So Thursday was my appointment with Triple A for my license renewal in Massachusetts.
My license expires on Sunday and I’ve been waiting for two weeks for the appointment.
This appointment thing is something that the RMV started during the Shamdemic and now (Surprise!) it’s been made permanent. No more picking a date during the month of your birthday and heading over to the RMV office and getting in line with everyone else. Often you’d arrive and check out the lines and think, ” Think I’ll try again on Monday”.
A little surprised to notice while I waited that of the four people in front of me, three apparently were denied renewal. Now in Massachusetts as in the rest of the country, Real ID is being rolled in by Federal Decree. So after over sixty years a licensed driver it’s not a simple renewal any more. But WTF?
I overheard enough of one conversation to understand the woman’s problem was that her legal documentation didn’t match her married name, i.e. her birth certificate. This suggests that women should bring their marriage license with them to explain the name discrepancy. No, the form that the RMV sends you on the month before your birthday will not warn you about this.
When my turn came I handed over all my documents, including what I thought was the Gold Standard; my US Passport.
So after a moment the lady asked me if I had my birth certificate with me.
“No, but the passport is supposed to be an acceptable proof of natural born citizenship?”, I answered.
“Well, the passport office issued defective passports during the time that you got yours and it can’t be ‘read’ by our machine. So you can’t get a renewal today. But I can get you an extension on your old licenses expiration and give you a new appointment at the end of the month and you bring a new passport or your valid birth certificate with you”.
Joy. Another two hours travel and waiting, and twelve bucks in gas.
What bothers me about the Passport thing is that the physical passport is pristine, unmarred and has a document number and watermarks and has my birthdate printed on it clearly. But that’s not acceptable? The hidden electronics inside trump the visible and readable attestments upon it’s pages. But they would accept my (now) 73 year old (Birth Certificate) faded, folded and yellowing piece of paper that has printed on it… the same information. I know, stop making sense.
At least it was the AAA, the state RMV offices are staffed with the most degenerate and despicable creatures on the face of the Earth.
On the North River 
Huh. Seems like we enjoy the same birthday, assuming that tomorrow is yours.
Anyway: I got lucky with my renewal. License expired March 2020 and for once I didn’t wait til the last minute to deal. Got it done at the AAA in Rockland mid February and all documents accepted, no problem. Whew. One month later the scamdemic is gearing up to go full steam ahead.
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March 19th also? I wonder if we ever crossed paths at the Abington Ale House for the free meal on your birthday deal?
March 19th is such a interesting borderline time to have a birthday; I’ve shoveled snow, pumped out the basement and removed fallen tree limbs on my “special day”.
Well, Happy Birthday!
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Right back atcha.
Never got my free meal at the AAH but I have eaten there, but only at times of desperation… not a fan of their fare.
My most memorable b’day day was the day I turned 20; on campus at UMass, I stopped cold and realized that I was no longer a teenager. Go figure.
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Happy Birthday, John! I hope you’re not shoveling snow, pumping out your basement, or removing fallen tree limbs on your birthday this year.
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Spouse and I endured the Real ID crapola just prior to the start of the ‘Rona scam. Passports were expired so we had to use birth certificates and marriage license because of the maiden/married name mis-match. There was some back and forth with the DMV folks regarding the legality of that document – which was the original one showing all the appropriate signatures, seals, etc – but ultimately everything was approved. In talking with friends/associates it seems the difficulty (or ease) in obtaining the Real ID in our state depended on which DMV office you used. Some moved you right through and some were like an IRS audit requiring multiple visits. A document rejected by one office would be accepted by another.
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I even joined AAA just to get my renewal done there. The clerks at the MA RMV are the scum of the earth. They look for ways to screw you. With cops standing by in case you lose your temper.
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