[SimeyTheLimey]

Every now and again, a friend tries to guilt-trip me about moving out of DC. Well, here's a good example of why I'm glad to be rid of the city.

A couple of days ago, I got a notice forwarded from my old address telling me that I was delinquent on a ticket for expired tags on my car. The ticket is $200. The problem is the ticket is for a Mazda, and I have never owned a Mazda, and the tag number is one I turned in to DMV a year and a half ago!!

Fortunately, I have a receipt from when I turned the tags in. I sent a copy in with a letter explaining that the ticket can't refer to my car since I have no car in DC, and certainly not with those tags. We'll see if they delete the ticket. But how could they still have me as the record holder of those tags?

Oh, I forgot. This is DC. Be glad if you don't live there.

[Spheric Harlot]

I think bureaucracy works the same everywhere.

[SimeyTheLimey]

Originally posted by Spheric Harlot:
I think bureaucracy works the same everywhere.

This isn't beaurocracy. The way those tags got "reissued" but still in my name is almost certainly because one of DMV's employees is crooked. The DC DMV isn't just notoriously incompetant, they are also notoriously corrupt.

[Spheric Harlot]

Oh.

That sucks.

"Nuke and pave."

[SimeyTheLimey]

Originally posted by Spheric Harlot:
Oh.

That sucks.

"Nuke and pave."

Exactly. Would you like to know that some drug dealer is driving around in tags with your name on them?

[Eriamjh]

Their records indicate the tags are in your name. Now, you can expect a bill for the last 1.5 years of registration fees! And late charges!

I wonder if someone has actually stolen your ID info, too? Might wanna check your credit...

[Spheric Harlot]

Shouldn't it be possible to trace the re-issued plates to a single corrupt official who issued them?

that is, if he's stupid enough to be traceable...

[OB1]

I feel your pain. About 8 months ago my number plates got stolen from my car. I reported the theft, and since then I've been pulled over by the police more times than I can remember, 3 times in march. I keep getting this nagging feeling I'm going to be woken up in the early hours and be accused of something horrible. I live in a small village in England.

[dcmacdaddy]

Originally posted by Spheric Harlot:
I think bureaucracy works the same everywhere.

Bureaucracy in Washington DC is tremendously incompetent.
We are talking Olympic-gold-medal level of incompetence.

That is why I am still a legal resident of Virginia, where Simey lives.
My official address for all documents is a postal box and I carry
VA tags on my car and a VA drivers license. I can get away with
this for one reason only, off-street parking where I live in DC.
As long as I don't try and park on the street the traffic enforcement
goons can't do a thing to me.

[Sod Off Sadr]

the government doesn't get off their butts and move to correct stuff until you file a lawsuit.

Maybe it's time to file.

[SimeyTheLimey]

Originally posted by Sod Off Sadr:
the government doesn't get off their butts and move to correct stuff until you file a lawsuit.

Maybe it's time to file.

Not yet. We'll give them the opportunity to correct their mistake. But my partner is a member of the D.C. bar so we have the option should it be necessary.

[vmpaul]

Happens everywhere.

Last month we got a violation notification on one of our cars from Santa Ana, Ca. Trouble is that Santa Ana is 400 miles south of us. We haven't taken a road trip down to SoCal in years.

Also, and this is good, the car they cited was in the shop that day. We have proof.

Boy, did I want to call that office and get righteous on whoever answered. Then when I thought about it and realized I'd probably be talking to some innocent county clerk who is just clock-watching, hoping to get through the day. Last thing he needs is some stranger yelling at him/her.

[gorickey]

mitchell_pgh has some awful things to say about DC from what I remember; however, he's fallen off of MacNN earth and can't get up...

[itai195]

Originally posted by vmpaul:
Happens everywhere.

Yeah. This reminds me of when I was in school in Berkeley. Every third Wednesday they'd clean one side of the street, the next day they'd clean the other side. I think the street cleaning was really an excuse to give out massive numbers of parking tickets. Anyway, I got a ticket once and paid it. Berkeley also has an annoying habit of sending a bill to your home address, but since I was a student at the time my home address was still my parents' house in the south bay. So they got a bill, and they paid it. So my parking ticket was paid for twice, and the city claims -of course- that they have no record of the second payment... Quite a clever strategy for raising funds, considering how many students live there.

[vmpaul]

Originally posted by itai195:
Quite a clever strategy for raising funds, considering how many students live there.

Yes, quite the plan. It might surprise some here that Lefties like money too.

[OH-N'omac]

I don't like DC at all...its like someone took a slum and put a nice coat of paint on it, everything looks safe and clean but I've more bad run-ins with the homeless in DC than anywhere else, and I'm in NYC a lot. The first time really caught me off guard, now I just avoid the place whenever I can.

[KrazyEvilGoat]

I don't live in DC, I didn't read this thread, and I am very bored with the fairly lame threads floating around right now.

(this post is not indicative of KrazyEvil Goat's normal intelligence level)

[olePigeon]

Originally posted by OH-N'omac:
I don't like DC at all...its like someone took a slum and put a nice coat of paint on it, everything looks safe and clean but I've more bad run-ins with the homeless in DC than anywhere else, and I'm in NYC a lot. The first time really caught me off guard, now I just avoid the place whenever I can.

Try San Francisco.

[Nebagakid]

are you guys talking about the downtown area, or the more residential areas.

I live in DC and I like it a lot. **** living in a state.

[SimeyTheLimey]

Originally posted by SimeyTheLimey:
Every now and again, a friend tries to guilt-trip me about moving out of DC. Well, here's a good example of why I'm glad to be rid of the city.

A couple of days ago, I got a notice forwarded from my old address telling me that I was delinquent on a ticket for expired tags on my car. The ticket is $200. The problem is the ticket is for a Mazda, and I have never owned a Mazda, and the tag number is one I turned in to DMV a year and a half ago!!

Fortunately, I have a receipt from when I turned the tags in. I sent a copy in with a letter explaining that the ticket can't refer to my car since I have no car in DC, and certainly not with those tags. We'll see if they delete the ticket. But how could they still have me as the record holder of those tags?

Oh, I forgot. This is DC. Be glad if you don't live there.

Update: My appeal worked. They dismissed the ticket!

I guess I just won my first "case."

[Spliffdaddy]

They prolly issued a warrant for your arrest.

Accidentally.

[ort888]

I lived and worked in the DC area for about 5 years and I would never want to live there again. I'm not a big fan of the city.

It was a good experience though. I'm glad I did it.

[djohnson]

Originally posted by Spliffdaddy:
They prolly issued a warrant for your arrest.

Accidentally.

Yeah thats it... accidentally...

[SimeyTheLimey]

Originally posted by Spliffdaddy:
They prolly issued a warrant for your arrest.

Accidentally.

But bearing in mind how efficient they are, they would never serve it.

[spatterson]

Originally posted by Spheric Harlot:
"Nuke and pave."

Thats great! I will remember this set of words! LOL

[Shaddim]

Originally posted by ort888:
I lived and worked in the DC area for about 5 years and I would never want to live there again. I'm not a big fan of the city.

Two words explain it all, Marion Barry.

[voodoo]

Originally posted by Spheric Harlot:
Oh.

That sucks.

"Nuke and pave."

ROLF