What on earth?

Something is seriously wrong in the Community of Valencia

It has come to light today, November 22, 2013, that the Department of Traffic has sent out more than a half million demand notes to registered owners of vehicles demanding payment for road tax, and accusing people of not having their vehicle examined by the ITV, (MoT), nor of having held insurance for some time.

Well, yeah, that would be a good exercise to place the spotlight on those who have not been properly following the law, but in one case, one of these letters was addressed to a woman who has been dead for 17 years and her car was passed through the desguace to be written off the road. Another vehicle was written off about 40 years ago, and yet another was written off 43 years ago. In that case it was the driver's first ever car and caused him to sit and look at the letter for a long time to try and remember something about the car. 

What on earth has gone wrong? Could it be that data from the desguaces has not been forwarded to the DGT, or, could it be that the problem exists somewhere within the DGT? Whatever, this is a worrying thing because when we write off our vehicles we walk away with that piece of paper in the knowledge that we have done as we are required and that is the end of it.

To have the DGT come back to us after 43 years demanding that we show cause why we haven't put our car through the ITV or held insurance for these many years, nor paid road tax has to be reason for some sleepless nights. I think someone within the DGT might have picked up on the hint that its not the fault of the car owner. Especially when you are about to send out 500,000 such letters.

Spain, you're a wonderful country and I love you, but when you make a mess its bound to be one that takes one's breath away!

Stay tuned, this can only get worse, much worse!

Copyright (c) 2013   Eugene Carmichael

Gloves!

Suddenly, I need my gloves!

We have all been commenting on how warm the weather has been, and even wondering whether we were going to have a winter this year. Personally, I kept the faith. Winter was coming, of that I was sure, but I really didn't do much about preparing for it.

I knew where I had stored my warm things from last winter, and when I needed them I would simply go and find them. Suddenly, in the twinkling of an eye things changed. The winds came down from the north west and all those people on the beach were nowhere to be seen. I was in shock! Quick, get out the electric blanket and the heaters and the socks and long sleeves, and my gloves: Where are my gloves? I have at least three pairs but they are nowhere to be found.

One of the first hints we receive that we are growing old is a failing memory. I am having trouble remembering names and what I had for lunch today, so it was no surprise that I might forget what I did with my gloves from a year ago.

I temporarily gave up looking for them, but it was while thinking about something else I did find them. Where were they? In the most unlikely place. They were in the glove compartment of my car.

What a place to put my gloves. I am simply not that organised. I am becoming scary in my old age.

Copyright (c) 2013   Eugene Carmichael

A Pardon is Overturned

Going to Jail

There is a case here in Spain that has troubled a number of people for a long time. The outline is as follows:

In 2003, a man finds himself driving the wrong way along the highway, and he does this for five kilometres. We are not given any idea as to why this happened, such as drunkeness or impairment due to drugs or tiredness. He comes to a sudden halt when he runs headfirst into a car driven by a 25 year old young man. The impact kills that young driver.

The wrong-way driver, that we call here a kamikaze, is found guilty and sentenced to a 13 year jail term, but his lawyers manage to keep him out of jail for nine years when they finally ran out of options and he began to serve his sentence.

After serving only ten months the justice department, through the minister grants him a pardon from serving any more time, and he pays a 4,000 euro fine, and he is free. The public and his family were outraged because they saw a number of factors that may have come together to provide him with such favourable treatment. They saw this as corruption and a miscarriage of justice. They appealed the pardon to the Supreme Court which agreed and over-ruled the it.

The man is still free as the government has three months to either decide to accept the ruling as it stands, in which case he goes back to prison to complete his sentence, or they can confirm the pardon under circumstances that eliminate the doubtful environment that existed at the time.

We must bear in mind that the life of a young man was snuffed out through circumstances that were avoidable. That young man is still dead.

Has Justice been served or made a fool of, that is the question?

Copyright (c) 2013  Eugene Carmichael