Your morning jolt: Georgia car tags and ‘In God We Trust’
This post has been updated below.
Original: Georgia car tags may be about to get a dose of religion. The state Department of Revenue on Friday posted images of the eight semi-finalist entries in its competition to design a new look for your back bumper.
Three of those eight incorporate “In God We Trust” – the same motto found on U.S. currency:
Online voting concludes July 8. The three license plates garnering the most votes will be presented to Gov. Nathan Deal. There the selection process gets foggy – the press release merely says the winner will be announced July 15.
But if a car tag bearing the word “God” makes it to the finals, it’s hard to imagine a Republican politician who would want to be seen rejecting it.
Still, if a declaration of faith is inevitable, we would at least suggest adding an asterisk, followed in small print with this:
“*All others must provide proof of legal U.S. residency.”
Updated at 5:05 p.m.: The rules for Georgia’s license tag contest mandated that entries must include “the county name or ‘In God We Trust’ label in black at the bottom.’
But my AJC colleague Aaron Gould Sheinin passes along the following note from Karen Lashley-Lucas, the Department of Revenue’s marketing coordinator:
The “In God We Trust” phrase is there simply to demonstrate what the optional sticker that is already available would look like on that entry.
Confusing, to say the least.
***
My monthly letter from state Sen. Buddy Carter, R-Pooler, arrived over the weekend, giving me his take on doings in the state Capitol. It included this line on the cost of HB 87 to Georgia farmers:
”The agricultural community is estimating millions of dollars in losses to various crops such as blueberries, cucumbers and watermelons due to the shortage of workers.”
But the current issue of Time magazine puts the cost far higher:
The labor shortage could result in as much as $9 billion in lost farm production annually. “This is the magnitude of the risk to the sector, if we can’t get the labor we need,” says Paul Schlegel, director of public policy at the American Farm Bureau Federation, in Washington. “It’s an extremely important issue.”
In other words, when it comes to the cost of Georgia’s illegal immigration law, there’s a vast gulf of opinion. And we’ve been told that it’s far too early to really know. You can’t assess damage during the train wreck, one agricultural economist told us. You must wait for the dust to settle.
Then again, just think how quickly we’re offered financial estimates of damage after a tornado or flood.
But here’s the point: So far, we have heard very little talk within the state Capitol about actually assessing the financial losses to Georgia agriculture. And one has to wonder whether lawmakers and other state officials really want that hard, government-backed cipher out there.
***
Today’s AJC Politifact Georgia takes a look at Gov. Nathan Deal’s claim that a “substantial” number of probationers have performed well as substitutes for Hispanic labor in Georgia’s fruit and vegetable fields.
***
It appears that U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss wants an amnesty on the taxation of offshore profits to be part of the formula for a compromise on the U.S. deficit. From a Q&A with the Georgia Republican in today’s Wall Street Journal:
SEN. CHAMBLISS: If any taxes are truly raised in the pure sense, then the answer to your question is no, that’s not going to sell. It won’t sell on the Senate side, nor the House side.
You’ve got to approach it from three standpoints. Sure, we’ve got to cut spending. Second, you’ve got to look at entitlement reform. Third, you’ve got to look at revenues.
As Mark [Warner] said, we’ve got this 10½-point gap that we’ve got to start closing. There’s only one way to do that, and that’s figure out a way to get our revenues up.
We get our revenues up by enticing [CFOs] to get some of that $2.5 trillion off your balance sheet and reinvest it in your company and create jobs, and spread out that tax base by putting people back to work. We do it by energizing the economy, whether it’s through taxes or whether it’s through allowing you to bring some of your money back from offshore.
- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider
For instant updates, follow me on Twitter, or connect with me on Facebook.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
268 comments Add your comment
Aquagirl
June 27th, 2011
1:00 pm
“It is not expressly written in the Constitution but one can clearly see the intent was clearly established?” Why in the world do you think they futzed around instead of writing “this is a Christian nation?” They suddenly ran short of ink?
John K
June 27th, 2011
1:00 pm
Aw, c’mon td, you can do better than that! Where is it implied? Where it says “there shall be no religious test?”
Tom
June 27th, 2011
1:00 pm
Oh, btw, I’ve been voting almost-exclusively GOP for over 30 years. Just an fyi.
Intown
June 27th, 2011
1:04 pm
Keep your religion off my car!
Jon Lester
June 27th, 2011
1:06 pm
Looks like Zaxby is still on the side of rewarding those companies that outsource jobs overseas.
