Fix burdensome government requirements

Letter to the Editor.

Yes, I’m triggered! I hate waste and stupidity. It’s that time again ... Tag time! So here we go. Make sure you have a full tank of gas and a pocket full of cash to begin the scavenger hunt for the Missouri Automobile Licensing Issuance and Renewal process.

Firstly, I am blessed being retired. I cannot for the life of me understand how the poor real world working person with a full time job gets this tagging process completed. I know they cannot get everything required to obtain a license tag during their lunch hour. No wonder we have so many unlicensed vehicles on our highways.

So ... Schedule to get you vehicle safety inspected. Stand in line, shut-up, and pay your money. We’ve always done it this way. Incredible! The vast majority of Missouri citizens want to keep their vehicles safe and operating correctly. Being a retired military person, I have registered vehicles in numerous states and countries. Georgia had this ridiculous so called safety requirement and dumped it more then 30 years ago. Do the lights and horn work? Really?

Now go to your county courthouse and play musical chairs to find the proper office to get a receipt for your property taxes. Yep ... stand in line, shut-up, and pay your money.

Lastly, go to the tag office with a stack of paper about an inch thick to get your tag. Oh by the way ... stand in line, shut-up, and pay your money.

Again, how does the average working man or woman have the ability in these desperate economic times to accomplish this undue and timely burden placed on them by the bureaucratic political system? It is obvious that someone sitting behind a desk dreamed this bad boy up. I hate to even imagine the burden placed on our farmers and those operating commercial vehicles for their local businesses.

Why doesn’t Missouri law simply state ... One must have the following to operate a vehicle within our state? This should be like the rest of the United States where one goes to the tag office and pays their road taxes/fees to operate a vehicle. If stopped by law enforcement and one fails to have the requirements met, such as the ridiculous safe inspection, they are issued a citation. Plan and simple. No scavenger hunt! No pocket full of cash! No having a tank full of gas to get a tag issued or renewed.

During this ELECTION cycle, where every Tom, Dick, and Harry is running for office, I know my vote will go to those that can fix stupid overly burdensome requirements placed on the hard working people of SEMO like this tagging process.

I am so sick of having a shotgun pointed at me for the actions of a few irresponsible individuals that cannot live in this world as grown ups. Forcing law abiding citizens to be punished, yes, punished for the actions of a few is unconscionable.

My vote will go to the people that can fix this and other stupid governmental processes and bring it back to something that should be extremely simple and straight forward.

I eagerly await a public reply from those seeking my vote for the office of state representative and state senator.

Respectfully,

David W. Shifflett

Doniphan