Tuesday, June 23, 2009

They finally got her passport done!

I had to utter the magic words "I'll pay for expedited service" and fork over another $60 plus $14.95 for FedEx overnight shipping, but at long last Wynn's passport is complete and being loaded onto an airplane in Charleston, SC for arrival here tomorrow morning.

I learned during my call with the NPIC yesterday that while they received Wynn's Certificate of Citizenship on Wednesday 6/10 (because I'd shipped it Next Day Air), they didn't actually resume working on her file until Monday 6/15. So that was three days they wasted in the process.

And of course, they snail-mailed the letter telling us they wanted her C of C... printed the letter on Tuesday 6/2, didn't actually mail it until 6/3, and didn't arrive here in Minnesota until Monday 6/8. So that was another five days they wasted (they had phone numbers and an email address on the application.)

I suppose we'll never know if my paying the expedite fee was what got the job done, but for certain we'd have had to cancel or postpone next week's trip if they'd sent her passport by regular postal mail. We do feel that we've gotten a bum deal from the State Department in this matter.

Our experiences two years ago getting our own passports was smooth and lightning-fast (normal processing time and fees.) Having seen how the agency dragged its feet for Wynn over nearly two months, yet moved at warp speed when I pulled out a credit card, makes me ask the question, "is it because she's adopted, or because she was born in China?"

That really hurts to even have to put that in print like this. Ann and I are both proud to be Americans and honest believers in our government's capability to effect positive change. There are many, many good people who work for us; but we also know that rulebooks and procedures are to be followed. We will be following up with a complaint - when we get back - gotta figure out to whom. (We are kind of short a Senator up here. Our state's Supreme Court could use a lesson in timeliness as well.)

Anyway, now that this is wrapping up, we can push full steam ahead with packing.

--Scott

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