Government Inefficiency Floats Upstream

Here’s a shining example of how the government, specifically my local government here in Horry County, forces the rest of us to take an active part in the time dump known as government inefficiency.

On my property tax statement for my vehicles there is the following verbiage…

After seeing this the first time, I expected to turn the paper over and see the qualifications for the discount. Nope, but I still look every year hoping it’ll actually be there. Here’s what’s on the back…

Whabamm! It’s not a list of the qualifications. It’s an invite to visit your local Auditor’s office. Here’s a cost breakdown for you to find out about the discount…

Number of minutes for a round trip commute to the closest Auditor’s office + (number of miles for the round trip x cost of gasoline per gallon) + number of minutes waiting in line at the Auditor’s office = TOTAL WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY FOR BOTH YOU AND THE AUDITOR’S STAFF.

Now, just to be fair, I checked Auditor Lois Eargle’s page on the Horry County website to see if they offered us the information that might save someone a trip to the office. I figured they could save some ink and printing cost by not placing the chart on the bill, but by placing it on the website. Here’s what it said under the FAQ’s page…

• How can I get a high mileage discount on my vehicle? You must bring your actual mileage into one of our offices in the month in which your taxes are due. We will look up your information and give you a discount if you qualify.

I’ll let you decide though. Good use of your time or poor use of it? Inefficient or not?

Play Toys in a Combat Zone

Here’s a gem of an example of the height of intelligence. I’ll let you read for yourself. After you do, you tell me if you’re at all surprised that the little toy plane was shot down. After all, if you choose to fly into a hail of lead, what do you expect?

Gun Buyback Programs are Pointless

I’m just not really sure that these gun buyback programs work. They’ve had several near me recently. I’d love to see what kinds of guns my tax dollars are buying back. Are they actually functional firearms that we’re taking out of the hands of criminals or are we only purchasing rusted hunks of metal that would only make good weapons if thrown at someone with a modicum of accuracy and force?

There’s a lot of viewpoints out there that make very logical arguments that the programs not only do not work, but actually cause an increase in the sale of new weapons. There’s one HERE. Of course, the various police chiefs and other officials tell us they work with no quantifiable research that I’ve been able to find. But, of course, they’re obligated to tell us that. After all, it’s their program, their idea.

What does the government do with the purchased firearms? Most of the time, the guns are melted down into scrap metal. Is there not any way that the government could possibly sell the guns back to legitimate owners and recoup some of the money spent on the buyback? What about collectible firearms? Possibly sell them to legitimate armorers to break down into spare parts. Each step in a resale process could possibly recoup some of the money spent and also stimulate the economy and private business in some way. They can’t do this though. Putting one of these guns back on the street, even in a legal manner, would seem like a failure in this failed system.

Another question. Are the guns fired and checked against firearms crimes to see if the weapon was used in that way prior to the buyback? If it comes back positive, with an anonymous buyback system, what does that really reveal? If you checked for fingerprints on the gun, wouldn’t that destroy the anonymous nature of the buybacks and ruin the possibility of future buyback programs?

I can see it now. “Sir, we found the weapon that was used to kill your family. No, sir. Just the weapon. No, sir. We can tell you definitively that the person who at one time held the weapon, though not necessarily the killer, was at town hall on Friday, the 3rd of May. Yes, sir. We gave him a $100 gift card.”

Oh yeah. A great comfort to the family.

What about the criminal’s point-of-view? “I’m gonna save the weapons I used in various crimes until a buyback program starts up. Then I’m going to use the $100 gift cards to trade for new weapons or I’ll use them to buy ammo for the weapons I didn’t trade in.”

Here’s the point-of-view I like, that of an aspiring gun collector. “I’m going to organize my own private buyback program. I’m going to buy a few thousand dollars worth of gift cards and trade for guns worth ten times that amount. There you go, instant gun collection.”

What do you think?