Note to CA driver's license holders that need to renew

[Zeke]

You're screwed.

I went as soon as I could get an appointment. My closest office didn't have an appt until AFTER the thing expired. I got an appt at another office on a "first available" basis. That was 3 weeks before the expiration.

6 weeks later I have no renewal and the old one is expired. So, I call on a Monday, stupid I know. 35 minutes listening to the same music loop. I get an operator and for a second I can't find my thoughts. I told her that I had been on the line for over a half hour. She just says there are "2500 callers in the queue."

Nice.

start conversation with operator>

So, where is my license?

It takes 30 to 40 days.

It's been six weeks.

As I said, it takes 30-40 days.

Six times 7 is 42, it's been 47 days.

What's your DL number

(answer)

It hasn't been sent yet.

That's why I called.

Well, it takes 30-40 days and we're 3 months behind because of furloughs.

I don't wan't to add that up, it might be my Christmas present. You don't need my problems, but do you know that I basically can't do banking w/o a current ID? Always a DL since the laws changed regarding asking for a CC to back it up?

Well, you can go to a DMV and get an "Interim Driver's License."

I have one. It's not a picture ID with a hologram and it's useless at a bank.

Well, I can't help you, it's not been sent out yet. We are very behind because of the furloughs.

I'll remember that next time I go to polls. (Which is not what I should have said because that's not what I really meant.)

/end of conversation

So how the fvk can the state POS workers play their half assed game when it comes to vital services?

I've got USPS money orders to cash and other things to do. My advice to fellow Califunfortunates: be prepared for this if you plan on signing any docs or doing any significant business. I'm totally frozen AFA those things are concerned.

That is unless I want to bring my previous notary public and/or my attorney with me. I don't think the post office will budge, though.

I hate all government trough feeders. Time to change it all, politicians and rank and file workers alike. Sub contract the whole shebang out. I bet the Eastern Indians could have gotten my license to me in days.

I'm sure the Chinese could have done it too. It just would have been tainted with heavy metals.

I don't care. You see some slow moving, fat assed state worker in your sights in the future, tell them you'd PREFER outsourcing over their slug like performance.

Do you know who the largest employer is in most counties? Some form of government. And where does the money come from? Out of your ass.

Might be pretty far fetched, but I could entertain the idea of very little government, huge gov't employee layoffs and the resultant increase in spendable money for us private citizens. I don't know, it might be the economy we are all looking for.

Meanwhile, I have NO spendable money. Can't bank except at my bank. If I'd have known, I'd left a little money there.

I'm gonna go out and see if I find some state worker's ass to chew.

[stomachmonkey]

Do you have a Passport?

Mine is always current.

[Rick Lee]

Move to AZ. Our DL's are good for 30 years. I've seen plenty of places turn down passports because they don't know what a real one looks like, especially one from other countries.

[96740]

Well, I can't help you, it's not been sent out yet. We are very behind because of the furloughs.

Your being furloughed because your over paid lazy POS! Fire them all and hire a ready and willing workforce from the tens of thousands that are un-employed at 2/3 the price. This isn't rocket science.

[widebody911]

I did my renewal online 4 or 5 days before it was due, and my new D/L arrived on my birthday (8/7). I guess I got lucky.

They're working the furlough angle hard. I made the mistake of going into a DMV office a while back, and at 4:30 or so (they close @ 5:00), they stopped allowing people into line - they kicked out everyone who didn't already have a number, no ifs, ands or buts. The office wench who made the announcement made sure to mention several times that it was due to the furloughs. After that BS, I'm starting to think furloughs are a great idea.

[Head416]

I love how they blame a three month backlog on being closed two days a month.

It couldn't possible be that they're the DMV and they suck. The furloughs are just an excuse.

[mikester]

Milt, I'm worried that you think that companies outsource to get BETTER service.

That just isn't the case. Companies outsource to get CHEAPER service. They don't expect it to be better - in fact - from the words of one of my former CFOs just as we started outsourcing he said something to the effect of: 'We've been providing service that is TOO Good, we are paying too much and need to pay less and with that we can expect to get services that aren't as good. We want services that are just good enough to keep people from complaining too much.'

Outsourcing state workers to India (for example) would end up in service that is probably about the same.

[Zeke]

I forgot to mention that I did not have an online option. I haven't been to a DMV since 1998, No more automatic renewals for me. For one thing, My hair is nearly white; my current pic makes it look black. The other thing is, I haven't had a eye test for them in 12 years. So, I can understand bringing in older folks whether they have perfect records or not. (I still don't need glasses to drive.)

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

Move to AZ. Our DL's are good for 30 years. I've seen plenty of places turn down passports because they don't know what a real one looks like, especially one from other countries.

It's better than nothing.

I hear ya though.

True story.

When I got to TX the wife got her license 1st. Tells me to bring my SS card which has been in my wallet at the bottom of Oyster Bay for the last 20+ years.

So I bring my NY license and passport.

They won't accept PP, gotta be something with SS# on it. SS card, Health Care card if my member ID is my social, college transcript with SS on it.

Leave and return couple of days later with W2's, tax returns and other stuff but none of the 3 above.

NG.

I ask what is wrong with a PP? She says they are too easy to forge And a college transcript isn't??????

So I relent and drive a half hour to local SS office. Walk in, sit down, ask for replacement.

"What ID do you have?"

Passport.

"Perfect"

So TX DMV won't accept ID good for travel in just about every country on the face of the planet. ID that the Federal Government deems "perfect" to issue me a copy of the only proof that TX DMV will accept.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by mikester

Milt, I'm worried that you think that companies outsource to get BETTER service.

