South Dakota Plates - A Fly in the Ointment?

From the RAPID CITY JOURNAL article, it may appear that trouble might be on the horizon for those registering their vehicles in South Dakota:

"South Dakota officials target vehicle license plate fraud

SIOUX FALLS (AP) -- It's no secret that South Dakota's low taxes and lenient vehicle registration policies have made the state a haven for out-of-staters who license vehicles here.

License plates are cheap, and so is the state's excise tax on vehicles. There's no state income tax, and the law allowing out-of-state people to register their vehicles does not require them to set foot in the state to get South Dakota plates. The state is especially popular with people who live full time in recreational vehicles, a growing trend among baby boomers heading off to retirement.

But South Dakota officials are attempting to crack down on abuses of the system. Debra Hillmer, director of the state Division of Motor Vehicles, recently sent a memo to county treasurers asking them to demand more information from out-of-state residents before issuing licenses. A similar memo went to 10 mail-forwarding businesses, services popular with people who live outside the state but have vehicles registered here........

Read more: http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/article_3d0515e8-7d34-11df-b02e-001cc4c002e0.html#ixzz1nVWjdPsM

Projecting forthcoming discussions: I will bet that there will be those who attempt to split hairs or rationalize by saying that they mean residences NOB. Take note, that no acronyms are used in the article to clarify what they are stating.

Actually, Dawg has noted over time living in Ajijic, that there are, based on the number of South Dakota plated vehicles spotted hereabouts, most driven by ancient hayseeds in overalls, that there are more South Dakotans living at Lakeside than in the entire state of South Dakota. Now, despite a rather harsh climate in comparison to Dawg´s native Alabama, South Dakota, that seemingly God- forsaken place in which Dawg traveled briefly about 30 years ago, is a surprisingly attractive place in spots with some striking topography and an equable climate a few days out of each year and Dawg recommends that those caught fraudulently driving abour Lakeside with South Dakota license plates actually leave here and move to South Dakota so that they no longer have to live with the burden, after many years of sober compliance with whatever local ordinances with which they were compelled to comply in their former podunk townships in dull places such as Ohio, can alleviate themselves of the mental hardship of having become lawless miscreants pretending to inhabit a region everyone with at least an eighth grade education has traditionally left upon first opportunity and, in turn, alleviate us of their presence and their beat up old staion wagons careening about the Super Lake parking lot.

Given Dawg's previous rants on this topic, his response is not a surprise! Dawg - you are becoming far too predictable.

CheenaGringo wrote:Given Dawg's previous rants on this topic, his response is not a surprise! Dawg - you are becoming far too predictable.

You owe me, Neil. Who else will respond to your off-the-cuff quip. The quesion is; is it more embarassing to drive one´s new Alfa Romeo with the top down wearing your expensive new fedora about Rodeo Drive with South Dakota, New Mexico or Idaho plates proclaiming respectively one´s place or residence as the setting of "Great Faces, Great Places", the "Land of Enchantment" or the land of "Famous Potatoes". Try to pick up some hot babe on Rodeo Drive with one of those blurbs announcing your arrival.

Not sure about your other two examples but NM minimizes your chances of being caught with the "Land of Enchantment" slogan since we only have rear plates and if I remember correctly from my bachelor days, I wasn't in the habit of driving in reverse to pick up a hot babe. Then again, since you used Rodeo Drive as an example, the California girlies might just take it as an experience they had missed out on. After all, who isn't looking for enchantment?

CheenaGringo wrote:Not sure about your other two examples but NM minimizes your chances of being caught with the "Land of Enchantment" slogan since we only have rear plates and if I remember correctly from my bachelor days, I wasn't in the habit of driving in reverse to pick up a hot babe. Then again, since you used Rodeo Drive as an example, the California girlies might just take it as an experience they had missed out on. After all, who isn't looking for enchantment?

Oh, I don´t know, CG; you and I might score more chicks if we approached them in reverse.

