Heck Hath No Fury ...

I am absolutely furious with 1. myself and 2. the state for (2) making me provide a copy of our marriage license and most recent tax returns and (1) forgetting to mail them.

Despite my initial reaction of being insulted, I redacted financial info, printed the documents off immediately and then completely forgot to send them.  So I get a reminder that if they aren't received, health insurance benefits will be terminated for my husband, which raises my blood pressure.  I threw things, I screamed, and it isn't enough.  It's never enough.  It's just a good thing I don't believe in firearms.

Of course, I also have some niggling doubt that this will save the state any money because as far as I know (and I could be wrong), it's the county and I who pay for the insurance for the family yet someone hired by the state has to be paid to scan, shred, and maintain these tens of thousands of records (someone, no doubt, who isn't getting a raise and has to do the job of several others who left).  Will I have to submit this every year just to reassure them we're still married and alive?

 Darn all the cheese-paring tea-partiers to heck!  

I realize that the economy is troubled and things are tight, but I don't remember the last time our employees had a cost of living raise and we don't earn a whole lot to begin with. Our pay has altered mostly by tax adjustments.  I imagine the state employees are going through the same thing: no raises, no new hires, so everyone is having to do more work for less - and then this rollicking insult trickles down to us.

It does not reassure me that some "freeloaders" are going to be eliminated from the insurance heap.  It tells me that people who need health insurance are going to be without it.  This is not kids going without popsicles or adults going without the latest plasma screen.  It's about people not having health care.

It's also about Trust.  And that's where the insult comes in.  Do I claim my cats as dependents?  Would I add someone to my health plan who wasn't my child or my husband?  Wouldn't my HR people notice?  This is a small outfit and people would notice if I did anything like that - if, in fact, I would ever be so inclined.   Well, you know what?  It's lack of trust like this that makes someone as scrupulously honest as I am want to diddle the system for all it's worth.  This has created bad feeling - and anyone can tell you that's no way to run an organization.

But it's just typical, isn't it?