Glasgow Daily Times, Ky., Daniel Suddeath/ column

Nov. 19--Whatever your political preference, we most all agree that government should work for the people, not against them.

Our taxes, fees and fines fund most government operations, which basically makes us the boss.

It seems more and more, our government at seemingly every level is forgetting who pays their salaries, and why their positions were established in the first place.

I moved back to Kentucky for this job, and as part of that, I needed to register my car in Barren County. You expect some minor annoyances whenever you deal with such tasks, but by the end of my ordeal, I thought I was going to be required to locate my high school driver's education teacher and show my birthmarks just to follow the law.

It took three trips to the Barren County Clerk's office, hours on the phone with different entities to track down documentation, and quite a bit of frustration before I finally was able to secure all the paperwork and proof needed just to get a few letters inscribed on a plate.

This is not really an issue with the local clerk's office. Most of the processes they're required to follow are decided by the powers that be in Frankfort and beyond. But my experience was aggravating and somewhat pointless.

After securing a Kentucky driver's license, I made my first trip to the clerk's office. I was required to have my insurance switched to Kentucky and provide my title.

Not a problem, and it makes sense. I spent half an hour on the phone and had my insurance switched over without a problem, and was able to locate my title.

The next business day, I made my second trek to the clerk's office. I was informed I needed to pay the sheriff's office -- again, a taxpayer-funded entity -- $5 for an inspection of my car to prove it wasn't stolen.

Not too big of an issue, and again, the staff at the Barren County Sheriff's Department was very friendly.

Upon returning to the clerk's office, I assumed I'd be receiving my plate within a short matter of time. And thankfully so, as my tags were set to expire and I didn't want to have to renew in Indiana.

After providing my Kentucky driver's license, proof of Kentucky insurance, proof of title and a document showing my car had been inspected by the sheriff's department, I couldn't think of anything else that would be needed for a simple license plate.

"Do you have any documentation showing you paid sales tax on this vehicle?," was the question that abruptly broke my momentary assumption that all would go well.

Of course it's common practice for lenders to include your sales tax in the purchase and loan for your car, as was the case with me, and I initially bought the car in Kentucky, so Frankfort should have record that the levies were paid.

It's also 2015, so it's not like we don't have plenty of technology available to easily file records that could be accessible by any clerk's office in the country. But who was I kidding? It's the government and nothing is that easy.

Though I paid for the pleasure of having a license plate, of course the burden of proof was all on me. Since the car was purchased in 2009, I didn't know where my sales receipt was left. You'd think having a title statement showing the car was paid for would be ample.

At this point, I was getting a little upset. I asked the clerk's assistant if Kentucky just didn't really want people from out of state to register their vehicles in the commonwealth. I judged by the frown on her face it's a question she receives on a fairly regular basis.

But the next part was the best. If I couldn't find proof of sales tax paid, I would be required to pay the levy before receiving my plate. I was told this amount would be based on trade-in value of my car, so at this point, I figured it wouldn't be much and I might as well bite the bullet and pay a small amount to avoid further hassle.

My car has more than 125,000 miles on it, and I doubt I could get $500 for it if I begged and pleaded.

Then the bombshell was dropped. The 6 percent sales tax required would be based on clean trade-in value for my car, which Frankfort had decided was worth more than $6,000.

At this point, I just started laughing. Not only does Kentucky rely on an archaic system for registration, it also apparently feels comfortable ripping people off if they can't provide the necessary paperwork.

But I'm stubborn if nothing else, and I spent another hour on the phone until I was able to track down the proof of sales tax paid from my dealership.

They were quite surprised to hear from me, since I hadn't been in the shop since 2009. I was quite surprised to have to call them for something that should have been documented a long time ago. After all, what are we paying the fees for in the first place?

This was my experience, and while aggravating, I'm no worse for the wear. I've heard much more depressing stories about people dealing with Medicaid services for their loved ones who are residing in nursing homes, so my discomfort is nothing compared to other examples.

But the basic point is that it should be easy to follow laws and requirements, that way the government can have a strong case to punish us if we decide to break those regulations.

The government works for us, or at least it should. If it doesn't, then we don't really need it.

Daniel Suddeath is editor for the Glasgow Daily Times. He can be contacted by email at dsuddeath@ glasgowdailytimes.com. Follow him on Twitter @DSuddeathGDT.

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