Friday, January 12, 2007

To Be a Resident of Ohio

Today, I got my Ohio State ID.

It appears that being a resident of Ohio matters, even temporarily. It works in Ohio exactly the same way "National ID card" does in Iran. And even more so; with Ohio State ID you can enjoy some things for free like visiting Toledo Zoo (which is among the best nationwide), or attending some events at a discount fare. Even for Americans, Ohio residents are treated preferentially at school. They pay lower tuition fees compared to other Americans.

BMV (Bureau of Motor Vehicles, serving under Ohio Department of Public Safety) is the office that issues driver license and state ID, doing registrar jobs and a couple of other things. I could've applied for Ohio driver license but I didn't feel like memorizing those speed limits and stuff (that maybe applicable only in OH) just to get a useless driver license, while I don't intend to buy or drive a car anytime soon. I already have an international driving permit. And riding my bicycle is just fine to me.

And speaking of BMV, I love something about Ohio license plates; there's this inscription on the top: "Ohio, Birthplace of Aviation".

2 comments:

tagryn said...

It works that way because state residents pay state taxes, which are separate from federal (national) taxes. That pays for the state government, which is largely responsible for the services mentioned, including a certain percentage of in-state college budgets. Ohio residents would have to pay out-of-state tuition in Virginia, for example.

The Wright brothers did most of their research in Dayton, OH, hence the license plate.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_brothers

Mehrad said...

I have no problems with why it works that way. I was just describing how it works. Thanks for the explanatory comments anyway.

BTW, not all out-of-state students have to pay extra in other states.

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