The reason I’m writing this letter is to warn the uninformed public that they could be in for some minor bother(s) unaware.

It seems our state government, in conjunction with our local tax collector’s office, has this year been issuing car tag stickers that aren’t worth a flip as far as quality for duration is concerned. Please allow me to explain:

A few months back I purchased a ’07 sticker for my tag. Last month a friend asked me if I knew my tag was expired. I looked to see what they were talking about and discovered the new sticker missing.

When I called the tax collector’s office and explained the sticker might have been stolen, the lady assured me that more than likely it had just come off, due to the fact that quite a good many other people were having the same problem.

I immediately went and purchased a replacement sticker for $2.50. When purchasing the replacement sticker, the lady explained to me that I might not have peeled the sticker off correctly. She then showed me the proper way.

Before I left the tax collector’s office, I asked the lady if anyone had launched an investigation into the matter yet, and she jokingly said no. I grinned and went outside to secure the new replacement sticker to my tag. I immediately (before I left the courthouse parking space) peeled the sticker off the paper and stuck it on the tag: It was an airtight stick.

Now, less than a month later, I have noticed the sticker curling up around all the edges, and it too is apparently on its way off. I guess I’ll just have to keep a good eye on the sticker and go buy another replacement sticker when the first replacement sticker disappears.

My vehicle is parked on a hot parking lot five days a week. Anyone else with a vehicle in a similar situation needs to be warned about the inferior stickers being sold to us by branches of our government, in order to avoid a possible hassle if their sticker curls up and drops off.

Clearly someone in a position to do so needs to be asking our trusted public servants in positions of authority a few questions concerning this matter:

Why did a superior tag sticker paper/glue get replaced by an inferior one? Whose idea was it? Who approved the deal? Is the friend of someone’s cousin involved in the dealings? Don’t they realize this blunder is causing their employer (John Q. Public) an awful lot in extra time and money?

Why should the public be expected to pay extra for governmental mistakes? Will they deduct the replacement fees off next year’s sticker? And if the unsuspecting taxpayer should get a ticket for an expired tag, who’s going to pay for the time and trouble it takes to correct this government-caused mistake?

I sincerely thank this newspaper for publishing this letter for the purpose of letting people know something they need to know about, and hopefully awaken some of our representatives to this governmental shortcoming and public need.



Bobby W. Bryan

Meridian