Your local government ...

Or at least my local government. Over the past few weeks, I've had some legal issues pertaining to the ownership of my house. Basically whether my parents' divorce was filed properly, and my mother had sole ownership of the house I currently live in at the time of her death. Their divorce was final in 1983, my father is deceased 15 years, my mother 11, and in New York, I can't get into their divorce record without a court order (an avenue which time will not allow me to pursue). So for the past few weeks, I've had to chase this down indirectly. This chase has led me from the Supreme Court of the State of New York, to the Court of Suffolk County, to local courts, and back.

In all this, dealing with countless court officers and civil servants on every level, all I can say is that I am pleasantly surprised. I was given courtesy and helpfulness on a scale I thought government employees totally incapable of. I thank you all for your help and I'm sorry for harboring the misconception that most of you were cynical, apathetic, and bad tempered. You made my task far easier than I expected and I am extremely grateful.