Since I'm not riding the bike right now, I've been going on a short walk on some afternoons. (Don't want the moss to start growing!)
Yesterday I decided to stroll over and take a look at the newly-renovated State Capitol, 3 or 4 blocks away.
(It has undergone a 2+ year, $90+ million renovation, to add space, bring everything up to code, and to repair 90 or so years of decay. One might ask if the taxpayers can afford such an expense when we're not making budget, and when there are schools around the state with leaky roofs. But you must realize that the guys who hold the purse-strings use the Capitol, so miraculously they found a way!)
The first door I came to had a sign in the window:
OFFICIAL BUSINESS ONLY
GENERAL PUBLIC, USE THE STATE STREET ENTRANCE
Okay... that's reasonable. I strolled on around to the State Street entrance. The sign there said:
OFFICIAL BUSINESS ONLY
I figured I'm a taxpayer! That's pretty darn official! So I went on in.
There was a rent-a-cop sitting at a desk. Some older folks were in front of me, signing into a guest book.
Then it was my turn. I proceeded forward and took hold of the pen to sign in.
The conversation, to the best of my recollection, went as follows:
RAC (rent-a-cop): Do you have official business?
Me: I suppose not. I just wanted to come in and look at the newly-renovated building for a few minutes.
RAC: Well, I'm afraid you can't. Lori Otter [the governor's wife] is going to have a grand opening ceremony on the front steps this Saturday. Until then, it's not open to the public.
Me: Hmmm. Maybe I misunderstood. I'm a taxpaying citizen, and I thought this was my building...
RAC: Oh, it is your building!
Me: But... only in the sense that I help pay for it. NOT in the sense that I can actually come in. Is that correct?
The RAC was kinda flustered... I guess I got in the last word. I exited, figuring the alternative was to get wrestled to the floor by jack-booted government thugs... or maybe Tazed into whimpering submission. And who needs THAT?!!
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