As for the car tags; Thomas Paine would be chagrined to see that even in the year 2011, his envisioned Age of Reason is still centuries away.
Disappointed
June 27th, 2011
1:08 pm
It truly saddens me to read so very many negative, resentful, vendictive comments regarding the use of “In God We Trust” on new tags. While I do try hard to respect others views (as difficult as some others make it), it always appears as though Christian views/beliefs are the ones that always come under attack. I do have one of the stickers displayed on my vehicles cover the county.
Maybe the state should choose two tags instead of one. Give Christians/believers an option of a tag or sticker, and those who have issues with these tags a choice without the saying. Everyone will get their way-a win/win situation. Oh, but that’s right. Non-believers will still be offended and place all bad driving blame on those of us displaying “In God We Trust”. Guess there will never be any pleasing everyone on here. You would probably complain that eternal life is not good enough. Sad, really sad.
JW
June 27th, 2011
1:08 pm
Look, all you extremely left leaning liberal Democrats out there. There are many moderate and very conservative Democrats that also reside in our state. I, too, am a Democrat and would say that I am a moderate. But, for you who belong to the liberal segment of the Democratic Party, I want you to know that there are 2 political issues that you do not speak for me on, and probably not the majority of other state Democrats either:
1. Immigration. You are on the wrong side of the wrong side of this issue. You do not ignore and reward an illegal and unlawful act. Had Deal not signed HB87 he would have had the majority of voters turn on him in the same manner that the state’s voters turned on Roy Barnes with the flag issue.
2. Same-sex marriage. You do not speak for me when you advocate and think that same-sex marriage is perfectly okay. Being raised as a Southern Baptist means that I can never accept same-sex marriage because it is against my religious beliefs. I also do not believe that a small segment of the populace should be able to impose their beliefs on the majority that do not subscribe to their lifestyle.
Ilene
June 27th, 2011
1:08 pm
No RELIGIOUS STATEMENTS ON LICENSE PLATES. Shame on all of you. How about our website like other states do – oh, I forgot, we’re behind the times and backwards here.
Sam I Am
June 27th, 2011
1:14 pm
JW, you got it half right.
Rob L.
June 27th, 2011
1:15 pm
I don’t know about others, but I think that in my religion you’re not supposed to just print the name of the lord on a piece of metal and slap it on the back of a car. Possilbly something about the third of the ten commandments I would think.
John K
June 27th, 2011
1:16 pm
JW, if you think same sex marriage is wrong, keep on believing it; knock yourself out. But don’t use your personal belief to keep someone from doing something that will have no affect on you in any way, shape, or form.
pcBobby
June 27th, 2011
1:19 pm
I would like my own personalized plate: Godless F#*@er.
deegee
June 27th, 2011
1:20 pm
No religious statements on license plates! I kinda like New Hampshire’s “Live Free or Die”. That’s taking a stand. For Georgia maybe we should say something like, “Aw Shucks” or “Live Free or Go Fish”
Shan
June 27th, 2011
1:21 pm
What part of separation of church and state is so hard to comprehend?! Not all of us are Christian, nevermind religious! Why couldn’t the tag have simply read “The Peach State”?
Joe Mama
June 27th, 2011
1:22 pm
Disappointed — “While I do try hard to respect others views (as difficult as some others make it), it always appears as though Christian views/beliefs are the ones that always come under attack.”
That’s not what’s at issue here. The issue is the possibility of the state FORCING people to put a religious message on their cars (though it appears that this might be optional). Frankly, I think you’d be just as upset if the state required you to put something like “. . . and Mohammed is his Prophet” on your license plate (and I’d be angry, too).
“I do have one of the stickers displayed on my vehicles cover the county.”
I don’t have a problem with that, so long as it’s your personal choice.
“Maybe the state should choose two tags instead of one. Give Christians/believers an option of a tag or sticker, and those who have issues with these tags a choice without the saying. Everyone will get their way-a win/win situation.”
That’s actually a pretty fair idea, and I don’t have a problem with it.
“Oh, but that’s right. Non-believers will still be offended and place all bad driving blame on those of us displaying “In God We Trust”. Guess there will never be any pleasing everyone on here. You would probably complain that eternal life is not good enough. Sad, really sad.”
