Licenses and Registration

The Advice Goddess posts about a NJ politician's proposed law requiring license plates for bicycles. The bill has since been withdrawn. Maybe there are some things too silly even for a politician to do.

The comments are a mix of typically inane statist justifications, naive pragmatism and libertarian sentiment. One that caught my attention was Amy Alkon, the blog owner, writing,

MarkD is right. Also, I think you ought to be able to ride your bike without showing up in a police database.

I agree. In fact, Amy, I think I should be able to drive a car without showing up in a police database.

While I'm on the subject, what is with driver's licensing? Even if I accept that licenses are really are a good idea why do I have to renew it every two to five years (California)? I was awarded a High School Diploma in 1970 and it still as good as the day I got it. I've never once been told I have to send money to have it renewed nor have I ever been required to report my current address and get a new copy. Since High School I've manage to earn BSc degrees in Engineering and Telecommunications. I've never had to renew those either.