God Is Not a Specialty in Indiana
| Mon Apr. 30, 2007 11:23 AM PDT
In Indiana, you can buy a specialty auto license plate that supports everything from breast cancer research to child abuse prevention to the Indianapolis Colts, but it will cost you an administrative fee of $15, and there is often a donation to the cause included, too. Mark Studler pays $40 a year for his environmental cause plate--$40 goes to the Indiana Heritage Trust, and the state of Indiana gets its $15 administrative fee.
When Studler went to renew his plate recently, however, he noticed that one specialty plate did not have an Indiana administrative fee attached: This plate has a deep blue background, an American flag streteched across the bottom, and the words "In God We Trust." Studler did not think it was fair that people with a religious preference were treated differently from those who chose other specialty plates, and last week, the ACLU filed a lawsuit against the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles and its commissioner.
The state of Indiana's defense will come as no surprise: The "In God We Trust" plate is not a specialty plate, and therefore there is no reason to tack on an extra charge for selling it. The state defines the plate as a second "standard" plate, not subject to additional fees.
540,000 drivers have chosen this "standard" plate. If it had been designated a specialty plate, the state would have made another $8 million.
"It's about making sure that nearly every other plate that carries a message has a cost attached to it, and this does not," said Indiana ACLU legal director. "In a state that's as religious as Indiana, the phrase 'In God We Trust' is not just about supporting the national motto. It's about saying you believe in God."
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It is my duty as a citizen of the united states of america to uphold the vaules that this country was founded on. One of the most important freedom of religion, not freedom from religion..as the aclu supports. It is my goal to defeat and have deposed your godless organization.
MoJo makes the absurd claim:
540,000 drivers have chosen this "standard" plate. If it had been designated a specialty plate, the state would have made another $8 million.
Why is it an absurd claim?
Because if the plate cost an extra $40, all 540,000 people would NOT have chosen them!
Further, all of the "specialty plate" fees go to some organization that's involved in whatever "specialty" the plate represents, such as the Indiana Heritage Trust mentioned in the above article.
From the BMV website:
The fee is a donation to the Indiana Heritage Trust. This trust fund was established to secure more lands for conservation, recreation and preservation purposes.
The additional money doesn't go into the State's general account.
Another Example: You can choose a plate that represents your particular Indiana college, and the money goes to fund that school's scholarship programs, and to support other functions of the school.
Like good old Ball U, for example:
The group fee from the Ball State University license plate is used by the Ball State University Alumni Association for the advancement and promotion of Ball State University. It is also used to provide alumni-based scholarships for current and prospective Ball State students.
You can purchase a Native American plate, and the money goes to the Indiana Native American Trust.
Purchases of this license plate are used to support programs promoting the state's rich Native American heritage.
(Hey..., there's got to be some reason this State was named "Indiana"!!)
I don't wonder that whoever took 1 minute & 45 seconds to write this article up for Mother Jones didn't bother to attach their name to it, given that it represents 1 minute 45 seconds MORE than they spent actually researching the issue, and thinking through the implications.
This article was a waste of Mother Jones' writer's time, and the suit is a waste of ACLU supporter's money.
Indiana's "In God We Trust" License Plate Flap Results In An ACLU Smack-Down!
Indianapolis, IN -- A Marion Superior Court Judge dismissed a lawsuit by the ACLU which sought to ban the State of Indiana from offering it's "In God We Trust" license plate for free.
The lawsuit, which was filed in Marion Superior Court, claims the Indiana State Bureau of Motor Vehicles gives preferential treatment to motorists wanting the plate by not charging the additional $15 specialty plate fee that is normally assessed to 'specialty' plates.
According to BMV officials, specialized plates are charged a $15 fee because they require specialized handling, thus requiring a significantly higher cost to produce.
The "In God We Trust" plate on the other hand is a high volume plate that has been widely popular with Indiana residents. Rough figures estimate that the plate is currently posted on approximately 1.6 MILLION vehicles and rapidly growing as residents change out their old plates.
This high volume has enabled the state to keep production costs of the plate within about .50 cents of the standard plate.
In fact, the State's BMV estimates that costs on the plate will drop significantly because of the State's renewal by mail system.
The Marion Superior Court Judge, Gary Miller, dismissed the suit on Wednesday, opining that the "In God We Trust" plate did not meet standards that would classify it as a 'special group recognition plate'.
Oh well..., I guess ACLU will just have to play Gladiator vs. God in some other arena.
You athiests keep those checks comin' now. We've got Important Work here at ACLU!
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