So what is wrong with a debit card?

There's one for you, 19 for me.

'Cause I'm the taxman, yeah, the taxman.

And you're working for no one but me."

Taxman

The Beatles

I marvel sometimes at the backwardness of my home state.

Between the fire at my house and the added labor of cleanup, it came to my attention that it was also time to renew the tags on our cars.

It was after the deadline, which is not that unusual for me, but I went to the county assessor's and collector's office to get the proper proofs, and paid the insurance with a receipt to prove I had done it, and sauntered over to the State Revenue Office to take care of the car tags.

E-36 was my number, and the line was short. I hadn't really planned on doing this that day, but an e-mail from the wife spurred me into action. I thought I had a checkbook in the car, but couldn't find it. Instead, I found the wife's, and it had no checks in it at all.

So, before we even started, I told the clerk about the situation and asked if I could use a debit card. After all, it's as good as cash.

The answer in a word was: No.

Maybe denying use of debit cards is a common practice among the various states. Maybe it's too expensive for Arkansas to equip each state revenue office with a debit card reader. Maybe there are security issues I've never thought of, but, gee, if a debit card is good enough for Walmart, one of the world's largest companies, why not the State of Arkansas?

Besides, debit cards have been around for decades now. Surely Arkansas could have phased their acceptance in by now. Besides, the state will take a check, and look how easily checks can be forged or bounced.

It's not like the reticence of the state to accept a debit card is going to make me move. It's just one of those things I don't seem to be able to change, and perhaps the state legislature can't either.

But seems like I recall my parents used to get their tags using the U.S. Mail in large part.

Please don't tell me the U.S. Mail is more secure than the U.S. banking system.

Can you say "21st Century?" Can Arkansas say it?