Tuesday, June 01, 2004
I hate it when stupid ass policies keep reasonably, intelligent human beings from making rational decisions.
Like today when I tried to buy my transit pass. I use transit checks, which are vouchers, to buy my pass. Because of my broken leg, I built up quite a reserve of vouchers. Well I had 7 vouchers that expire on 6/10 so I went to buy my pass plus a couple of tickets and tokens to use up all the value on the tokens. Well apparently Septa has this rule that they will only accept 5 vouchers at a time. Why? Because they are stupid. So even after I explained that I had a broken leg and couldn't ride transit for several months, the ticket lady wouldn't budge. Only 5 vouchers at a time. Well my vouchers didn't add up to the total pass amount - so I had to charge the last $11.50. So what could have been a 90 sec transaction turned into a 5 minute transaction. Stupid.
And then at lunch time, I encountered another stupid person. My office is right next to the Liberty Bell, which, according to the Dept of Homeland Security, is high on the list of targets for would be terrorists (don't even get me started on THAT one. Stupid.), so there's all these barricades hindering pedestrian traffic. So on my way back from lunch I was at the corner of 6th and Chestnut. Right as I was about to cross 6th Street going west, the light turned red. So I turned to go south on 6th to cross Chestnut. The Rent-a-cop that YOUR tax dollars are paying to stand watch over the corner 6th and Chestnut (on of three people mind you. They need three people to watch one corner. There are two other people watching the other corner) tells me I can't cross. OK - no biggy. As a somewhat-Philadelphian. I'm used to my egress being hindered since 9/11. But then he proceeds to allow these tourist to cross. And so I had to ask why I couldn't cross. He told me they didn't want the "regular people mixing with the tourists." And when I said, "But the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall are free." He told me since I hadn't gone through security I didn't have clearance to cross the street to go to Independence Hall. I told him that I wasn't going to Independence Hall - I was going the opposite direction. Nope. I didn't have clearance. That's right I didn't have friggin clearance to cross the street - a street my Philadelphia wage taxes pay to clean mind you! Stupid rent-a-cop.
And I told the rent-a-cop that it was stupid. If I had been in a pissier mood I would have crossed the damn street anyway. Why the hell do I have to listen to a rent-a-cop? And why would someone (other than a crazy-ass American) do anything to the stinkin' bell anyway? Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Like today when I tried to buy my transit pass. I use transit checks, which are vouchers, to buy my pass. Because of my broken leg, I built up quite a reserve of vouchers. Well I had 7 vouchers that expire on 6/10 so I went to buy my pass plus a couple of tickets and tokens to use up all the value on the tokens. Well apparently Septa has this rule that they will only accept 5 vouchers at a time. Why? Because they are stupid. So even after I explained that I had a broken leg and couldn't ride transit for several months, the ticket lady wouldn't budge. Only 5 vouchers at a time. Well my vouchers didn't add up to the total pass amount - so I had to charge the last $11.50. So what could have been a 90 sec transaction turned into a 5 minute transaction. Stupid.
And then at lunch time, I encountered another stupid person. My office is right next to the Liberty Bell, which, according to the Dept of Homeland Security, is high on the list of targets for would be terrorists (don't even get me started on THAT one. Stupid.), so there's all these barricades hindering pedestrian traffic. So on my way back from lunch I was at the corner of 6th and Chestnut. Right as I was about to cross 6th Street going west, the light turned red. So I turned to go south on 6th to cross Chestnut. The Rent-a-cop that YOUR tax dollars are paying to stand watch over the corner 6th and Chestnut (on of three people mind you. They need three people to watch one corner. There are two other people watching the other corner) tells me I can't cross. OK - no biggy. As a somewhat-Philadelphian. I'm used to my egress being hindered since 9/11. But then he proceeds to allow these tourist to cross. And so I had to ask why I couldn't cross. He told me they didn't want the "regular people mixing with the tourists." And when I said, "But the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall are free." He told me since I hadn't gone through security I didn't have clearance to cross the street to go to Independence Hall. I told him that I wasn't going to Independence Hall - I was going the opposite direction. Nope. I didn't have clearance. That's right I didn't have friggin clearance to cross the street - a street my Philadelphia wage taxes pay to clean mind you! Stupid rent-a-cop.
And I told the rent-a-cop that it was stupid. If I had been in a pissier mood I would have crossed the damn street anyway. Why the hell do I have to listen to a rent-a-cop? And why would someone (other than a crazy-ass American) do anything to the stinkin' bell anyway? Stupid, stupid, stupid.
