"You don't pay me."
That was a local government employee's response to my next-door neighbor when she went to city hall to complain that our trash didn't get picked up and the dumpster was overflowing...again.
She set him straight right away, with some choice words. I wonder if she actually got through to him, or if he's really as clueless as he seems.
He probably sees no connection between his paycheck and the money stolen from residents through "taxation". Money which goes to pay him to-- apparently-- not do his job.
Now, he's not personally responsible for picking up the trash, but he is in charge of "public works" [sic], which is responsible for ensuring the trash company picks up the trash like they are paid to do. It is literally part of his "job".
She asked if she was the only person to have told him their trash didn't get picked up and he admitted she wasn't. He even showed her a picture of an overflowing dumpster that had been sent to him by a resident and said "This isn't that full-- it could be pressed down". We had been pressing our trash down.
When he said "What do you want me to do about it?" she suggested he call and let the trash company know they didn't finish their route. He said that if he had known a day or two before that they didn't pick up the trash he could have called them, but it was too late now. Besides, they would be there to pick up trash "tomorrow".
He just kept shrugging at her and smirking, and that was probably a mistake. I think she's now on a mission to see him replaced.
About 15 minutes after her visit, the trash truck came and emptied our dumpster. It turns out there was a substitute driver who decided to not finish the route and didn't tell his boss. The company owner came to personally empty our dumpster. I appreciate that. It's the worthless middle-man of government I could do without.
Thank you!
