Absurdities #10

By Eilene Lyon

This is actually two absurdities for the price of one!

When we bought this year-old trailer in 2002, it came with a motor vehicle title. Um, trailers don’t have motors.

After buying our van RV in August, we sold the trailer. We gave the buyers a proper bill of sale, and transferred the “motor” vehicle title by filling in the form on the back.* There was only one small box for the address, not nearly enough room. Hmph.

Then I noticed a box below the address, one that said “Odometer Reading.” Since the trailer has as many odometers as it does motors, I used it to put the city, state, and zip code. Ta Da! All set.

Not so.

A few days later, the Albuquerque purchaser called to inform us that the New Mexico DMV would not accept the title because “it just wasn’t right” to put something in the odometer reading box other than an odometer reading.

Said purchaser would have to mail (not email) a form to us, which The Putterer would have to sign and have notarized. Then it would need to be mailed (not emailed) back to Albuquerque. The buyers would then have to make a second trip to the DMV to complete the title transfer.

I understand that a civilized society needs to have rules (some of which should have built-in flexibility). But this – this is bureaucracy run amok.

When rules become nothing more than obstacles to efficiency, when they serve as nothing but an inconvenience to the public, for which the government exists to serve, then we have reached the pinnacle of absurdity.

I’m sure you have your own true tales of bureaucratic bungling and irritation. Do tell!

 

*The more recent version of the Colorado motor vehicle title has two boxes for the address instead of one. What do you suppose brought that about?