I have until October 2020 to replace my State ID with one that the US will recognize for flights. Luckily I can still use my passport for 8 more years instead of ponying up $35 to replace it right now.

My point is the government can and will make your life a pain.

Real ID is completely different from this, it's totally unfair to compare the two.

I'm not comparing the two, I'm comparing the roll out of the services.