My county government

Note: The family e-mail has not be functioning for the past several days. We can receive fine, but cannot send. We're not snubbing you ... we're just not hooked up yet.

To the big city

I went to Allegan County offices today to get our youngest dog a tag. I had forgotten how rude Allegan County government people are. I've dealt with Erie County, N.Y., and Kent County here, but these places were large enough to have a systen in place to get people through pretty painlessly (I'm not talking about the department of motor vehilces, though).

The city of Fennville is friendly. And the township people have been fine.

Allegan, though, is just rude. I was greated by three deputies -- yes, three -- at the county building who had me empty my pockets so one of them could go over me with a metal detector. I am a suspicious bloke with my Bills cap, Douglas Elementary shirt, jeans shorts and sneakers. Prime terrorist material. They oozed "police mentality." The one who dealt with me was gruff and acted if my presence in a public building was a bother to him.

"Where are you going?" he asked after I reassembled myself from his search.

"The treasurer's office for a dog license," I responded.

"First window on the left."

I thanked him and wanted to tell him I knew that, but why spoil the moment.

Police are funny. They feel the need to be in control even when they don't need to be. I had a friend in New York who was just a hoot as we grew up. We drank together and played cards. Then, I went to college and he went to New York State Trooper School. When I saw him a few years later, he had that Trooper mentality. You know, the stone-cold face, the hands behind the back, the, "Yes, sir. No, sir" stuff. Oh, Ed. I hardly knew ye.

Back at Allegan, the rudeness continued. The desk person who handled dog licenses didn't really break from her personal conversation but did manage to fit me in between the oohs and aahs at a co-worker's baby picture.

Up at the DuMont lake center, as I waited to get my recycling card, I got to listen to the desk person chortle on the phone and shove a receipt at me while not even breaking from her personal phone conversation.

I'm glad these folks are here to help me. If this was a store, I would have fired off a nasty note to the owner or manager. But, since this is county government, I'll just smile and take it.

Thought: Power to the people.