It's My Birthday...

... and that means my driver's license expires today. The state of Oregon now requires a birth certificate and social security card in order to renew. Something about preventing illegal immigrants from obtaining driver's licenses.

I looked EVERYWHERE, but I could not find my birth certificate. I found absolutely everything else, including the title to my car, my SAT scores, and the scores from my original driving exam.

I ordered a new birth certificate but didn't expect it to arrive in time. I went to the DMV early this morning and got a temporary license, which does not come with a photo, so I can't use it as ID. This made me very sad because I have plans to go out later this week, but I can't go anyplace where they'll card me because I have no photo ID!

After I got to work, I got a phone call from UPS saying that my new birth certificate will be delivered today! I got all excited about getting my license right away until I found out that the DMV no longer hands out licenses on the day you apply for them. Whether I renewed it before the expiration date or not, they would still issue me a temporary license, and I would have to wait for my new license to arrive in the mail. So no matter what, I will still go for several days without photo ID.

How stupid is this?

First of all, I found out that ANYONE can obtain my birth certificate because it's considered public record. When I filled out the form to get a copy from the state, I was not asked to identify myself in any way. All I have to do is provide enough information about the person on the certificate so they can look it up. So how reliable is this as a secure form of identification?

Secondly, isn't it more expensive and less secure to put my new driver's license in the mail, rather than just handing it to me in person? Now they have to pay someone to stuff envelopes, pay the cost of shipping, and someone could easily steal it out of the mail. And what are people supposed to do if their driver's license is their only form of photo ID? Everyone in the state will have to go for several days without ID because Oregon takes away your old license and makes you wait for the mail to get your new one.

It doesn't make much sense to me. I understand that they want to keep illegals from getting a license, but this is just stupid. Too much bloated government regulation. I miss the old days where you walked in, filled out the form, took your photo, and they handed you a license on your way out the door.