tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post2479374003780816392..comments2023-10-14T09:44:21.840-05:00Comments on People I Want to Punch in the Throat: My Tax Dollars At WorkJen Piwtpitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09576108150881254072noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-53006952985742428102013-06-06T21:27:31.903-05:002013-06-06T21:27:31.903-05:00What town is as awesome as that? I live in the mo...What town is as awesome as that? I live in the most expensive place in the US with the highest cost of living and few jobs and we have meth heads patrolling the streets and junkies stealing locked up bikes out of backyards and people leaving needles all over the damn place. I want to MOVE. :(Oni no Tenshihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15152151716057715589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-23613738319374040252013-06-06T20:55:04.474-05:002013-06-06T20:55:04.474-05:00Yay! I knew that my constantly turning books in la...Yay! I knew that my constantly turning books in late was sort of a good thing - more money for my library. Cynthiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16521160592881037725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-30696143625522109902013-06-06T20:26:32.518-05:002013-06-06T20:26:32.518-05:00Here in Ontario Canada they don't charge late ...Here in Ontario Canada they don't charge late fees anymore!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05549432488654400038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-8250162596483359562013-06-06T13:06:30.501-05:002013-06-06T13:06:30.501-05:00I went to the "big" library (our area ha...I went to the "big" library (our area has 7 branches) to help my 5 year old son pick out a bunch of books for our trip. That we were leaving on the next day. That we were feverishly running errands trying to get ready for. With a very cantankerous 1 year old in tow. The library was the middle stop to break up the boredom of Target and oil changes. Librarian informs me I have a $3 late fee from a YEAR ago (last time I was at that library, apparently returning books, which were late.) I tell her I have no cash but they don't accept cards. I tell her I will mail the fine. She then looks at my precious, intelligent, kind hearted, sweet boy and says "Sorry, you can't check those out until you pay the fine." I implore her, again, to let me mail her $3 when I get home, explaining our day and that "these books are a really important part of our trip". No dice: "I'm sorry but if I did that for you I'd have to do it for everyone." Completely unswayed by his fat, rolling tears, and his panicked "Mom? I can't get the books? Why????" Finally I say "Or I guess I can load my 2 crying children back into the car and drive to an ATM to get $20 out and pay the fees from that and then load them back in the car, back here, back out of the car...OR YOU COULD JUST LET ME MAIL YOU THE $3 WHEN I GET HOME??!!!" She finally let me take them, begrudgingly I might add. I was so pissed off. First, if the $3 was SO important why was I never notified by mail or phone or any of the other branches we more reqularly visit? Second, I've never had any offense before, ever! Third...who denies a wide eyed 5 year old boy with a stack of Magic Treehouse books and Spiderman comics who says "we're driving to North Carolina so we need lots of books for the trip!" I so wanted to send $3 in quarters and a mean note, but since I've been raised to kind I instead sent $20 and told them to apply it to someone else's fine, buy some new books, or put it in the collection can for the SPCA. But I definitely crafted the nasty note in my head, several times!!Lindsayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16055449772258838802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-88936918832912139212013-06-06T12:16:09.126-05:002013-06-06T12:16:09.126-05:00Sadly I have returned books that weren't check...Sadly I have returned books that weren't checked in correctly, but I would find it on the shelf myself to show the librarian. I started to use a different library after the third time. It happens, but come on...144OldHersheyRoadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06279296176143873216noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-37860607759838905332013-06-06T11:28:53.472-05:002013-06-06T11:28:53.472-05:00e-book loans return themselves :)e-book loans return themselves :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12670213712183673203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-43393935833509794532013-06-06T10:53:13.873-05:002013-06-06T10:53:13.873-05:00I get the whole "tax dollars at work" th...I get the whole "tax dollars at work" thing. Our little town has a big festival this weekend. The city maintenance crews are busy getting ready. Yesterday they began the arduous (I guess) task of setting up a snow fence perimeter around the park. The posts were all lined up and there were 6 (SIX!) city workers standing around looking at the posts. To add insult to injury, they arrived in 5 pickups. My hubby said they came in 5 pickups because they were coming back from different coffee shops around