i'm not a fan of anything that has to do with car maintenance. i'm going to go so far as to say i don't even enjoy putting gas in my vehicle. blech on all things cars, however taking care of the only vehicle i have is a must and i do it begrudgingly. presently i am in desperate need of new windshield wipers (the passenger one is falling apart) and my rig is in desperate need of a wash, but she also needed new tabs. tabs definitely take precedence, i don't need a hefty ticket on my hand for expired tabs.
off to the emissions place i go. thankfully the fella who helped me out had a good sense of humor. he started off our interaction with, "there is no laughing here, this is a government facility" with a grin bigger than a watermelon rind. i might have saluted him just for the joy of it. he put me in a "time out" telling my daughter that i wasn't following directions and i would have to sit in the corner for awhile. miss p found great pleasure in the fact that i was sitting in a plexiglass booth. the old girl passed the test with flying colors. phew!
with my passing report in hand i head off to purchase tabs. i was expecting them to be under $50.00, but i was in for a surprise. here is the following conversation with the clerk:
- clerk: oh, looks like you are due for new license plates?
- me: oh, no no. i just did that not too long ago.
- clerk: are you still driving the toyota?
- me: yes
- clerk: well you had new plates in 2006. the state requires that you get new plates every seven years.
- me: are you sure it was 2006? i am just now remembering what my license plate is.
- clerk: if you are still driving the Toyota then yes it was 2006, but if you would like to keep your same number you can have them remade for $24.00?
- me: uh, i am not that partial to my plates i will take the new ones.
- clerk: your total today is $72.75
i pull out my debit card and hand it to her.
- clerk: uh, do you have a check? it will cost you another $2.00 to use your card.
- me: oh my heavens, you've got to be kidding me! do you know why, the actual reason, why the state requires drivers to replace their license plates every 7 years?
- clerk: well they say that the plates aren't as reflective anymore.
at this point i am somewhat exasperated. the clerk's explanation, which i understand is not her made up rule, is completely bogus. you cannot tell me that with all the technological advances in materials, they haven't developed a license plate that doesn't lose its reflectiveness. why in the world can't the state just be honest and say, "we make you get new ones for all the lost revenue we've had since you passed the flat rate license tab fees."? our government seems to find anyway they can to bleed you dry.
so, there you go. life is always an adventure. next up on the list, find a screw driver to attach my shiny new plates.
4 comments:
The real question is, why do you need to have plate in the first place? And then, why do you have to have a sticker on it? And then, why do you have to renew it after you got it? Please just roll the tax into our gas price and leave us alone with a special trip to the license agency and possible traffic tickets.
revenue, revenue, revenue and any possible way to inconvenience the folks they are trying to bleed dry. yep I think that is why :)
so well written. Why Don't you just blog / write for a living?! ;)
@thecolor...the honest answer, i'm too chicken. there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of financial security for those humans who are just starting out in the literary world and well i have these two little people who depend on me to keep their lives somewhat secure. when i am a real grown up maybe i can take that leap. thank you for your kind words! :)
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