Paperwork Paradox

I haven't been writing much, but I came across something that was amusing and brief, so just a quick entry today... I was filling out a government form for my employer today, which included a list of yes/no questions. Question #4 of 18 was "Has a completed COPY of this renewal application form (front & back) been sent or delivered to the Chief Law Enforcement Officer (CLEO) of the locality in which the premises are located?" There are also spaces to fill in the date that you sent it, and the name and title of the Chief Law Enforcement Officer. The policy associated with this form requires that a copy be sent to the local law enforcement. But if you stop and think about that for just a second, you will see the problem. They are asking, as you fill out the form, if you have already done something with the completed form. The only possible answer to that question that is true as you fill out the form would be "no." But that will, of course, cause the form to be rejected.

Interestingly, you might try to get around this, by answering "no" (which is true), then copying and sending the form, which would allow you to cross out "no" and answer "yes." Except that this is still not true, because now you have changed the original, so what you sent is not actually a copy of the form, and the answer is still "no."

In order to successfully complete the form, I decided that the process of filling out the form and sending it to the local law enforcement office is an atomic operation, completed effectively all at the same instant in time. And since the form required when I signed it that it is "true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief," that's my belief, and I'm sticking to it.