The "Real ID" bill, Living in the Real World, Term Limits, and the DMV

Former congressman Martin Frost poses a good question:

How many women are there in the United States who have not notified the Social Security Administration of their married name? My guess is that there are millions. Interestingly, the Social Security Administration had no difficulty accepting Kathy’s monthly social security withholding payments for years, despite the fact that they were still carrying her account under her previous name.

It appears his wife had some difficulty obtaining a Virginia driver's license recently, even though she has appeared to have lived a life of service to the United States.

Interesting to note that Frost served as a Democrat. Interesting, that is, in light of his comments re: the Social Security Administration, that vaunted* third rail of American politics. Frost's experience goes to show specifically why I am against the notion of the career politician. The "Citizen Legislator" is the far better alternative - a person who has been successful already in some field, be it commerce, medicine, the pastorate... even law (ugh). And no, a career civil servant does not qualify. What I'm getting at is the idea that a person must live in the real world (whatever that is) long enough to develop a sense of what life is like apart from the trappings of government and largesse. Frost served 16 years as a congressman... about 10 too long, in my estimation.

And yes, I am speaking to conservatives as well. There are plenty of examples of legislators whose votes I support, who have been in congress at least 10 years too long.

And, by the by, my darling wife officially changed her name with Social Security FIRST. It was actually the easiest part of the process. We too had problems with the DMV. I believe she had 4 trips to one office and together we had another trip before her license was issued. The first trip, marriage license in hand, provided the information that Social Security should have been our first trip. The subsequent trips were due to the unavailability of knowledgeable personnel. Said another way, no one knew what to do with this simple request. Getting a driver's license is one thing, changing a name another. Doing both together is what caused our grief.

*- Vaunted is the word of the day at m-w.com, by the by:

The Word of the Day for January 24 is:

vaunted \VAWN-tud\ adjective

: highly or widely praised or boasted about

Example sentence:
For all her vaunted writing talent, Pauline has yet to find a publisher for her book.

Did you know?
It's fine to express pride in your accomplishments, but synonyms such as "boast," "brag," "vaunt," and "crow" may suggest you've overdone it. "Boast," for instance, implies ostentation and exaggeration ("he boasts of every trivial success"), although it can connote justifiable pride ("the town boasts an excellent museum"). "Crow" is ideal for exultant boasting or bragging ("they crowed about winning the championship"). "Vaunt" usually imparts less crudity or naivete than "brag" and more pomp and bombast than "boast" ("the promotional flier vaunts the natural beauty of the area").