That just isn't the case. Companies outsource to get CHEAPER service. They don't expect it to be better - in fact - from the words of one of my former CFOs just as we started outsourcing he said something to the effect of: 'We've been providing service that is TOO Good, we are paying too much and need to pay less and with that we can expect to get services that aren't as good. We want services that are just good enough to keep people from complaining too much.'

Outsourcing state workers to India (for example) would end up in service that is probably about the same.

Today is a bad day to convince me of that.

Couple of weeks ago, I saw where a crew working under contract for the city painted the word "YIELD" at all four positions at an intersection. This was called for, so they got that part correct. Except one got painted "YEILD."

Now, if the city painters did that, we'd have to pay for the rework. Since it was outsource, it got corrected at no additional cost.

Just an example.

Of course, I had the perfect solution: the five letter templates only needed to have numbers written on them for order. Uno, Dos, Tres, Cuatro and Cinco.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

Do you have a Passport?

Mine is always current.

No passport. Too expensive and too much trouble. But, I'm thinking what you're thinking today.

hah! My luck at B of A would be, "Sorry, current driver's license only. Green Cards and passports not accepted."

[craigster59]

I just had to do the same thing. No appointments available till 4 weeks after my DL expired. Just went early and stood in line with the rest of the sheep. I had been able to renew online before, but was wondering if they're trying to get everyone in there to scan their thumbprint (refusal of thumb scan = no license).

[Head416]

There's a new "passport card" that's a bit cheaper. I don't have one yet but checked into it.

[Hugh R]

Because of my travels, I get my PP and DL renewed at least 3 months before they expire. Some countries won't let you in if your passport is going to expire in six months or less, they don't want you to decide to stay. Imagine that, staying in a country beyond the time they want to allow you to stay.

[TimT]

Similar story about dealing with gov't here in Nuevo Yorka

Went with my wife to Town of Hempstead to get our marriage license. She provided a certified translation of her birth certificate as required. The clerk said this translation was unacceptable?

I mentioned that this same certified translation was already accepted by The Department of Homeland Security as part of the immigration papers we submitted..

Clerk says "so what it is not acceptable for the marriage license", and in the next breath said we should go to Queens Borough Hall, because they would accept it!!!

Why she knows this, and why Hempstead town will not accept this are still mysteries..

I did lose my cool a bit leaving the Town of Hempstead Clerks office, as there were a number of lcd monitors on the floor and overturned office chairs present that were visible on my way out of the office

BTW We got our marriage license in Queens, were married in Queens, and had the dinner in Queens... So TOH lost on the revenue from out application, lost on various taxes revenues because we chose to celbrate our nuptials elsewhere

[Brando]

A perfect example of bureaucracy.

1, Take a large government run organization.

2, Put hundreds of layers of employees and management between the top and bottom (those in charge and those doing the grunt work).

3, Let them Unionize.

4, Continue to be extorted because they believe the revenue is endless.

5, Hold the populace's vital services hostages if threatened with layoffs, pay cuts, furloughs, etc.

6, ???

7, PROFIT!

[RWebb]

hard to believe you can't get a fake DL in LA

that's what you need to do - then send a copy of it with your story to your state repr.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by Hugh R

Because of my travels, I get my PP and DL renewed at least 3 months before they expire. Some countries won't let you in if your passport is going to expire in six months or less, they don't want you to decide to stay. Imagine that, staying in a country beyond the time they want to allow you to stay.

I think I tried to outsmart the DMV once. I forgot that I was in a DMV with respect to the Ragamuffin (71S) that came from KY. I said since I'm here, why don't I renew my DL as it was coming up within 2 months.

No, you can't do that. Too soon for the system. That's kinda how I remembered it anyway.

I think the bastards are simply playing the furlough card. They have no idea how this is really gonna shake out. You know, if Reagan could fire the entire Airtraffic Controllers Union, I don't see why we can't find someone with enough balls to do something about the frickin' prison guards' union and 30-40 or so of these other agencies who think their services are beyond reproach if not total elimination.

I swear, having up linked kiosks for a lot of things that gov't thinks they do best and hooked up to wherever people appreciate work is an appealing idea to me.

Outsource government and bring the real jobs home.

I mean really, Mikester, you think level of service is an issue here? What level of service? I'd get less sch!t from a dairy herd.

Originally Posted by RWebb

hard to believe you can't get a fake DL in LA

that's what you need to do - then send a copy of it with your story to your state repr.

Thought of that. Probably pass at a bank.

[Brando]

The current Governor could do that. BUT, the idiot was stupid enough to sign a bill, passed by our state legislature, that authorized a raise (by percentage) to each remaining employee based on how many layoffs or terminations there were.

The only viable solution for the state of CA now is to go bankrupt, default on contracts to unions and union pensions (calpers), eliminate the option to unionize and offer the workers their old positions at market-equivalent pay and pensions. In the private sector employees usually strive towards results when:

a) there are fair options for advancement.
b) when they know a lack of results will net them unemployed status.
c) there are repercussions for their actions.

Originally Posted by milt

[...] You know, if Reagan could fire the entire Airtraffic Controllers Union, I don't see why we can't find someone with enough balls to do something about the frickin' prison guards' union and 30-40 or so of these other agencies who think their services are beyond reproach if not total elimination. [...]

[Zeke]

Bankruptcy will never happen in that capacity. You're talking about what would be a Ch 7 in the private sector. They would only do an equivalent to Ch 11.