I'm going to sound like the Scrooge-in-the-Box, but I really don't think $17.00 is too much to pay, even for an uncertified copy of a vital record. Think about the time to retrieve it, copy it, prepare it for mailing and then mail it. Even at minimum wage, that runs so far over $1.00, you can't blame the difference on taxes (especially since most of us "Ohio" genealogists are not Ohio taxpayers). How many who oppose this would be willing to put in an hour's work for $1.00? OK, I know: almost all of you; because you do at least that much freely for other persons seeking their roots in Ohio. But an hour's professional work? The folks at the State Bureau of Vital Statistics (or wherever) are not online genealogy buddies, they are working for a living, and the State has to pay them. Add in the supply costs and postage, and tell me what other equivalent product you can get for $17.00 (and I don't want to hear about McDonald's!) Jim Boyce resident in the country other Americans love to hate the most --- France