This Can't Be Real... Can It? 

Apparently the State of Indiana wants to make sure that you don't know how long you're in line getting your driver's license. For Indiana taxpayers, tempest fugit (H/T to The Agitator):

Did you happen to see a report this week about the Bureau of Motor Vehicles banning clocks at its branches?

In what has to join the list of Most Bizarre Government Policies Ever, BMV bosses have decided that hiding clocks is a great way to make long waits seem shorter. Without clocks to watch, people standing in long lines supposedly won't be able to complain about just how long they've been waiting.
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BMV spokesman Greg Cook had the ill-fated task of fielding my questions on the no-clocks rule. After talking to higher-ups, he called back with a few talking points. The rule, he said, is doubly beneficial. First, it makes sure workers are not fixated on quitting time. Second, it helps manage "the customer's perception of the (BMV) experience."

As part of this new regulation, people entering the Indiana BMV will be forced to go through a metal detector and a pat down to look for banned time pieces. Wrist watches, pocket watches, egg timers, hour glasses, sun dials and metronomes will be confiscated from customers (*cough* taxpayers) and will not be returned. The State of Indiana is still deciding what to do with private property they're confiscating, but like the example that the State of Wisconsin is setting with items taken from airports... selling them in bulk on eBay.