Now, a story as to the difference between front-and-rear license plate states in the U.S. and rear-plates-only states:

Alabama was traditionally a front-and-rear plate state until two concurrent political/civil phenomena took place in the 1960s. That is when the civil rights movement began to take place in the deep south with Dr. King at the helm in Alabama and George Wallace the newly elected governor. George Wallace, who had originally been a populist politician and political liberal under the tutorship of the old populist politician and 1950s governor "Big Jim" Folsom, took on the persona of a rabid racist in order to win over a majority of the votes of the majority white population of that state. "Big Jim", a proudly crooked politician but a genuine populist with leanings toward racial equality, had invited black Harlem congressman Adam Clayton Powell for dinner at the Alabama governor´s mansion which had created quite a stir in those days of Jim Crow segregation, civil unrest and kluxer violence. In 1956, his protege, George Wallace lost the race for governor to the virently racist John Patterson and, after that, Wallace vowed to never be "out-segged" again so in 1960 he won the race for governor by "out-segging" all the other candidates during the years of the civil strife brought on by the civil rights era when very few blacks had the franchise and could not vote.

Durng Wallace´s tenure as governor, he did away with the requirement for front and rear license plates so that ole-boy rednecks could affix Confederate flag license plates to the front ends of their vehicles ( often pick-up trucks with gun racks) and renamed the Alabama Highway Patrol to the more quasi-militaristic and daunting designation of Alabama State Troopers, changing their uniforms into more intimidating RCMP or Texas Ranger garb in order to, hopefully, in his mind, frighten Alabamians of African descent into subjugation.

Of course, ultimately none of this racist crap worked and, before his political career was over, Wallace genuinely regreted having used race to further his political career. Before he died, he begged the forgiveness of Alabama´s African American community, some 1,000,000 out of 4,000,000 people who had subsequently gained the franchise and become voters and, by God, they not only forgave him but voted for him. Sumbitch if Dawg will ever fully understand that.

Repentance is a powerful force in the Bible Belt.

"Oh, I don´t know, CG; you and I might score more chicks if we approached them in reverse."

Approaching them in reverse might also take you back in time to Betty Sue, Sally Jo or whatever her name was. Do you really want to go there?

[quote="CheenaGringo"]"Oh, I don´t know, CG; you and I might score more chicks if we approached them in reverse."

Approaching them in reverse might also take you back in time to Betty Sue, Sally Jo or whatever her name was. Do you really want to go there?[/quote]

Well, OK, Betty Sue, a foot long hotdog, a few Pabst Blue Ribbons and a parking spot on Old Ghost Road and Dawg is in heaven. Sally Jo and an invitation to join the choir at the First Baptist Church along with a potential mother-in-law cooking up collard greens and pork chops and Dawg is on the first Midnight Flyer out of Birmingham heading for Los Angeles´ Union Station never to return.

" Operator, give me Norfolk Virginia 744309, tell the folks back home this is the Promised Land calling and the pore boy is on the line."
Thank you Chuck Berry

Rolly wrote:Repentance is a powerful force in the Bible Belt.

Insincere repentace is even more powerful as we both know, Rolly.

Brother Swaggart has them all wound up at the revival in Beaumont after ten days of praising Jesus and the crowd is really getting worked up on the last day to the point the tent is billowing up with an excess of hot air and Brother Swaggart extolls the masses to confess their sins in the heat of the moment and the first congregant rises from his chair and shouts;

"Praise the Lord Brother Swaggart, I have lusted in my heart for women other than my wife although I have never actually consummated sex with another woman but having lusted in my heart makes me a sinner and I beg the Lord´s forgiveness.."

Brother Swaggart responds,

"Hallellujah hallellujah, brother. Praise the Lord and accept his forgiveness. Brother May your soul rest in peace with the assurance the Lord is with you"

The next guy gets up and shouts;

"Hallellujah, hallelluijah, Brother Swaggart, I must admit that I have lusted in my heart for filthy lucre and in the pursuit of accumulating wealth I cheated my friends and family and lied and stole from them and now I have wealth beyond compare but find no peace and I beg God´s forgiveness.

Brother Swaggart responds;

Hallellujah, hallellujah, Brother, your sins are forgiven. Walk in peace to the Promised Land.""

By this time the congregants are worked up into s frenzy and in the heat of the moment, the next guy gets up and shouts,

"Brother Swaggart, last week I made love to a goat.

The congregants suddenly descend into deep silence and Brother Swaggart responds;

"You know Brother, I don´t believe I´d a told that."