Burton Speaks

So I recently quit my job at Unisys and lost my health benefits (though I'll eventually get benefits through my new job.) In the meantime, I have the option of continuing my benefits (at my own cost) through COBRA. My health benefits were through Aetna.

Now here's how it works. I wanted to sign up for continued benefits as soon as possible because I ride my motorcycle around and there's a potential of not keeping the rubber side down, and I want to make sure I'm covered. So I logged on to the Unisys benefits page and they said I was still enrolled, so I couldn't get COBRA yet. So I had to call them to fix the glitch. Then I had to call them again (two weeks later) to find out why I still didn't have benefits and nothing had been processed. Each time I spoke to very nice, helpful people and they assured me that they would get it taken care of in the next couple of days - and they did.

Let me also say that this isn't the first time I've had to go through this with Unisys.

So I get a call from a research firm wanting to know about my experience with the Unisys Benefits Resource Center. Almost all the questions asked about the phone menu (terrible) or the person helping me (great.) None of the questions ever asked, "Did the process work for you?" The problem I'm having with Unisys and the Unisys Benefits Resource Center isn't at an individual level; it's at a system level. *I* have to call every time I want something done that should have been taken care of. If *I* haven't made sure *they* have done *their* job, it's won't get done. Talking to some low-level customer suport person is nice and they did a great job, but that's just applying a layer of shine to what is really a big pile of shit. By asking all the wrong questions, the answers that they'll get are "customer support is doing a great job" which will make everyone feel great. What they're ignoring is that the company is not doing a great job, but no one's asking about that.

While I'm speaking about asking the wrong questions, let's talk about the war in Iraq. (I feel like Arlo Guthrie talking about Alice's Restaurant, misdemeanor littering, and the draft. )

Has anyone else noticed a pressure being applied in Washington to those who may not support the current war? The administration is hell-bent on maintaining that we're doing the right thing as a system, but for anyone to oppose them they're "not supporting our troops." I maintain that it's quite possible to be fully in support of our glorius, invincible American troops and still be wholly opposed to this particular war. Yet the spin game is Washington never asks the question, "Do you support the war?" Instead the game is played so that the question is, "Will you adequately fund our troops?", which IMPLIES a support for the war. If you vote no, you're voting against the troops. If you vote yes, you're supporting the war.

Do you see how it's all a matter of asking the right questions?