Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

Comments

  1. is now a lock.

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    p>This is the biggest technological breakthrough since the NFL introduced the reverse angle camera.

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    p>Einsteinesque.

    • First, the registry stops sending out reminders.  Heh.  More traffic tickets, I guess, for driving around with expired licenses – is THIS an example of the Municipal Partnership Act?

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      p>How many citizens noticed, are aware of the fact there are no more mail reminders, or note when their licenses expire?

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      p>Does all of the state have Broadband let alone wifi?

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      p>The last I heard maybe 1/3 of those who drive have computers and access to getting these.

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      p>Plus, excuse me, do you expect me to believe there is no commercial benefit to Sendza Corp?

  2. I’m not a fan of putting more commercialization in government services, particularly advertisements.

  3. of a policy mistake, since the registry previously sent out letters (remember those paper thingies) for registry and license renewals about a month before they were due.  My license was up for renewal last July and I kept waiting for the traditional letter with the renewal application.  Never came, and only found out when I went to the AAA office in Newton to renew that the RMV was no longer sending out renewal letters.

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    p>When did the RMV stop sending out those letters; if it occurred in the last two years, I wouldn’t be trumpeting reversing a poor decision.

      • Hello!  Anyone listening out there?  Everyone is supposed to go online and get crash report forms.  What about the 66% of families without computers or internet?

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        p>I had an awful driver cut me off and nearly cause an accident.  I filed a citizen complaint.  Response?  We don’t process those any more.  Go fish.  Get a baseball bat and teach him a lesson.  THIS is an improvement?

        • the Registry unilaterally decides within the last year to stop sending out renewal notices with no notification to the public that this is occurring.

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          p>Now the RMV is trumpeting an “opt in” method to get notification of renewals.  My kids are all over Youtube, but I bet a ton of older folks certainly aren’t.

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          p>I certainly don’t mind being able to access the RMV online or for that matter being able to renew my license at the AAA office in Newton (took me 10 minutes, while my wife last month spent over 2 hours at the Plymouth RMV getting her license renewal).  But this manuever doesn’t exactly strike me as “good government”.

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          p>Next time she’s on WRKO in the morning, may have to call and ask about this logic.

    • …as the Democrats seek to end the partnership.

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      p>Mike – that was the genesis of the ‘Michael Graham’ crack.  His license was suspended because of lack of notification, due to a batch error regarding his old out-of-state license.

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      p>And before you jump on me, BMG – ten years ago, the RMV ceased taking paper from agents as evidence for carrier change, cancellations, etc., but instead required electronic notification from a carrier that a payment had been made, carrier had changed etc.  MORE THAN ONCE an elecronic batch failed (which can happen) and people’s reg would be revoked despite timely payment, renewal, etc.  Even when evidence was provided, it was still too bad for you.  While they Might graciously wipe out the surcharge if you went about it correctly, the charge for a tow if you car was impounded, etc. was still your problem.

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      p>I was impounded myself, despite having the electronic receipt I printed out for my renewal, because it hadn’t gone into the database properly.

      • AAA has lobbied against the Clean Air Act, against funding mass transit, against air emissions standards, against open-space measures, and so forth.

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        p>The AAA doesn’t represent this Democrat’s values, and I don’t want state policy to do anything to drive their membership (and their money expendable on lobbyists) upwards.

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        p>If I owned a car, I’d be a member of Better World Club instead of AAA.

          • You’re Old School.  You’ve got to drive your car somewhere to get help with paperwork.  You’ve also ignored my point that, given my druthers, you wouldn’t be able to go to AAA for license renewal precisely because AAA have a bunch of jerkwad ideas when it comes to transportation and the 21st century.

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            p>I’m New School.  I don’t want to physically go anywhere to get help — it’s a waste of time and fuel.  I also don’t want my government to subsidize organizations which make my country and my world worse off in the long run, be they AAA or Exxon.

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            p>As for over reliance and virtual — you’re just making a broad statement which seems awfully foolish to me.  Communicating with a person via email or Internet form is no more virtual than using a telephone, a telegraph, or a pen-and-paper letter.

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            p>AAA has, historically, existed for three reasons: TripTik, travel books, and roadside assistance.  TripTiks have been overshadowed for the most part by mapquest and then google maps.  Travel books are still handy I guess, but web-enabled phones, travel books sold in bookstores, and even GPS systems have rendered much of the AAA travel books non-compelling.  All that’s left is roadside assistance, which is arguably even more valuable now that everybody’s got a cell phone.  My contention is that most AAA subscribers value the roadside assistance — the rest is largely irrelevant.  If roadside assistance is what you’re after… Better World Club gets it done — without dumping some of your subscription fees into lobbying against 21st century transportation initiatives.

