The Illinois Secretary of State`s office has announced a plan to redesign and replace all Illinois license plates. Current plates ”have already exceeded their expected three- to five-year lifespan” according to the report I heard, and the replacement program is expected to cost $3 million.
Even though this money would come from the highway fund, which is not included in the ”state budget” currently in crisis, this seems a totally unnecessary expense. New plates are produced every year-offer car owners an option to get new metal plates when their sticker is renewed. The current design is still perfectly good (and cost a lot to design) and most people`s plates are still in fine shape.
Three million dollars may not buy a lot of new highway, but it will repair a lot of secondary roads, and our roads and bridges are a dangerous disgrace.
