This is nothing new. It may get to be more pervasive but governments have been doing this for ages. In 1995 I went to renew my driver’s license in New Hampshire when they told me that I couldn’t because my license was suspended in the state of Virginia. The last time I was in Virginia was December of 1984 when I left the Navy. NH said too bad, we have a reciprocity agreement so you have to straighten this out with the state of Virginia.
So I called the Virginia Dept. of Motor Vehicles. They looked up my name and said I owed them $100. I asked them what for and they said they had no record of that, only that I owed them $100. So they couldn’t tell me why they just wanted the money or else. Since it would have cost me more money to fight it I sent them $100.
So, fine paid I go back to renew my driver’s license. I was told I couldn’t because my license was suspended in the state of Virginia. I explained that I paid up and, naturally, they didn’t care. So I called the Virginia Dept. of Motor Vehicles again and they said I owed them $100. I told them I had paid the $100 already. They said that true, I had paid them $100 but now I had to pay them another $100 TO GET MY VIRGINIA DRIVER’S LICENSE REINSTATED. I told them that I hadn’t set foot in Virginia since 1984 and if I never set foot in it again I’d be a happy man. They didn’t care, just send $100 or else.
So I paid $100 for a ticket I never got and they never told me what it was for then paid another $100 for a license I would never use, just because they could do it. Extortion by government is as old as government itself.
JESUS! And, I thought mine was bad. This is another reason we need to network about this extortion, once and for all. They think we are fools who are just going to sit and take it.
I’m going to find out how to fix this problem. Just wish I had a calmer head when I get steamed.