town.Donnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17293459473521910009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-80482978204557156482013-06-06T10:30:05.052-05:002013-06-06T10:30:05.052-05:00I hate shit like this. One day I was awakened in t...I hate shit like this. One day I was awakened in the middle of the night to a police helicopter overhead bellowing "we have you surrounded! Come out with your hands up!" Did they SERIOUSLY need a HELICOPTER to make that announcement at 3am?!? A megaphone in front of the property was not sufficient? It was too noisy at 3am for the megaphone to be heard?!? I have also noticed a pattern of the police helicopter coming out more frequently on very nice, sunny days. Hmmmmmm? Also, why is it that the nicest streets with no pot holes get re-paved regularly, but my street that had all the water mains replaced last fall, and is like a pothole obstacle course has never been repaved. I wish there was a taxes allocation box on my return. Betsyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07728231346864203371noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-15979836382458472272013-06-06T10:25:27.808-05:002013-06-06T10:25:27.808-05:00I was banned from all the libraries in the town I ...I was banned from all the libraries in the town I grew up in (Burbank, CA). I love books. LOVE them. So I don't like to give them back. EVER. My parents eventually realized (after I was no longer permitted to check books out from any of our libraries) that buying me books was actually significantly cheaper.<br /><br />http://marginalia.wendywainwright.comWendy Wainwrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11710619751367110399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-7568874958369205962011-12-30T23:05:09.205-06:002011-12-30T23:05:09.205-06:00As a librarian, let me say a few things: Holds are...As a librarian, let me say a few things: Holds are awesome, and they're really easy to do. Though I would hate to have to deal with a drive-by window.<br /><br />Most of the times, fines do max out. Usually, at the time they max out, the system automatically sets them as 'Lost', and the library will either buy a new copy if it's a popular check-out, in which case you'll have a hard time returning it, or accept a return of a decent condition book and the payment of the fines. Things happen (kids, medical emergencies, getting lost in the move). Plus, if she just pays the late fees without saying it's lost or returning it, she still has it checked out, and that means she'll start racking up late fees again.<br /><br />Most libraries have a block on check-outs due to how much you owe, but we don't care how much you lose, really. As long as you pay, it just rotates stock. You should always wait for a book sale, or outright ask to buy a book instead of stealing it. Usually if a book has low check-outs, unless it's a difficult to come by reference, the library will part with it for a pittance - the shelf space is actually really valuable.<br /><br />And libraries love people who lose or rack up fines, as long as they pay them off. They're a good source of cash to buy new materials. What we're not very good with is people who claim until they're blue in the face they returned an item if we've ripped the shelves apart looking for them and they don't show up. THOSE are the people WE want to punch in the throat.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-5476270989375495592011-12-24T04:20:54.537-06:002011-12-24T04:20:54.537-06:00Not sure what happened to the first part of my com...Not sure what happened to the first part of my comment, but it was ::<br /><br />About this time last year, I received a letter from my library. <br /><br /><br />Also, I'm perfectly literate in English, I'm just a bad typer. Really bad.Katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01674242619727735743noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-79392087004294123372011-12-24T04:19:14.215-06:002011-12-24T04:19:14.215-06:00'cause I hadn't returned a book on time {I...'cause I hadn't returned a book on time {I was busy doing things like giving birth and finishing finals.} I was give a $50 fine to replace the {$8} book and if I didn't do it on time, I would have jail time. Period. Guaranteed. Damn. Now I'm scared to rent books because I'm afraid I'll forget to take one back. And I'll admit there was a time when i rescued unloved books from the library. {Translation:: I stole beloved books that hadn't been checked out in 20+ years.} But that was a long time ago and I'm reformed. Plus, I'm banned from that library.Katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01674242619727735743noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-68038293810791944042011-12-21T08:00:27.339-06:002011-12-21T08:00:27.339-06:00Dang!! As a library fan I loved the overdue inter...Dang!! As a library fan I loved the overdue interaction! I have lost a book r two (over about 15 years)and I am alwqays overdue but man! They don't have such a sweet systemn as your library does!! I have had to pay as much as $15 in late fees!! I need to move to Kansas!!Blogger Meaniepantshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03683040800670212372noreply@blogger.com