As soon as we started discussing the pending change on New York State drivers licenses from color to black and white photos we expected viewers to e-mail and post about their objections. It seems an immediate step backwards to the days of pre-digital photography and graphics. The company that won the bid for the work claimed the gray scale photos are better for definitively identifying someone. They say it will cut down on identity theft and potentially root out terrorists.
We did get a strong reaction to the story and our discussion surrounding it, but the direction of the criticism went a different direction. People were more upset about the New York licenses being printed and processed by a Canadian company. They were mad the $88.5 million dollar deal was being shipped north of the border. Of course, most of us didn't realize our current licenses are produced in the United Kingdom. Why aren't they printed in New York State? Our viewers who are in need of work are particularly upset that a New York State contract would be shipped out of the country.
The state comptroller is going to look into the contract. It also carried a higher price tag than some others. Before I learned that I was going to make the case that the interest of cheaper government and lower taxes sometimes force business to be shipped out of New York and out of the U.S. all together. But, why are we paying more to have a Canadian company print licenses with black and white photos? None of those three factors make much sense.
What do you think?
Any questions or comment please forward them to mattsmemo@CNYcentral.com. I may even use some of your thoughts on NBC 3 News at 5:00, the 10:00 News on CW6 or on CNYcentral.com.
The opinions expressed in this blog are the sole responsibility of the author and are not reflective of the views or opinons of the station or Barrington Broadcasting
