"For Hoosiers, God is standard"

GetReligion reports that in Indiana one of the standard issue licence plates looks like the one on the left. The Los Angeles Times:

Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana filed a lawsuit .... The complaint challenges a law that lets motorists get the “In God We Trust” design without paying the $15 administrative fee.

The state says the new “In God We Trust” plate is not a specialty plate — like dozens of others it offers— but rather a second “standard” plate, like the one that features a pastoral scene, and is thus not subject to special fees. State officials say the plate, introduced in January, has been a hit, chosen by more than 540,000 motorists. That means that had the state charged the $15 fee, it would have an additional $8 million in its coffers.

“The issue isn’t the message. It’s not about religion,” said Ken Falk, legal director for the ACLU of Indiana. ....

“It’s about making sure that nearly every other plate that carries a message has a cost attached to it, and this does not,” Falk said. “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.”

That would seem to make sense. The words on that license plate may have something to do with believing in God and, you know, you gotta watch out for all those Americans who say that they believe in God.

But seriously, there seem to be sticky church-state separation issues whichever way the state goes.

Nevertheless, this story left me curious about one rather basic and, come to think of it, non-faith-based question. Does anyone know if any other states in the union have more than one “standard” license plate? ....

Source: GetReligion: For Hoosiers, God is standard