Star Horse Manure

One of the greatest loads of horse manure ever to come from a state agency was shoveled onto the public stage this past week when Kentucky gave up on (finally) issuing the new Star drivers' license. This is the higher security license needed by next year to fly domestically. Yup, if you have a last minute funeral to attend, or a major business meeting comes up quickly and you don't have the special Star license, thumb your way there. And what about just flying on a vacation? Oh, BTW, you cant get on a military base to visit your son or daughter without the Star license; commonly referred to as Real ID.


Forget that the state has been on notice since 2005 that such a license was coming, and has had ten years to prepare for it. Several past legislatures balked on doing it, under both parties. The state got extension after extension (meaning our licenses could be used by terrorists who faked them) while legislatures and state agencies dithered. Then, Gov. Bevin finally supported a bill and the legislature passed it, only to have Bevin veto it because the Tea Party said it might violate personal rights. 


New attempts to come up with the so-called Star license continued, along with new federal extensions, later and the motor vehicles people, after delay after delay, rolled out a test system in Franklin county, then extended it to Woodford, announcing plans for a further rollout "this fall."

All that came to a grinding halt this week when Frankfort announced the 2 county rollout had not worked. Clerks there were spending too much time on the new system, which did require much more documentation and paperwork, and were not getting to their other duties as needed.

In its place the state said, we will set up a regional system; possibly as many as 12 regional centers, where specially trained people will handle the new license process. So instead of driving to one or more offices in your home county, drivers in as many as ten counties will have to motor to the new regional center, more time and money spent, and get the Star license there, ASSUMING other problems found during the rollout are overcome. Clerks and other officials praise this current plan as offering the best solution available.


Horse manure.

We, (you and I,) need those new licenses which are long overdue, and will become even more entangled if the feds deny us another extension. They have the right to do so. And with all the emphasis on fighting terrorist who could blame them? But patriotic Kentuckians would suffer--needlessly.

Instead of distant regional centers,why not add specially trained staff to every county clerk's office to handle Star. But that would even cost less than the "regional centers" (new buildings, equipment, same staff, training, etcetc.) We might get our needed licenses on time, and thwart terrorists. 


Meanwhile all the state's efforts so far, and its ridiculous plans for the future of this major Star program, boil down to an immense load of horse manure, piled high and deep on Kentucky citizens.

I'm just sayin'...