Let Joy Reigneth Unconfined

Yesterday, my driver's license was renewed for five years.
All I had to do was read the eyesight chart and go through
some simple recognition exercises. I was well-prepared,
having had cataract surgery on one eye last summer, and
new prescriptions filled for corrective lenses. At the eye
doctor a month ago, I blitzed the eye chart, and yesterday
was ready to shoot a squirrel in the eye, like Dan'l Boone.

Peering into the eye machine at the Registry of Motor
Vehicles, I found the line selected by the examiner a little
difficult, but managed to get most of it. She seemed
pleased; later I realized that I was given the 20/10 line
to start, and she needed nothing more.

No road test is required for renewal in Massachusetts,
at any age. Just today, the Governor, Deval Patrick,
came out in favor of testing older drivers "to prove that
they can still handle a car safely." No argument with
that, in principle. The problem lies in lack of funds
for testing facilities and personnel.

Our licenses are good for five years. Last time I
was up for renewal, the state was going through a
budget crisis and simply renewed the existing licenses
by mail, without any examination. Recently, two
serious accidents caused by older drivers prompted
a state senator to propose legislation that would
require everyone 85 or older to take a vision and
road test before renewing their drivers' licenses.

The present budget crunch will no doubt kill that idea,
but at least the politicians can say that they tried to
do something. AARP proposes that all drivers be
tested periodically, which is a better solution, but
also fiscally impractical. Only technological
innovation will make it feasible.

At Brewster Baptist, we, the elves, are working
hard to implement a series in the Spring that
will accomplish the Senior Pastor's idea to study
the great "I am" series in John's gospel, with
homemade video and discussion in small groups.