But aren't we supposed to change license plates now and then?

And if they stare, just let them burn their eyes on you moving; And if they shout, don't let it change a thing that you're doing.

NOV. 18, 2009: As my good friend Bob Kimball often says during stirring debates around the campfire, "I hate to wet on your charcoal, but...."

Which brings me to St. Lawrence County Clerk Patty Ritchie, who is running point on the effort to stop New York State from requiring us to buy new license plates for our vehicles. If you don't think she is making headway, or headlines, consider her opinion piece in Tuesday's New York Post. http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/making_albany_hear_the_people_w2pqZB7RJj3FIzVomkaKYN

Ritchie has touched a nerve by attempting to have the state postpone requiring everyone to pay $25 to buy new plates. After all, who isn't tired of having the state continue to nickel and dime us for more money?

But you honor, I would like to draw the jury's attention to the word "postpone."

I hate to wet on anyone's charcoal but every so often, New York actually needs to issue new license plates.

Or as the governor's office notes: "The manufacturer of the current plate series only guaranteed the integrity of the plates for up to 5 years and the last reissuance was in 2001. Plate reissuance also allows both law enforcement and DMV to more readily identify vehicles that are not properly registered or insured."

Not that we are nearing DEFCOM 1, but the New York State Police adds: "One of the best ways to combat any type of counterfeiting, including license plates, is to periodically change designs. This has potential counter terrorism implications, if counterfeit 'official' plates were prepared for the purpose of evading security posts."

This is part of the debate that is getting lost in the shouting. On one side you have Gov. David Paterson needing a quick cash infusion of $130 million to help keep the state financially afloat. On the other side you have clerks of court, such as Ritchie, saying "enough is enough."

(Ritchie, also a member of the fashion police, deems the new design too retro. "It's hard to imagine anyone wanting to put this 30-year-old design on their brand new car," she says.)

But changing plates is inevitable. New York is going to change its plates one day because motor vehicle plates, like paper money, eventually must be replaced.

I'm all for stopping the raising of fees when we don't see any effort by Albany to shrink the size of government or resolve our deficit. And raising a one-shot of $130 million isn't an answer to our financial mess because Albany will need to find $130 million every year if it can't eliminate that same amount of spending from its annual budget.

The Paterson Proposal vs. The Ritchie Revolution is great theater, but every state in the Union changes license plates every few years and charges drivers for the service.

So why is New York allowing new license plates to become a political piñata?