            • I used the AAA service in July in Newton.  What took my wife 2 hours in Plymouth last month took me fifteen minutes.  All AAA is handling is straight forward license renewals and registration renewals.  Forget old/new school, if AAA can scoop out that chunk (remember, every 10 years you have to get the picture taken – doesn’t work so well online) it works to everyone’s benefit who has to head to the Registry.  If you remember the License Express stores they had in the malls back in the early 90s, kind of the same idea.

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              p>I’ve yet to actually use the roadside assistance (knock on wood), but between auto loans, hotel discounts, and 13% off my monthly T-Mobile bill, figure I’m saving a few hundred dollars per year with a AAA membership.

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              p>Did check out the BetterWorld Club and it looks pretty eco-friendly et al; that being said, their hotel “discounts” pale in comparison to AAA.

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              p>I’ll hold my nose and keep paying AAA.

              • Stomv doesn’t get that without a physical presence, it will be damned hard for the Better Happy World Club to take your damn PICTURE for your license renewal!

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                p>I’m new school enough (I renewed and got electronic receipts, for instance) but you need to go to a place – not a site – to get your eyes tested, photo done, etc.

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                p>I will be kind and forebear to mention the AlQuida Driver’s License renewal service, also on line like Happy World.

                • Come on PP.

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                  p>My contention is that MA RMV shouldn’t contract with AAA precisely because, when it comes down to it, AAA does transportation a disservice with their lobbying.

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                  p>I’m not arguing that Better World can replace AAA’s license service — I’m arguing that RMV ought fix RMV and not contract out part of their job to the AAA in the first place.

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                  p>Besides, I’m not too keen on AAA (or, sometime in the future, Better World) doing the testing portion of the drivers license renewal because they are organizations who needs their customers to keep their drivers licenses.  I’m not accusing AAA of impropriety, but it sure does seem to me like they have a great incentive to make sure their members pass their eye tests to keep their licenses.

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                  p>RMV/DMVs have vastly different levels of QoS across the country.  Figure out what good MVs are doing and replicate it internally.  Don’t contract out licenses to private entities: there are safety, security, and plenty of other reasons to do it in house, and do it well.

                • when I was at the AAA there was an elderly woman trying to renew her license with a doctor’s note.  She was told that because there were medical issues, she would have to go to the Watertown RMV because they could only handle generic license renewals.  So think your concern that AAA would let stuff slide is probably over thinking.

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                  p>Anything complex AAA can’t do.  But have you ever heard of the 80/20 rule?  80% of cases take 20% of the time.  If AAA (or another organization, or for that matter those late License Express mall outlets run by the RMV) can allow generic license renewals to process at a quicker rate, then everyone is served better.  I love the ability to do as much as possible online, but once every 10 years you have to go in for a nice new picture.  I just hope that you’re not having to go the RMV in the near future as it is a disaster right now.

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                  p>When I first moved back to MA in ’83 had to go over to Framingham to get my out of state license switched over.  That took a modest 3 1/2 hours.  Things improved over time, but looks like we’re getting back to that stage at the RMV.

        • Do they assume because its membership are drivers that drivers would oppose the Clean Air Act, mass transit, etc.  Since the vast majority of people drive it makes no sense to assume that they are somehow an interest or a constituency.  I own my own car and do plenty of driving, but I would never identify myself as a “car-driver” for the sake of factional politics.

  4. The other theme he advanced was “geezer drivers”.  As a baby boomer dealing with aging parents when they can’t drive that means they now need services.  And this is a booming industry now but here is what the family, I mean the entire family looses completely.
    CONTROL.
    Decisions about the welfare of your parents should they become incapacitated is not yours, it becomes the state’s.  Care giving becomes a they must pay for western allopathic medicine, a gold mine for big pharma and a boom for minority low paying elder baby sitting jobs.  Hey, facts are facts.

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    p>Elder care estate planning is also a waste of time as you have to have all of that completed five years ago.  Thus my parents entire estate is locked up in a piggy bank I know the Bernie Madoff types of the world are going to take.

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    p>The meager good news.  My license expires in 2013 which means it is the last one I will need and secondly it does not have a microchip in it, far as I know anyway.

    • but you shouldn’t get to decide if your parents are safe or hazardous to others on public roads.

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      p>It seems the best way to keep our seniors living independently is to ensure that they live in communities that allow mother-in-law apartments, have sidewalks, have public transit, work hard to ensure that public infrastructure complies with ADA, allow for mixed use zoning to ensure that retail is close to homes, etc.  This is, of course, in addition to specific programmatic support that is so important to our seniors.

      • You most certainly do NOT get to decide.  I would not want them anywhere near an American city which might provide some of the meager services allowing them to live independently and there are “services” but that means exhorbitant expense and loss of control.

  5. A friend of mine just noticed, by pure happenstance, that his driver license had expired on his last birthday.  You used to get notices about such things.  It does seem like that changed recently.

