i'm withya jeff . next, how bout some words or thoughts on eliminating the ENTIRE BOSTON CITY COUNCIL and the BRA. nobody is home at those 2 locations anyway , so why go to the bother of paying them? jeffie, on the subject of our beloved RMV, what in hades was eddie jenkins doing at that place to earn 80k per annum plus before getting kicked upstairs to be the new and much needed DIRECTOR OF DIVERSITY at the DOT at an even more obscene sum? your pal, mikey

Jeff, I don't think the RMV will be eliminated, but I'd love to see the power of the press put behind solving another driving problem you tweeted about a while ago: glare from other headlights blinding oncoming drivers. I've been told that SUV and truck headlight focal points are not regulated by Massachusetts, whereas my old Buick sedan headlight heights are. Every night that I drive I am blinded by vehicles whose headlights are adjusted too high, which makes it a great hazard to pedestrians, cyclists, or anyone in the travel lane. I hope you can start a campaign to regulate SUV and truck lights so those of us driving closer to the pavement no longer need to wear sunglasses at night (for which we could be ticketed!).

Is this some attempt at setting the stage for a national ID card? If we get rid of drivers licenses, almost universally accepted as a form of ID from pubs to the airport security entry points, aren't you going to have to come up with something to replace it? Wouldn't that be convenient for the immigrant-haters and Patriot Act fans?

Oh please, like the insurance companies?

This is the sort of outside the box thinking that we need if we are going to contain public spending. Perhaps Mitch Daniels can work out the details in Indiana. Gov. Patrick doesn't have the courage to back this sort of proposal.

The RMV needs to stay, because where will all the mean and rude people go to work? If they shut the registry, the streets will be overcome by people too rude to ever work in the private sector.

I was with you until"You shouldn't need a license to drive a car...".

Annually: 334 in Massachusetts, 33,808 in the US, approximately half to three-quarters of a million worldwide. -- Deaths. That's right. -- What would those numbers look like if we didn't license drivers? Not to mention the cost of harm to limb and property. (Numbers from NHTSA and A REVIEW OF GLOBAL ROAD ACCIDENT FATALITIES By G D Jacobs and Amy Aeron-Thomas)

Maybe if you weren't "mean and rude" to them, they would be "mean and rude" to you. I've never had a bad experience with the folks at the Registry.

For the first time, I agree.

Jacoby isn't calling for the elimination of drivers education requirements, car insurance or State Cops pulling over speeders. Think about it. If you want a state issued ID then pay for it yourself.

...almost universally accepted as a form of ID from pubs to airport security entry points, to even your local election booth... Wouldn't that be nice: protection from myself; protection from a stranger; and protection from my neighbor. Oh well.

Boy, getting in here was much more difficult than going to the Registry! Perhaps the Globe could suggest alternate usernames - I even tried random words. Really, this suggestion is hard to swallow. Drivers' licenses are used all the time for false id's. Credit cards and Netflix accounts are not. I like the idea of having to show up in person every five years so you, Mr. Jacoby, don't turn out to be an 18-year-old kid or a 80-year-old woman!

Start with the registry and eliminate twenty other agencies in this state! They exist only for the cronies to get gov't jobs! Enough!!

MikeArnold: You're kidding, right? Is there really a position called Director of Diversity at the DOT (or anywhere else in state government)? If you're not kidding and there is such a position, does anyone know what Mr. Jenkins makes? (I'd start a new paragraph here if I could.) I think we should have driver's licenses, but if they were renewable on line, wouldn't lots of good jobs at good wages at the RMV disappear?

I went to the Braintree RMV on my birthday because I had forgotten until then. Thank goodness there was a flashing sign on Route 3 to remind me. Anyways, I couldn't do it online because I wear corrective lenses in order to drive. If they can figure out how to test my eyes over the internet, then I'm all for removing that service, but until then I guess we're stuck with them. (Plus I wanted a new picture). Oh, and I was in and out in 15 minutes as well.

But what agency would administer the the low plate lottery !

Well, this is certainly off topic, but I'm completely with you on the whole headlight issue. What really drives me crazy is that it's not bad enough that so many vehicles have these super bright lights with questionable aim, but so many people also insist on using their high beams all the time. And do they really need their high beams and their fog lights on all the time? The problem got a little better for me a couple of years ago when I bought a new car that's a little higher off the ground than my old Integra, but it's still a problem. I'm getting a little older now and like most people as they advance through middle age my eyes don't adjust as readily to changes in lighting as they once did. Let's also mention those counter productive super bright police stobes that cause total night blindness and make it impossible to see anything or anyone that might be in the road around the site where the cruiser is stopped.

I had luck two weeks ago in Quincy. Twenty minutes in and out.

Ah, Jeff Jacoby is trying to be a little provocative with his extreme right-wing ideology. Let me try to explain why we need a state-issued driving license and why driving is not comparable to building a campfire. Jeff listen up: 1) We need to be able certify that people have basic driving skills and know what signs and road markings mean. 2) People can have restrictions on their license, such as requiring them to wear eyeglasses. It brings me peace of mind to know my fellow motorists can see the signs and possibly see me. 3) License requirements can make it more difficult for drunk drivers to stay on the road. 4) Licensing gives us a way to ensure that people still have the physical capacities, as they age, to safely drive. Here's how building campfires differ from driving. A car can weigh a 1000 pounds and hurtle down the road at 70 mph. If I make a campfire improperly, I can burn myself or fail to get it to ignite. If I drive a car improperly, and/or without reasonable physical or visual capacities, I can kill others people. Conversely, if they lack these capacities they can kill me. Jeff, your rigid and thoughtless ideological fixations are unsafe at any speed. I look forward to the day when the Globe finally yanks your license.

I was kidding. I have been out of Mass for many years, but I remember how unpleasant the people were 30 odd years ago. I remember at that time, they would close at precisely 5:00 PM, and anyone waiting in line at that moment was told to leave. I remember a young girl needing an ID, and was told very rudely that at the moment they were open, "unimportant" transactions like hers would not be available.

Jeff Jacoby is a real trip. I can just see Ford deciding who gets a license. (Anyone who can pay cash for a car).

State can't give up all those fees, and where would all the hacks go?