Well, you got off to a good start, and then you started putting words in others’ mouths. I guess a little Christian charity and turn-the-other-cheekism was too much to expect — after all, you haven’t been to church since yesterday. :p
Dr. Will Feelgood,
June 27th, 2011
1:24 pm
@td: Thomas Jefferson was a believer in the Almighty, and an admirer of Jesus and his teachings as best he could discern them — but not a believer in the diety of Jesus, the Holy Trinity, the attoning death of Jesus or his resurrection and return.
In other words, Mr. Jefferson was a devout Deist along with B. Franklin.
td
June 27th, 2011
1:25 pm
John K
June 27th, 2011
1:16 pm
“But don’t use your personal belief to keep someone from doing something that will have no affect on you in any way, shape, or form”
Unless, we as a nation, decide to go to a true libertarian form of government where we do not pay for the choices others make, then everyone’s decisions will effect the whole. Every decision a person makes has consequences and since you Libs want this nanny state form of government then we all have to pa for those consequences.
CaT
June 27th, 2011
1:27 pm
What does immigration and sam sex marriage have to do with religious statements on license plates? Stick to the issue at hand!
It's just a license plate
June 27th, 2011
1:27 pm
Your lifestyle – not your license plate – is what shows others who you put your trust in.
Droc
June 27th, 2011
1:27 pm
After the last repatriation in 1994, 85% of the money went to shareholders, and most of the rest to CEOs. Then, they cut tens of thousands of their workers.
John K
June 27th, 2011
1:29 pm
td, I just love it. Complaining about the nanny state while at the same time trying to control what goes on in the bedroom and personal lives of consenting adults.
I’m beginning to believe some conservatives don’t realize words have actual meaning.
GAPolitics
June 27th, 2011
1:30 pm
All of those designs are pathetic. Ugly!
outlawgod
June 27th, 2011
1:31 pm
Religion will be the death of this country – all references to God (esp thos put in the 50’s to “fight communism”) must be removed – i.e. – the pledge, money, etc
Shan
June 27th, 2011
1:31 pm
Once again, Georgia never fails to disappoint. Is it any wonder that we are 49th in education? I hope the ACLU sues the state if that plate passes. The neocons in this state need to stop shoving religion down our throats!
Clinton "Skink" Tyree
June 27th, 2011
1:32 pm
What I don’t understand is why the state is in the business of transforming auto tags into billboards or bulletin boards for any kind of message — but especially religious messages.
In the total scheme of things, the proceeds are small when compared to the philosophical issues at stake — the state’s breach of the separation of church and state.
If a person wants to turn their automobile into a rolling billboard for Jesus, that’s fine with me. Cover your car with bumper stickers, but the state shouldn’t get involved in the propagation of religious messages via the state mandated auto tag.
td
June 27th, 2011
1:32 pm
Dr. Will Feelgood,
June 27th, 2011
1:24 pm
Than why would Jefferson say:
“I am a real Christian – that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus Christ.”
–The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, p. 385
Sounds like a Christian to me? I think you may be confusing a Christian with a person believing in a certain sect of Christianity. I am pretty sure that Jefferson believed in the teachings of Jesus Christ totally but did not believe in the interpretation of Jesus teachings as interpreted by man.
Freida
June 27th, 2011
1:32 pm
Vote? Yeah, right. The DOR website for the tag competition has not been working all day!!
kevin
June 27th, 2011
1:33 pm
Mark
June 27th, 2011
12:53 pm
“There is no God and I will be the first to sue the State if they make me put that on my car.”
Amen to that!
Bob
June 27th, 2011
1:33 pm
Aren’t we all tired of the PEACH? Surely they can come up with a better design than these same old recycled designs that doesn’t have a peach on it.
pcBobby
June 27th, 2011
1:35 pm
Only in this state where we have a bunch of fat doltish SUV-driving lemmings who have no problem with a corrupt Stepford Husband reigning over a theocracy. This state is a complete embarrassment.
td
June 27th, 2011
1:39 pm
John K
June 27th, 2011
1:29 pm
I personally believe that a person should do whatever they want to as long as it does not effect me. Ex: If you want to ride a motorcycle without a helmet then fine but if you have a wreck, smash your brain, and not have insurance then the hospital should not keep you alive at the expense of the taxpayer.
But alas, my views are not going to pass the liberal test and we will have to keep the person alive, so since your decision is going to effect me then I have to support legislation (helmet laws) that effect me the least amount.
Keep doing this GOP
June 27th, 2011
1:40 pm
ITTTTTTTTTT’S UNCONSTITUTIONAL. For Christ’s sake, i wish this state would quit promoting religion.
