Not exactly car related but a good DMV story.
My license expired on 1/21. NY is one of the first states going to the "enhanced" licenses. In a few years all the states will be required to issue them. From what I was told its a DHS thing.
So a week before my birthday I ventured into the local DMV office with a pile of papers showing who I am and where I live. This is the EXACT same stack of paperwork my wife used to get her new license in the middle of June. You need a picture ID, SS card or some official paper from SS with the number. Bank statements, utility bills. My issue is I have a PO box not a mail box in front of my house so the majority of my stuff shows a box number not a street address.
So the woman looks through the paperwork. She says she cant take the one thing from the bank because its not a "statement" that shows my account balance. Its a page with the account number and my "profile". I explained to her that it was the same page my wife used in June. Didnt matter. She wouldnt take it.
She asked me if I had anything else with my street address. I didnt know what else I had that they would accept. She asked if I had a pistol license. I told her no but I had a copy of an email from regestering an assault rifle. No good. I also had a downsized copy of my property tax bill. Still no good. I told her I can use that in a gun store to purchase a firearm but it wasnt good enough for the DMV.
So now Im stuck. I told the woman I had no other proof of where I reside. She reaches over and grabs a sheet of paper off a shelf. Its a NYS DMV form. Basically its a form someone can sign saying they know I live at that address. Neighbor, teacher, spouse. There were a few other choices. This form just needs to be signed. Not notarized.
I could have gone out to the parking lot and paid one of countless people hanging around out there to sign this form. I took it home and my wife filled it out. Went back the next day. Now since I was there already another woman looked all the papers over before I got a number to get on line. I asked her who thought of using that form. I asked her how they would have known who actually signed it. I also asked her what if my wife wasnt a US citizen ? She honestly didnt have an answer. She said all this comes from the DHS.
When I was finally getting my photo taken for the new license I joked with the woman at the counter telling her I was wearing a hat in my previous photo. Funny thing is now you can wear a hat in your picture. Seems its against the law to prevent someone from wearing a head cover since some religions require it. WTF happened to out society ? LOL
