This past week I found myself on the proverbial Gov’ment Hamster Wheel. I’m sure most of you know the one I’m talking about. You’re trying to cut yourself through government red tape but only seem to be going in circles. Well, here’s my latest bout with it.
Having moved to Montana from Florida, and planning on staying a while, I decided I probably needed to go ahead and get my Montana driver’s license and tag for my truck. They do have rules for just how long you can go before doing that, and having already been stopped once by Officer Norby, I didn’t want to take a chance and force him to stop me for another infraction. Having “met” me my first weekend here, he is well aware of how long I have been in the state.
Come to think of it, since I keep mentioning this on a weekly basis in my column, it’s likely most of the officers at the Sidney Police Department would know how long I’ve been in town.
Don’t get me wrong. I do not believe anyone in the department is marking off a calendar to make sure I get my tag on time. What I do know, though, is most law enforcement officers are more aware of what’s going on in their town than most would realize, and that being the case, I didn’t want to take any chances… just in case.
(Haha! I’m sure they’re all laughing at this with me and not taking this seriously or anything. After all I didn’t make any donut jokes or anything like that… and did I tell you I really like cops… and my brother is a retired deputy… and some of my best friends are cops… uhhhh, I think I’m going to just get back to the column now…)
So, I did a little research and looked up what I would need to obtain a license. Current license. Check. Proof of residency. Check. Social Security card. Hmmm… I know I had one but I have no idea where it is. I’m not even sure of the last time I actually used it.
Well, no problem. I’ll just go online and apply for a replacement card.
I filled out the form and provided all of the information necessary, including a photocopy of my driver’s license. Yes, the Florida one.
Hmmm… it seems you cannot get a replacement Social Security card unless your current address matches the one on your driver’s license. Of course, mine does not.
But I can’t get a driver’s license with the correct address unless I have a social security card… which I can’t get until I have a Social Security card.
That ol’ hamster wheel is just-a-spinnin’ and I’m gettin’ pretty dizzy.
You would think that since the State of Florida required all of that information, I could use that license as proof of my identity (except for my current address, of course) and that I am a legal citizen of the United States. Of course, I would expect them to verify the license is current and valid.
Well, I did come up with a couple of documents that have my social security number on them, so I made an appointment for Wednesday to try and get my license. Since I usually put out a newsletter on Wednesday, I’ll update this story there and let you all know if I am off the Gov’ment Hamster Wheel or not.
Come to think of it, this column will be in Wednesday’s newspaper, which if you’re reading this on Wednesday is today but if you’re reading it on Tuesday, it’s tomorrow and Thursday would be yesterday and if you read the newsletter you would know the outcome before you read this story.
I’m going to stop now before I get even more confused, but if you aren’t getting our newsletter, it’s pretty easy to sign up… and I’m sure you want to know how this all turns out. Just go to https://www.sidneyherald.com/site/enewsletter-signup/ and register. It comes out four times a week and each one is from a different member of the staff.
And if you’re getting the newsletter but not reading it, well, you’ll never know if I got my license or not. That is, unless I end up in the arrest report for not having a Montana license. Then everybody will know.
March 29, 2021 at 12:43PM
https://www.sidneyherald.com/opinion/gettin-dizzy-on-the-govment-hamster-wheel/article_a80ccb56-9051-11eb-bf4e-43b3730ccd61.html
Gettin' dizzy on the Gov'ment Hamster Wheel - Sidney Herald Leader
https://news.google.com/search?q=Wheel&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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