It always is. My Dad told me he paid 50¢ for his first drivers license. He bought it at a local store. No drivers test or anything like that. It was simply a way for the state to get some more money.
BTW, My Dad passed several years ago. He was 89 years old. He'd been around this 'ol world for a while and saw a lot of things happen.
And each generation accepts just a little bit more intrusion.