Welcome to the world of bureaucracy, little one! You get one freebie and now you've used it. Don't count on this kind of service ever again.

A little girl in Birmingham (age 13) did something like this recently...and the crackpot mayor gave her a $10k grant to help with her park renovation idea.

If you're a total imbecile, it's a very touching story.

[www.montgomeryadvertiser.com]

Haha, The Consumerist has made it so I laugh every time something is "taken seriously."

"He opened it himself, he said, and took the young girl's input seriously."

Did she spell check? The Consumerist did not.

Letter has one L.

Welcome to the gravy train little girl! Why must the state pay for a playground? Why can't the city or the county do that? Better yet, why don't we allow the private sector to pay for things like that? I'm sick and tired of my tax dollars going to other people.

I remember writing a letter when I was young to the NJ State insurance commissioner asking why guys are charged more for insurance than women, and wasn't that sexism and profiling. I forget what my response was now....

@kreatre2009:

Will you tell your children that?

i'm just wondering, how if, according to the article, they did the repairs for about $50, why it took so long to get done?

Oh man. I remember when some classmates and I wrote to the city council asking for a crosswalk on a busy road that was on the way to school. We were in sixth grade and were so excited when we saw our letter being read on the local access TV. And we got our crosswalk.

Of course, they painted it in the wrong spot, across a rarely used road rather than the busy one...and it took another year to get them to fix their mistake. But is was a nice thought.

@kreatre2009: Exactly!! Why stop at $50, why not throw $5000 at her. For those that believe it's just $50, what level do you feel is unacceptable for the State to take on for this little girl's 'happiness'? Better yet why do feel it is the responsibility of the State in the first place?

I'm sure if little Suzie (or whatever her name is) were to address this with a local business they would have JUMPED at the opportunity for good PR. Rather, she depends on tax dollars (no matter what amount) to get what she wants. Good lesson you're teaching your parents are teaching you there. Depend on the government for anything you want. Real good lesson....

@Raekwon: I saw that and thought to myself it's the first time I think I've seen that in an article linked to by Consumerist and actually believed it.

@oneliketadow:

and yet somehow you still knew what the intended message happened to be! congrats on your reading comprehension skills!

I did this when I was younger, my family had gone to a local park and it was wrecked, cracked pavement, etc. I was assigned a school project to write a letter to someone, a lot of kids picked celebrities but I wrote to a city official. As a result, the city canceled our "special" 5th grade activity that was held there, since the park was dangerous. I never told my classmates it was my letter that did that though! Then a few months later they just tore it down.

@nighttrain2007: FYI there are standards that public playgrounds are to kept up to. I bet at least 90% violate major safety standards though. She may have just moved the (seemingly minor) repairs further up on a long list of maintenance needs.

Yes, I'm a Parks and Recreation Director. Yes, some of my facilities have had graffiti. And yes, i have ignored it until i have had complaints from the public. ...squeeky wheel and all.

@Ryan McFarland:

One of the problems the article mentioned was a "dangerous" electric panel near the tennis court, so it doesn't sound as if it was all slides and cotton candy machines being handed out or something.

I was about to click the link, and then I saw that it was from Fox News ... no thanks.

If this is how to get things done, maybe we should hire seven-year-olds as lobbyists.

As other comments have insinuated, this girls action's have nothing whatsoever to do with "consumer rights" - she was just a lobbyist asking for a handout from the government. Personally, I don't mind $50, but let's call it what it is.

@Ash78: Aw, domed stadiums for everyone!

@Ash78: "Crackpot" doesn't even begin to describe Larry Langford.

@kreatre2009: I'm guessing you are the same guy/gall who complains that kids today just want to hang out on the corner or play video games, unlike in your day when you were always outside exercising.

I just feel bad the little girl has to grow up with the name "Hotard."