I received two important notices recently having to do with my children. The first came via the U.S. postal system. It was an envelope full of information that boiled down to a threat: prove your children are yours or you won't be able to have them covered by your health insurance. Apparently this is a new provision of the euphemistically named 'Affordability Care Act'. I have company insurance and have never had to do more than provide social security numbers and birth-dates. The new requirement is two forms of proof -- a tax return showing my children as dependents and a copy of their birth certificates.
Contrast this with the cheerful, colorful e-mail from Barnes and Noble announcing that one of my children in the B&N Birthday club was eligible for a free treat in the cafe. What did I have to provide to get that notice? Simply a first name and birthdate. What do I have to do to redeem it? Simply show up with said birthday club member and coupon in hand. No other proof required. Were I inclined, there are any number of ways I could 'game' that system. But B&N assumes that their customers are generally honest, trustworthy people. They believe my daughter is my daughter because I say so.
The government is not trying to win my patronage. They already know they have a monopoly. Theirs is a raw exercise in power and control. Underneath it is a presumption that everyone who signs up for health insurance is prone to fraud and the truth needs to be weeded out by this faceless bureaucratic exercise. The information I collect and send to 'prove' my children are truly mine will do nothing to change the reality of their existence or our relationship. It is simply a large waste of my time.
Barnes & Noble on the other hand, is doing their best to convince, not coerce, me that a trip to their store will be worth my time, my daughters time and their time -- a mutually beneficial interaction. And I can't wait to get over there and prove them right.
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