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elfsSeveral other commenters have made this point, but it's one that I think bears analysis. Steve Pearlstein has an article today in which he, as he puts it, "steps over the line" and decides to take sides. You know how it goes, the press headlines read "Republican Say Democrats Want To Kill Your Grandmother; Democrats Disagree." Pearlstein is saying that the Republicans have stepped over the line with mendacity and fury so significant that the press has a duty to say the Republicans are lying. And maybe, with the exception of FOX News, they will.
But one thing Pearlstein tosses an aside is the now-trite comment by the anti-reformists about "Would you like your medicine delivered by the same people who deliver your mail? Or your drivers licence?" The implication is that the government is institutionally incompetent, and the mail service and DMV are prime examples.
Except I have no complaints about the post office or the DMV. In Washington, the Department of Licensing is a reasonably well-run institution. More than half the transactions can be conducted on-line, with the state brokering with authorized, private distribution centers. The Post Office is comparable in service and price to the private mail stores nearby, be it FedEx or UPS.
Compared to the absolutely nightmarish run-arounds I've had with the four-tiered insurance delivery system I had at Isilon, a streamlined alternative would be a blessing of sorts.
But one thing Pearlstein tosses an aside is the now-trite comment by the anti-reformists about "Would you like your medicine delivered by the same people who deliver your mail? Or your drivers licence?" The implication is that the government is institutionally incompetent, and the mail service and DMV are prime examples.
Except I have no complaints about the post office or the DMV. In Washington, the Department of Licensing is a reasonably well-run institution. More than half the transactions can be conducted on-line, with the state brokering with authorized, private distribution centers. The Post Office is comparable in service and price to the private mail stores nearby, be it FedEx or UPS.
Compared to the absolutely nightmarish run-arounds I've had with the four-tiered insurance delivery system I had at Isilon, a streamlined alternative would be a blessing of sorts.
