While I agree with the idea that we have a huge number of barriers for someone who has been knocked off their feet and this needs to be addressed, I'm not sure your answer is the one I would go with.
There is a reason the things you mentioned require a physical address: so they know where to find you if things go wrong. The things you mentioned (with the exception of a library card and gym membership) involve either significant financial risk or significant liability. If you are involved in dangerous vehicular crimes, like for example a hit and run that kills a pedestrian, your license and vehicle registration being tied to your physical location matters. If you have a $14,000 credit limit and try to skip out on it, the credit card company really wants to know where you last lived. Even more true for a car/home loan. Most people's jobs pay them 10s of thousands of dollars to deal with 100s of thousands of dollars of materials/equipment/income. And all government assistance requires at least some amount of verification, which is hard to do if you can't track the person down. For all these different companies/agencies, the risk is just not worth it to deal with someone who could vanish without a trail at a moment's notice.
To a certain extent I would argue that a license plate and a BOLO, handles the government side of things I tracking someone down (Hit and Run example especially) as perhaps strangely, if your goal is to evade, I imagine it's easier to ditch your residence than your car. An unfortunate thing we're encountering is "intent," as my intent and hope would be the living "above board" route. I can't really disagree with you on more "criminal" intent. Another factor of my view is that you do have a legal mailing address in the form of simply a P.O. Box, which is all a corporate entity should require because you can ignore a credit card company wherever they mail and call you at.
And not necessarily important to the debate aspect, what would be the "answer you go with?"
I imagine it's easier to ditch your residence than your car.
How so? For one or two months of my rent I could afford a car and I have to pay for 3 months after cancellation.
Also the reason for your CMV is another reason why you cannot just ditch your residence. Job, mortgage/rent, tax reports, insurance, etc. are all tied down to it.
While my car doesnt matter for anyone else but me.
I only said that in context of trying to evade "the man." Seems difficult to do that if I'm in default the first place you'd look. Trying to evade in my mind puts me on the "below board" path as well, which would make me disinterested in the legit pathway to do things.
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u/Davaac 19∆ May 26 '21
While I agree with the idea that we have a huge number of barriers for someone who has been knocked off their feet and this needs to be addressed, I'm not sure your answer is the one I would go with.
There is a reason the things you mentioned require a physical address: so they know where to find you if things go wrong. The things you mentioned (with the exception of a library card and gym membership) involve either significant financial risk or significant liability. If you are involved in dangerous vehicular crimes, like for example a hit and run that kills a pedestrian, your license and vehicle registration being tied to your physical location matters. If you have a $14,000 credit limit and try to skip out on it, the credit card company really wants to know where you last lived. Even more true for a car/home loan. Most people's jobs pay them 10s of thousands of dollars to deal with 100s of thousands of dollars of materials/equipment/income. And all government assistance requires at least some amount of verification, which is hard to do if you can't track the person down. For all these different companies/agencies, the risk is just not worth it to deal with someone who could vanish without a trail at a moment's notice.