give Spongebob his damn boating licence already.

That's a running gag in the show, and everyone knows, that you can't start a cartoon without a running gag.
Examples include the following:
Invader zim attempting to take over the world
Wile e. trying to catch road runner
The ed's trying to scam people.
Not only that, but it happens in games as well, such as the villian in a game trying to stop the hero.