The Paperwork Reduction Act

There is a pile of paper on my desk. It's been here for two weeks. (Actually, it's been here forever, but sometimes it gets down to one or two items.) But now it has reached critical mass and I must deal with it.

I started by calling NTTA. I got a letter from them saying my account has a negative balance. That's because the credit card they were charging expired. An easy one to fix. Then I called EnergyPlus because my bill shows a previous balance of $341.33, a payment of $341.33 and a balance forward of $17.07. A new and interesting way to do math. The young man said it was a late fee, but the check cleared my bank on the due date. If they don't get around to posting it for four days, it's really not my problem. Resolution: They'll remove the fee.

I stopped working on "the pile" to go pick up my amended tax return. Did I mention that my CPA "overlooked" $50K worth of deductions? I'll be getting a refund now!

But now I've got to get back to "the pile". (See? I've been successfully procrastinating by writing this!) The thing I'm dreading the most is researching why I'm getting bills from some medical providers that should have been paid by my former health insurance provider. I can't imagine that going smoothly and I really don't feel like fighting with anyone. Or maybe it's the triple digit heat sucking all the energy out of me...

Didn't the government pass a "Paperwork Reduction Act"? Why doesn't it apply to me?