Michael Adams, a computer technician from Brighton, toiled for weeks to dredge up the proof that his relatives were among Colorado’s initial settlers.

He wanted one of those special license plates that read “Pioneer” but was told he had to prove one of his descendants lived in Colorado at least 100 years ago, using documents such as a birth or death certificate, property deeds, or census records. Now the state says all the fuss isn’t necessary and that anyone can get the plate, leaving Adams feeling a bit jilted.

He tells The Denver Post that he doesn’t “feel special anymore.”

In fact, the Colorado Department of Revenue says it stopped requiring proof from pioneer descendants two years ago, when it learned that asking for the info was illegal, according to department spokesman Mark Couch. But other plates, like Denver Firefighter, Raptor Education, and Elks club, have restrictions—a result of their sponsors adding special requirements to the license plate laws when they were changed several years ago. Turns out nobody added any for pioneers.

Meanwhile, the pink plates that read “Committed to a Cure,” part of a campaign against cancer, will disappear, according to 9News. The plate is being retired because the women who created it want some money to actually go to their cause. A new pink plate will replace the old one, with a new $25 surcharge that will go toward providing treatment to uninsured women with breast or cervical cancer.

Posted 8/12/2009 at 4:15 pm by Michael de Yoanna
Panorama, Rights :: Permalink :: Comments (5)

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