BABY BOOMER ALERT!

I am one mad old lady. 

I am use to jumping through hoops to keep up with all the bureaucratic nonsense from the federal government, state government, county government and city government, not to mention the owner’s association where our house sits.  BUT…today they have reached new heights!

I will turn 65 years of age in early December.  A perk of reaching this milestone in my life is my qualification to register for my Over 65 Exemption on my homestead with the appraisal office.  Moments ago I called the appraisal office to see when I could register for my exemption and exactly what they needed.  The nice lady tells me I will need to show my driver’s license (check) and a copy of my automobile registration receipt…what???  Exactly what is that…the title to my car?  No, it is the receipt from when you paid for your license plate at the tax assessor’s office. 

I’m pretty sure that got thrown in the trash, since the registration is stuck to the car window and my vehicle is now legal for another year.

Oh, not to worry…while you are out you can run by the tax collector’s office (in a different location) on your way to the appraisal office.  Those nice people will be able to provide you a copy. 

Now your fifteen minute errand has become a 30 minute errand.  That proverbial hoop has just started to shrink!

What if I don’t have a car?  You can fill out additional paper work and provide a copy of your utility bill.  (I can see the hoop start to widen some!)

I tell her that this requirement is very weird and she tells me it is something new as of September 1, 2011…lucky me!!!

Michael is sitting at the table with me when I get off the phone and I relay all this to him.  He says they have found another way to make money.  How, I ask.  That copy of the receipt probably cost money, he says.

I call the tax collector/assessor’s office.  Yes, they can get me a copy of my receipt.  What do you need from me?  Fill out their paper work and pay…$2!!!

Again…I am one mad old lady!  I feel like I’m being asked to jump through the proverbial hoop, backwards!

To all the Baby Boomer’s out there…save your Registration Renewal Receipt from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.  That piece of paper is now worth $2.  Think about it!  If every Boomer paid $2 to the county government…that’s a lot of money!  They are not weird.  They are crafty like all the snakes in the garden!

So, here I sit, writing and mad.  Michael just walked in from the garage with the registration receipt he found in the car glove box.  Never mind.