  6. No actually this shows how bad government can be.   Don’t you think it might have made sense for them to do this BEFORE they stopped sending out notices.  

  8. Last I heard it was well under 40% of residents with such access – and there is no WiFi in much of the state.

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    p>Does this mean going to the library for it?  Glad it is at least voluntary – right?
     

    • under 40% of MA residents have Internet access?  I don’t believe the number is anywhere near that low.

      • my household doesn’t have access to cable television because I won’t pay for it.  My home does, in the sense that I could call up and order cable.

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        p>So… depending on your definition of high-speed access, and depending on if you count access at work, access at library, etc., is that 40% those who do or those who could have access?

      • That is #1.  Is serving only 60 – 70% of the population, maybe, if they know to sign up acceptable?

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        p>As to dial up access, and whether those speaking with the census included using the library or were truthful, who knows.  Of my client base, it is currently 10% who have computers and internet access.

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        p>As to “high speed”, I don’t know what the penetration is.  There was a survey I read that indicated the 40% figure; if I track it down, I will post it.  I would believe that over the census as the detailed form is only used in a small percentage of households.

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        p>What is for sure is that reminders due to signing up for volunatary email reminders are not going to reach as many Massachusetts residents as the US mail reaches nor will as many drivers renew their licenses in a timely fashion.

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        p>Oh – and how many residents will remember to notify the RMV when they change email providers?

        • nobody disagrees with that.  The video didn’t claim that email was the only method.  I’d be willing to bet that they also have auto-dialing recordings.  How many people don’t have a telephone and answering machine?

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          p>Email is cheap, and it covers a large chunk.  Telephone covers nearly everyone else.  Both are substantially cheaper (and greener) than mail.

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          p>I wonder: do people change their address, their phone number, or their email address the most often?  I’d be willing to bet that, given cell phone penetration, it very well may be address.  The USPS forwards for a year; renewal is far less often than that.

  10. Then you could look at the license – whenever you wanted to, 24/7 – and know when it was going to expire.

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    p>Oh, wait. We do.

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    p>

      • You’re right, it’s there.  But, licenses don’t need to be renewed just before every birthday — just every once in a while.  It’s easy to imagine people forgetting, and a helpful notice beforehand is much cheaper than the alternative, which includes (a) all of the processing involved when someone is caught driving with an expired license, (b) all of the difficulty involved when someone tries to use an expired license in a security situation, and (c) the additional hassle when trying to renew a document which has been allowed to lapse.

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        p>Clearly, we’re better off as a society if we minimize the number of licenses which expire.  Given that the cost is relatively low to remind, we ought to.  I personally don’t think we ought to mix it with private entities, through advertising or AAA, but the actual reminder?  That’s a good thing.

  11. my last trip to the Worcester Registry was sucky. But while I was being waited on, the worker complained her computer was slow and had to keep redialing for a connection. I asked, “you mean you’re on a dial-up modem” and she replied “yes”. Is the RMV still using dial-up for networking? Tell me she was wrong. Tell me the Government is “getting it right”.

  12. As my birthday is coming up in a few weeks, I checked my license to see when it expired.  

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    p>I think it’s a stretch to think we are doing a disservice by not sending letters as reminders.

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    p>You can renew your license online once but you need to go to the RMV the next time.  That was unfortunately the case with me.  I tried online and was notified that I needed to go to an office.

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    p>For the volume and what they have to do, the RMV operates well.  I was in and out in a 1/2 hour.  I did check wait times for branches which they do keep on line, I imagine you can phone for the information as well.  I decided to go yesterday since the wait times were much lower than theyr were at any other time during the week.  When I got my number the approximate wait time was there.  I would think other companies would do well to see how the RMV works and see if they can use any of their processes to provide as much information as the RMV does to it’s “customers”.

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    p>I think the reminder service is a nice add on by the RMV.

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    p>People don’t like change.  That’s the issue here.

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    p>What is the cost savings to the state by not sending reminder letters?  It was significant from what I recall.  That pays for teachers, police, fire, services.  

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    p>So here is the question.  How do we better spend our money?

    • however, when you have no publicity that you are stopping sending the renewals by mail, then circle around with an opt-in plan (which again I’ve only seen mentioned here, nowhere over the air or newspapers) to cover your tracks, that’s a problem.

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      p>Or maybe this is just an sleight of hand way for the registry to finally get all of those older drivers off the road, since they won’t be reminded to renew their licenses anymore.

  13.  The RMV is the most visible state service. Cuts are made there first to quickly display the gravity of the situation. Gee, we can’t have this, ok for new taxes then.
    I”m not noticing the governors friends and the friends coatholders losing their jobs.
    The ABCC hack heaven rolls merrily along.
    10& across the board is not enough. That was already factored into projected budgets.
    Wolf! Wolf! I’m not buying!

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