the schmuck who bought our mini-van from a dealership in 2004.
We wrote them a letter, not quite as sarcastic as this one, but with much of the same information.
They WILL NOT be confused by the facts.
They have responded to our letter, telling us we can:
- A.) Spend hours trying to figure out how to prove from here that the van was traded into a dealership in Forest Lake, MN almost three years ago
- B.) We can pay the reduced fee of $39 by mail, by December 15 (which is not possible at this point)
- C.) I can appear in court to discuss the matter further.
They are convinced that they are making a huge concession by reducing it from $84 to $39. Maybe some would reason that paying the $39 and making it go away is easiest. But not me. I am far too stubborn.
How is it that the local government of a fairly progressive state, in one of the most advanced countries in the world, cannot use reason? Their letter says a few things, but it may as well have said:
Dear Tara:
We are a government agency, we don't deal in customer service. We don't deal in logic. We enjoy every bit of our ridiculous bureaucracy. We won't change. Sorry about your luck. But not really.
Yours Truly,
The Fourth Judicial Branch Monkeys
