18 months was too long to wait

Wow! I'm so impressed the state finally did what should have been done more than a year ago and opened a "permanent" location in the Mid-Ohio Valley.

And, for this mismanaged effort the governor and his commissioner of motor vehicles want a pat on the head and an "attaboy."

The people of Parkersburg and surrounding area were ignored and treated like second-class citizens ever since the DMV closed without warning the longtime Dudley Avenue office.

Then the state made motorists drive long distances to do business with the DMV before sites finally were opened at the courthouse and WVUP. But those sites were closed when another temporary site was opened in the Park Shopping Center that didn't even meet state requirements for a public restroom.

Finally a so-called "permanent" site was built for the DMV on Lubeck Avenue in south Parkersburg.

Why did all this take more than 18 months? How much politics was being played? How much involvement, or lack thereof, should be attributed to Motor Vehicles Commissioner Joe Miller and Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin?

And for all the needless delay and inconvenience heaped upon Parkersburg-area motorists, Miller and Tomblin actually graced the city with their presence Tuesday at a "grand opening" of the DMV office. This has been a disaster from the beginning, especially when combined with the inconvenience of the "real ID" program one has to endure when trying to get a driver's license renewed. I kidded a co-worker the only things the DMV didn't want when applying for a license renewal were a DNA sample and fingerprints.

Guess what? The DMV asked to take the co-worker's fingerprints, allegedly to help thwart identity theft. Sure it was! After all, we all believe it when we're told, "Trust me; I'm with the government. I'm here to help you." .