the thing about federalism

If one state machinery is complicated, two are a real doozy. It's really amazing that anything gets done at all in federal systems.

At our meeting with representatives of the regional government (Junta de Extremadura) in Madrid, we were given detailed directions as to the legal errands we had to run. They even distributed letters addressed to the head of the foreigners' office and the bank signed by the head of the Junta, in the hopes that we might have a smoother ride down the rocky road that is the Spanish bureaucracy.

It was this very letter that piqued the temper of the man sitting opposite me at police station (where the foreigners' office is located). You see, the regional government is my employer. They need certain legal documents to be able to pay me, namely a NEI (Foreigner's ID number). However, it is the Foreigners' Office run by the Ministry of the Interior (aka the federal government) that issues said number. As would be expected, these two organisms do not communicate as often or well as they should. Apparently I had been sent to ask for something that takes three weeks to process and must be sent to the provincial capital, Badajoz. Not only that but the Junta had given me the wrong forms and neglected to inform me that I would also need to take a rent contract -- something that is not signed for leases of less than one year. What they should have asked us to do was register with our local office, pay the 7 euros fee, and be issued a certificate and NIE on the spot.

The federal government employee rambled on in faster than normal Spanish (!!) about 'those guys' at the Junta, their attempts to circumvent procedure, and their lack of understanding about the purpose of various forms and documents. Luckily I had local company (my landlord drove me around in the big fat thundershower that was Monday) and he weeded out what was important from the ramble -- mainly that I had to take a form to the bank, pay a fee, bring the form back to the office, and finally retrieve my certificate.

Two days later I have an apartment, a NIE, a checking account, and have sent in the necessary documents so that the moolah from the Junta will find its way to the bank.

My status in Spain is totally regularized.

The thing about federalism is that it's complicated. Federal and regional governments are always butting heads even when they mean to work towards the same objective. And so with the federal and provincial governments complaining about each other and Ibarretxe setting dates for a Basque referendum, it's almost like moving to Canada all over again...