COMMON COURTESY FROM THE R.M.V.?

“Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous.” (I Peter 3:8)

A couple of weeks ago my friend George Kalem (we graduated from Canton High School together in 1972) sent me an e-mail informing me that the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles had just instituted a policy that they will no longer be sending out reminder letters stating that people’s drivers’ licenses are about to expire. It’s now up to everyone to carefully check their license for the expiration date and to make sure to go to the R.M.V. to renew shortly before the expiration of the license. There are a number of other matters the R.M.V. will also no longer remind us of...that we had just better KNOW or else. George assumed that since I am so oriented toward the Registry of Motor Vehicles (see my “Junior Registry Man?” posting on this blog from October 31, 2008) that I’d just automatically know this information. Well, I DIDN’T know it, and I’m glad George let me know!

Michael Graham of radio station 96.9 WTKK has also written a great piece about this which you can read at:

http://www.michaelgraham.com/post/2008/11/13/How-Massachusetts-Can-Turn-42-Cents-Into-241000-Cash!.aspx#comment

(IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: Michael Graham’s posting about the Registry is fine, good, and very informative. SOME of the comments posted used language and expressions I don’t care for. You may want to read Michael Graham’s posting but skip the comments- although I wrote one of the comments, which, of course is fine!)

I have mentioned in the past that my father, Eugene A. Baril, retired from the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles in 1982 after a distinguished career with them. (That’s how I got Massachusetts plate #280 which is on my 1989 Volkswagen!) I’m not exaggerating when I say my Dad had a “distinguished career” with the Registry. In 1968, he made two “accident investigation” police training television programs for WGBH-TV channel 2 which were also broadcast throughout PBS stations all over New England. On the second program he and several other experts fielded questions from police officers (and others) in a live studio audience. Dad also arranged former Registrar Richard E. McLaughlin’s appearances on radio and television throughout the state and used to accompany him on each appearance. During his last several years at the Registry, he was Supervisor of the Medical Affairs branch (then at the old 100 Nashua St. Boston headquarters) and was recognized for his outstanding treatment of the disabled, long before this was a “politically correct” thing to do.

Some might think I have “chutzpah” to be speaking on behalf of my late father, but I think he’d have a major problem with the current policy of the R.M.V. refusing to notify people by mail that their licenses are about to expire. He’d have completely agreed with Michael Graham. And, knowing how “spit and polish” former Registrar McLaughlin was, I’m sure he’d agree with Michael Graham, too. I really hope the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will rethink this discourteous and unreasonable policy and that they’ll “reinstate” (to use a very Registry-like term) the old policy of sending out the reminder letters.

I know in a recent posting I promised I’d cut down on complaining. So, please don’t consider this a “complaint”- consider it a “courtesy notification”!