Having it both ways
Monday, Apr 27, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* April 20th…
The Illinois House Monday took a first step toward possibly ending the dizzying proliferation of specialty license plates in the state.
By a 108-1 vote, the House approved a bill that calls for creation of a universal specialty plate that can then be sold to support a variety of charitable causes.
If the bill eventually becomes law, the state would no longer issue new plate designs for charitable causes approved by the legislature.
“It’s hard for police officers to keep up with every plate on the street,” said Rep. John D’Amico, D-Chicago, sponsor of House Bill 1081. “It seems like we constantly have more and more plates coming before us. This would stop these plates from growing out of control.”
* And then…
Before leaving town last week, members of the House voted 110-5 to create a special license plate that will raise money to pay for planting milkweed along Illinois highways.
The reason: Monarch butterflies, which are the official state insect, need the plant to survive.
“Today’s vote in the House was an overwhelming victory and demonstrated broad bipartisan support for the Illinois state insect,” noted Rebecca Riley, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council.
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Monday, Apr 27, 15 @ 8:13 am:
As every parent knows, ‘No’ is the hardest word, so we create all kinds of variations:
“Not right now”
“Not until after you finish your dinner”
“Ask your mom”
“Let me think about it”
“Why don’t we go for a walk instead.”
Nearly every legislative response is a variation of one of these.
- Mouthy - Monday, Apr 27, 15 @ 8:18 am:
Planting milkweed may help spur a comeback for the Monarch butterfly whose numbers have dwindled substantially.
- Anon - Monday, Apr 27, 15 @ 8:26 am:
Someone should tell Rauner the official state insect is the Monarch butterfly, not the union worker.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Apr 27, 15 @ 8:32 am:
- YDD -,
You’d be surprised what a good check of the email would provide in explanations why no one says no, lol
- Anon - Monday, Apr 27, 15 @ 8:37 am:
Yeh, let’s encourage more butterflies to linger near roads, where cars and trucks can kill more of them. Welcome to government solutions.
- Salty - Monday, Apr 27, 15 @ 8:39 am:
I thought it was funny that the bill to eliminate the special license plates does not eliminate the GA license plates.
- anon - Monday, Apr 27, 15 @ 9:22 am:
Bill would not eliminate current specialty plates but would eliminate new specialty plate designs. Any new organizations or charitable plates would be issued a universal specialty plate with a specific decal of the charity or organization. that gets affixed
- DuPage - Monday, Apr 27, 15 @ 9:59 am:
Wasn’t some of the money the state raised from the plates supposed to go to the charities associated with the plates? Was that part of the money “swept” by Rauner?
- hisgirlfriday - Monday, Apr 27, 15 @ 10:12 am:
So the nrdc is pushing a bill that almost certainly would result in increased use of chemical herbicides? Because if the state is spending money to plant milkweed along the highways the milkweed is just going to spread into the fields next to the highways and cost farmers more money when they seek to eradicate the milkweed in their fields all over again.
- A guy - Monday, Apr 27, 15 @ 10:13 am:
In Springfield right now, they figuratively and literally have too much on their plates.
- Norseman - Monday, Apr 27, 15 @ 10:19 am:
YDD is on it. Whatever the reason it’s frustrating.
- BlameBruceRauner - Monday, Apr 27, 15 @ 11:14 am:
Im sure Bruce would support a hunting season on the Monarch
- VanillaMan - Monday, Apr 27, 15 @ 11:33 am:
Well, there goes my idea of having a “CapFax” specialty license plate with proceeds going towards Oswego Willy’s psychopharmaceuticals.
- Upon Further Review - Monday, Apr 27, 15 @ 11:33 am:
Snark, snark, snark alert!
Is it a drug plot? Milkweed thistle is used as a folk remedy to cleanse the systems of those subject to drug testing!
On the same subject, let’s ban fluoride too!
- vole - Monday, Apr 27, 15 @ 12:17 pm:
Don’t put IDOT in charge of planting milkweed! They have wasted millions of tax dollars through their own and contractor incompetence in native roadside plantings. The nurseries will charge too much for the seed, contractors will charge too much to plant it and IDOT won’t take care of it properly. Legislators are simply in lala land on this kind of stuff. In some areas, Rauner is right. He just doesn’t know which ones.
- Shemp - Monday, Apr 27, 15 @ 1:40 pm:
“My hypocrisy knows no bounds”
- JMogs - Monday, Apr 27, 15 @ 2:10 pm:
@Anon–you know, monarch butterflies are able to navigate lots and lots of roads (and rivers and other big barriers) in the annual migration which spans over 3000 miles… Illinois roads are no more complicated than anywhere else.
- Doi Chef - Tuesday, Apr 28, 15 @ 8:22 am:
While this is nice to try to bolster the monarch population, planting the milkweed next to a highway? Really? I cringe when one of those beautiful creatures careens off of my windshield and falls to the ground like a vanilla wafer. Plant milkweed? Ok. Along a highway? Better rethink that.