Larry Edgar
June 27th, 2011
1:41 pm
Boy, some of you so-called christians want to tell everyone to pound sand if they don’t agree with you. Very christian like. This should be a Georgia car tag, nowhere should there be any reference to religion.
td
June 27th, 2011
1:42 pm
Keep doing this GOP
June 27th, 2011
1:40 pm
ITTTTTTTTTT’S UNCONSTITUTIONAL. For Christ’s sake, i wish this state would quit promoting religion
Would you like to make a bet right now that it passes the Supreme court religious test? If I am not mistaken the same saying is above the heads of the Justices.
Trey
June 27th, 2011
1:43 pm
I’d like to take a tag with “In God We Trust” on it.
Trey
June 27th, 2011
1:44 pm
td, only thing that would be unconstitutional would be a state sponsored religion. Why do you b*tch about this being unconstitutional when there are a lot of other unconstitutional things going on in our country?
pcBobby
June 27th, 2011
1:45 pm
@JW
“In God We Trust” on a state-issued plate is imposing your superstitious beliefs on me. If this is what you and Michele Bachmann wish for, create your own country called Bubbastan.
Trey
June 27th, 2011
1:45 pm
Sorry, td. I didn’t realize you were doing a response until I saw it again. That was for Keep Doing This GOP.
Indy
June 27th, 2011
1:46 pm
“We get our revenues up by enticing [CFOs] to get some of that $2.5 trillion off your balance sheet and reinvest it in your company and create jobs, and spread out that tax base by putting people back to work.”
Well I generally disagree with almost anything Saxby says and does but that to me makes eminent good sense. If the Dems can’t see the utility of that idea they’re just damn fools.
No Teabagging
June 27th, 2011
1:48 pm
Just replace “In God We Trust” with our new government motto “No Ethics, No Problem” .
#4 looks like a big butt, perhaps we should be “The Booty Call” state.
Did anyone consult public safety officers on the designs? i.e. Which of these are legible when getting a tag# during a fast chase?
Yes we Cain!
June 27th, 2011
1:49 pm
Who cares?
kevin
June 27th, 2011
1:50 pm
td
June 27th, 2011
1:39 pm
I am not sure that the helmet example you use works, because I can easily see where the motorcyclist’s not wearing a helmet would effect me. For example, let’s say the motorcyclist runs a light, I hit him and he dies as a result of head trauma that could have been prevented had he been wearing a helmet. Though not my fault, having a man lie dead after a collision I was involved in would assuredly have an effect on me. Therefore, not only for his own protection, but the protection of others, he should have to wear a helmet–just like people have to wear seatbelts, which incidentally have saved countless millions of lives.
Joe Mama
June 27th, 2011
1:51 pm
Suggestion — “In James Brown we Trust”
(shriek)
Queen Nerfballteedi
June 27th, 2011
1:51 pm
I don’t care about the “In God We Trust” stuff, the only thing I would like them to keep is the County designation. I like to know what county the idiot that is driving in front of me resides in. It helps me with my in-car insults. For instance: Gwinnett County: Horrible 3rd-World Drivers; White/Pike/Mountain Counties: Hillbilly Trash Drivers; Fulton: Hard one to pin down since it encompasses so many areas. Look inside car..then make appropriate slur. Chatham: They are probably drunk and lost; Clayton: Criminals driving in a stolen car. Please Keep the Counties!!!
John K
June 27th, 2011
1:51 pm
I would love an explanation from anyone on how same-sex marriage would negatively affect them.
dre
June 27th, 2011
1:51 pm
deegee, that was funny
catlady
June 27th, 2011
1:51 pm
I want a tag that says, “I may be slow, but I’m ahead of ya’ll.”
Seriously, how about a plain white (or even peach colored) tag that says GEORGIA on it. Period.
Or, if we are really into promoting our state, have a lighthouse, a peach, and a chicken with its head cut off.
Has anyone looked into the money behind car tags? I mean, who has the contract to provide the metal, etc? Could someone follow the money?
John K
June 27th, 2011
1:54 pm
Maybe it should just say “Waffle House”
catlady
June 27th, 2011
1:56 pm
How about, “I may be slow, but I’m ahead of ya’ll”. Or a picture of a chicken with its head cut off (peaches aren’t our only business.)
dre
June 27th, 2011
1:58 pm
John K – Any weird amendments to the Birds and the Bees discussion I just had with my 12-year-old would annoy me.