Thursday, August 16, 2007

My Trip to City Hall

I had the unfortunate experience of going to City Hall yesterday to turn in a homestead exemption. Before I reached the building, I passed through the green space next to City Hall. It is called Duncan Plaza and has a large gazebo in the middle of it. As soon as I reached the plaza, I was hit with the smell of human waste, which no doubt comes from the bums who choose to live in the gazebo. In other cities, the City Hall is a place of pride for the community to admire and enjoy. Not here, where it is a disgrace. I hope our elected officials are proud to bring visiting Congressmen and other dignitaries to our City Hall through a gauntlet of vagrants and urine.

After making my way past the bums, I entered City Hall where hundreds of people were waiting to see their assessor. The metal detectors went off as I passed through them with my cell phone, keys, etc., but the policewoman did not care. I could have had guns and hand grenades in my pockets for all she cared. She rudely asked what I was doing there, and I told her I only wanted to drop off a piece of paper at the assessor's office and that I did not need to speak to anyone or otherwise cut in line. She said that I had to wait in line behind hundreds of people to drop off the piece of paper. I asked if there was an interoffice mail box where I could leave it, and she looked clueless. I asked another of New Orleans' finest if I could go to the fourth floor. He told me to come back tomorrow, but eventually I convinced him to allow me the privilege of taking the elevator up to turn in my form, which I did without taking one second of the assessor's time (they have a drop box for the forms).

I assume the bulk of the people sitting there in line for hours live in Nancy Marshall's district. To those who voted for her, you only have yourselves to blame because she's doing exactly what she promised to do, i.e., raising your assessments.

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