Religious license plates receive special treatment

I was riding the Peace Bike atop the Dayton, Kentucky, floodwall on Wednesday, when I realized what makes America such a special land. The U.S. and A. is what it is because of a certain feeling you just can't describe succinctly. It's something of a pioneer spirit.

I have this spirit, and I don't think it can be broken again, try as though some folks might. This mood is embodied in the Bill of Rights.

A lot of people out there in Internetland have misconceptions about my home state of Kentucky and of my description of myself as a populist. They assume it means I'm some sort of religious fanatic, or at the very least a diehard culture war conservative. It's a misunderstanding about my state and of what populism is all about. I emphasize economic matters, and when they see I'm on the economic left, they assume I'm on the social right.

This assumption is...voopvoopavoop wrong! I'm an avid defender of the First Amendment's guarantee of separation of religion and state.

An Indiana court, however, is not.

Last year, the Hoosier State introduced an "In God We Trust" license plate, which motorists could choose to put on their car. Though the "In God We Trust" plate was not mandatory, there was a bit of a problem: Other Indiana specialty plates required motorists to pay a $15 fee. If you wanted a plate promoting education or the environment, you had to pay $15. But the "In God We Trust" plate was free.

There might not have been many objections to the religious-themed plate if it also required a $15 fee. But because it's free, it's actually being subsidized by unwilling taxpayers - and is in effect government sponsorship of religion, which is illegal under the First Amendment.

But an Indianapolis judge thinks otherwise. In a lawsuit over the new plate, Superior Court Judge Gary Miller said it's perfectly legal to offer the religious plate free of charge, even if other specialty plates cost $15. Religious plates are somehow different, he says.

Yes, they're different alright. The Constitution doesn't say the government can't fund education or environmental efforts. But it does say it can't sponsor religion.

I have no doubt the "In God We Trust" plates are more of a political stunt by legislators than anything. A Republican lawmaker who sponsored the concept complained that "we're in a period of time in this country where there seems to be an awful lot of attack on faith-based initiatives of any type." Maybe it only seems that way to him because we're in a period of time when so many legislators make political hay out of religion, and that irritates folks more than they expect.

(Source: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080417/NEWS02/80417042)