Bureaucracy

Written October 27th, 2005

Bureaucracy!!! How much blame can bureaucracy take?

Bureaucracy: An administrative system in which the need or inclination to follow rigid or complex procedures impedes effective action.

I have been in Finland since December 2002, and have been experiencing various degrees of bureacracy. "Why?" you ask, that a lil someone like me, would question something as big as the Finnish Government? There were a lot of requirements they said I didn't meet for me to get the "maternity allowance". I was a few days short after I was registered. But I was a few weeks over when I got here. What does it matter???? I am still carrying a Finnish Child for heavens sake!!! Next was the drivers license. I could not get a Finnish License unless I carry out driver's ed. But just a few miles away, inside Finland, a Filipina like me, got away with a Finnish license without driver's ed. Just recently, I applied for a Finnish Language course. And yes you guessed it right. I didn't get accepted. The lady in the employment office who was giving these courses only reasoned that maybe there were a lot of applicants for this course so I didn't get accepted.

You are probably thinking that I am whinning so much. I think so too. But look at it this way, there were a lot of foreigners like me who came to Finland under "refugee" status that are getting living and rental allowances from the government. And where do they get the money to finance this? From people like me who works their asses off to earn a living and not ask money from the government and get taxed so high it reaches the rooftop of Sears Tower in Chicago! And for a mere Finnish language course that my union will pay for (take note, its not the government), they couldn't even provide for me.

I would like to think of these as challenges, because compared to my beloved country, The Philippines, you wouldn't even live with the minimum wage and government subsidies are unheard of. But at least the big players can cheat on their taxes! hehehe. Whats so frustrating really is the lack of ideologies of the people who are in the position to decide. Its like Big Brother in a big picture. "Who goes, they (you) decide". (I dunno if its the same catch phrase they use in the Pinoy Big Brother, but this is used for UKBB)

Anyhow, I will still keep applying for all the language courses the employment office will offer. Let them be the one to get tired of me. So on monday, I will come back to the employment office. And I will soon conquer....

No recipe or liquor concoction for this entry. But I leave you with a promise that I am on my way to clean and healthy living. I am now starting to lessen my smoking to 3 sticks a day.