A Kinder, Gentler DMV

Remember the horror stories of the DMV. The hour long way followed by a confrontation with something that resembled death-warming-over ready to say NO to whatever the issue. Now, when you go to the DMV, they give you a number. A calm voice announces, "Number B0072 now being served at window 8." I even heard sounds of laughter today as people were conducting their business and getting pictures taken. I wanted to know if there was anything else I could do about a parking ticket I felt was issued unfairly and was denied the opportunity to contest because I was out of the coutry while the time elapsed. I had no knowledge of the ticket until it arrived in my mail and I retrieved it a month later upon returning from China. By then, a fee increase and a denial to protest the citation. The kindly man at the DMV today said, "Keep fighting it! Those officers abuse their power sometimes and if you think it was issued unfairly, petition - again and again." So the City has not heard the end of me. You might think it trivial and a waste of my time, but darnnit, that officer did abuse his authority and pretty much issued the ticket because I issued an expletive. While rude, not illegal as far as I know. Hey, I was PMSing, it does some wacked out things.

I love the DMV. I think I will holiday there. People were having fun, they were smiling to do their job. A tough job, no doubt. But it was just so darned quick, easy and pleasant, better there than the dentist. Seems like other official places of business could take a lesson from the kinder, gentler DMV.