competency

Even though I've only been in Dallas for about a year, I'm having serious doubts about the competency of the people that run this city. I think Baton Rouge might have been better - and it took them 2 years to catch a serial killer that they thought was a short white man and he ended up being a tall black man (at least they had the "man" part right). But Dallas. First of all, you know there might be a problem when the police department has to start advertising for jobs during the pre-show slides at the movie theater. In between "who said this phrase in what movie" and trivia about some movie star you've never seen pops up the dallas poice department's logo with "now hiring." Then you have the PIO's, which those of you in the media already know, but are the Public Information Officers. I think, it must be some sort of standard over there to hire people with absolutely no concept that they are supposed to be the ones to distribute information to the public. answer questions. at least act a bit knowledgeable about the subject you are responsible for.
morning conversation with parks and rec PIO - who by the way can only be reached by pager - there is no phone line that she will answer.
me: "I would like to know who to talk to about this lake"
her: "I don't really know, there's larry, but he don't really do that, and i don't really know who. have you talked to the water department, they do drinking water..."
me; "it's not concerning drinking water, mam."

I can't even continue with the rest. it was one of the most painful and irritating phone conversations of my life.