If The United States is "United''Then Why

hollydolly

hollydolly

SF VIP
Location
London England
...Do you have Different License Plates for Different States?

Just wondering... anyone know ? wouldn't it be easier just to have ''united States'' on the plates ?
 

As children (and adults) when traveling, it's always been a practice to see how many different license plates we could see and the different representation like the Palmetto tree on South Carolina's.
Some of North Carolina's have a lighthouse. They're not all the same in each state depending on the part of the state.
 

hollydolly said:
...Do you have Different License Plates for Different States?

Just wondering... anyone know ? wouldn't it be easier just to have ''united States'' on the plates ?
Click to expand...

Laws and regulations can vary a lot between different states. Essentially, think in terms of each state being a country in the EU, and the United bit being the EU as a whole. Accents, house types, and food varies between each state. Political leanings, the type of work, it's all different. Take the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade. It was widely reported that this banned abortions, but that isn't quite accurate. It just means each state gets to choose for themselves what they want to do.

Taxes are paid both locally (per state) and federally (effectively into that EU pot). Cars are registered within each State who get to set the standards and requirements for a license. So, plates are per State.
 
VaughanJB said:
Laws and regulations can vary a lot between different states. Essentially, think in terms of each state being a country in the EU, and the United bit being the EU as a whole. Accents, house types, and food varies between each state. Political leanings, the type of work, it's all different. Take the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade. It was widely reported that this banned abortions, but that isn't quite accurate. It just means each state gets to choose for themselves what they want to do.

Taxes are paid both locally (per state) and federally (effectively into that EU pot). Cars are registered within each State who get to set the standards and requirements for a license. So, plates are per State.
Click to expand...
yes but the EU is not United....
 
Florida has over 100 different license plates.....environmental issues, sports, universities, social issues, etc. Have an interest? You can find a license plate that honors that interest. All you have to do is pay extra for it.

And of course you can get the "vanity plates" that spell out names and messages like FISHN and FTBALL and WOOHOO. It's always interesting to try to figure out what some of them say.

I just have the plain ol' plate with the orange on it. I'll be darned if I give the state an extra dollar of my money.....
 
VaughanJB said:
Best not believe everything that's written. There can be quite a bit of hostility between States. I lived in Northern VA, Washington State, and Texas. Each had a notably different vibe. It's fascinating really.
Click to expand...
I don't doubt that for a minute, but they're all Americans.. so United in that.. whereas the EU.. is the tower of babble..we're all very different and speak different languages
 
While the concept is valid its execution has never been perfect. Not even when it encompassed a far smaller population in much closer quarters and proximity with a lot more common history and ancestry. It was always an ideal and sometimes difficult to maintain.
 
hollydolly said:
that's what I thought... United... whereas ..in the EU..if someone attacked Ukraine for example ..most other EU countries would shrug, and get on with their day
Click to expand...

Ukraine isn't a member of the EU. If they were, the support they got would have been different. They also aren't a member of NATO, hence they didn't get full support there either.
 
Last edited:
hollydolly said:
I don't doubt that for a minute, but they're all Americans.. so United in that.. whereas the EU.. is the tower of babble..we're all very different and speak different languages
Click to expand...

Many of them identify as "African American", "Italian American", etc. They state their ethnicity first, and American second. But of course, they are joined as a nation.

The EU is a different concept in many ways. In the EU you're trying to legislate for fully industrialized nations, with different traditions and languages. The US has the advantage of having come together during their formative years. The EU isn't like that. If the US were coming together today, I'm not sure it would work the same.

That said - the EU being the way it is is a good thing, imo. The French do not want to speak another language (unless it's a second language). They don't want to be known as citizens of the EU, they love their country, and they want that to continue. The same is true in the UK. How would the British feel if German became the common language? It just wouldn't happen. Just look at the hatred immigrants get today - we don't even want foreigners coming here!

On the other hand, it's the diversity that makes the EU such an interesting place. Within the EU each country is fighting the goals of their own citizens, which isn't any different than what happens in Congress.
 
VaughanJB said:
Many of them identify as "African American", "Italian American", etc. They state their ethnicity first, and American second. But of course, they are joined as a nation.

The EU is a different concept in many ways. In the EU you're trying to legislate for fully industrialized nations, with different traditions and languages. The US has the advantage of having come together during their formative years. The EU isn't like that. If the US were coming together today, I'm not sure it would work the same.

That said - the EU being the way it is is a good thing, imo. The French do not want to speak another language (unless it's a second language). They don't want to be known as citizens of the EU, they love their country, and they want that to continue. The same is true in the UK. How would the British feel if German became the common language? It just wouldn't happen. Just look at the hatred immigrants get today - we don't even want foreigners coming here!

On the other hand, it's the diversity that makes the EU such an interesting place. Within the EU each country is fighting the goals of their own citizens, which isn't any different than what happens in Congress.
Click to expand...
how did this become political..a simple question about licence plates ?
 
I think a lot more of it comes down to State vs. Federal legal responsibilities. Vehicle registration laws and fees vary by State aside from more recent mandates about safety issues like standardized signals, seat belts, airbags, crash resistance, etc.
 
hollydolly said:
but that was in reply to your number #4
Click to expand...

I seem to have upset you today.

My mention of Roe v. Wade is a factual distinction between Federally applied laws and how they override State laws. Then it describes how the striking down of that Federal law meant States got to decide on their own. I was not debating the actual law. I was also not being political. It's simply the first thing that came to my mind as a way to describe the difference between the two things (Federal v. State) and how they work together.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top