Do Not Pass Go

Today we tried, in vain, to renew the boys passports.  They expired a year or so ago and we are planning to take a trip this spring.  So, like the good techno mom that I am, I went online and researched how to renew a passport.  Fairly straightforward, or so I thought.  


Click one - renew (pretty easy), oh they are under 16, so click two - we have to go in person (both parents, and both kids).  OK not too bad where do we go?  Click three - the post offices listed that take applications - pretty convenient locations.  Click four - what hours are they open? - 8:00 to 12:00 or 9:00 to 3:00 weekdays - really?, We both need to leave work and get the kids out of school for this? Oh well, keep looking - click five, the airport post office is open for passports on Sundays until 3:00.  Yipee


Click six Download, print and fill out the pages of paperwork, search out social security numbers and old passports, hit the road.  Wait in line, only to find out they need original or certified copies of the birth certificates - who has those?  So we click off until Tuesday when we can get all those pieces together.  I'm all in favor of security, but couldn't they take a regular copy?


Now you know I am a complete bleeding heart liberal and hardly ever complain about hard working US agencies, but this is ridiculous - This is a Government agency in serious need of a reality check.  I have to believe it would be more efficient and cost effective to figure out a way to make these services a little more accessible to the average citizen. After all if we are to have a true global economy, we need to get out of country and for that we need passports.


Enough of the rant - It is certainly not the end of the world, but it kind of put me over the edge today.  We have done a little more digging and found a location we can visit on Tuesday to get it all done, but sometimes it just feels good to sound off a little.