I used to be on the DA mailing list, and it largely seemed to ask for support and then whine incessantly about stuff back in DC. Why not instead do something constructive, like tell our Congresspeople how we're being discriminated against by a so-called ally (integration law, dual nationality... or at least we give them much more than they give us), or how we have to file taxes every year for no apparent reason.

I like this idea.

Maybe you could turn up at a meeting and we can discuss?

You know all about how I feel about dual nationality.

Another thing that really bugs me is drivers licenses, we should only have to take a written test to exchange an American one.

Interesting, that. A colleague of mine from the US recently went to exchange her licence a couple of weeks ago. Apparently if you move here as an non-EU partner of an EU citizen you can trade your licence in too. Just not as a partner of a DUTCH one. Cute, eh?

We have less rights, all based on the official opinion that those here for Dutch partners are IMMIGRANTS and need to integrate in every sense of the word, while everyone else is merely a visitor here temporarily.

Unless of course, your country has a 'special arrangement' with the Dutch government. Like ONE province in Canada (not the other nine). It's all bloody politics based on no logic whatsoever.

Sorry for the rant...if you guys can figure out a way out of this, let this Canadian know, k?

I have to disagree on this one, Kevin. There are those little gotchas
- traffic from the right has the right of way
- crosswalks are really enforced here
etc

Why not take the driving test?

I'd almost agree if the law was in place for the sake of road safety. But the qualifications of a "trade-in" are all political in nature.

If road safety was the big concern, then since when has it been proven that people with work permits are safer drivers than people sponsored by a Dutch partner? Or that those who marry someone from Spain are better drivers than someone who married someone from Holland? Or that once your international drivers licence runs out you suddenly lose the ability to handle a vehicle?

As far as I'm concerned, either all of us should take a driving test or none of us.

What drives me nut is that it is so political like Canucky is saying.

If you have the 30% ruling you can exchange your license. If you work for the embassy or the consulate it is the same.

None of these things reflect on someones driving skills.

Kevin, I have no idea how voting absentee works in all states in general or even if the process can be generalized. But I have some complaints after a few years of going through this process more times than I'd like. I find it VERY nerve racking, probably because it's very important to me and after sending in the proper pages of information I get no feed back as to if my form has been recieved or processed. I only know the first time I get a voting ballet in the mail.. and that is usually months of waiting and wondering. Then, once I get the ballot I usually have somewhere around 7-10 days to get it back to be counted. I don't know if my votes are being received on time or at all, and being counted. It's all a big mystery and a hope when I send off that big fat envelope every time!! Maybe I'm the only one having difficulties with this... but maybe not.

You are not the only person who has problems like this.

I phone the Chicago board of elections every year to make sure I will be getting my ballot.

We have a voter registration wizard at www.votefromabroad.org

It makes it much simpler.

I'll give that a try this year. And I guess I'll CALL my election board again this year to make sure I"ll be getting a ballot. Cannot! Cannot! miss voting this year.. that's for sure.

Speaking for Sw Florida - I have no problems. Voting info arrives right on time. Of course, I get the 'vote for me' stuff also.

And they let me 'vote' by faxing my ballot.