The latest brouhaha over a specialty license plate, as reported by the Chattanooga Times Free Press, is about which organizations should receive the proceeds from a Native American-themed plate. There's a dispute between two different groups over the issue, so in the meantime neither of them will get any money, which will go instead to a senior citizens program.

At one time, some years ago, I had a Tennessee Arts Commission specialty license plate -- with the picture of a cartoon cat playing a saxophone. I dropped it a year or two later because I was trying to pinch pennies when the renewal came due. That was back when there were only a few specialty plates. The fact of the matter is, Tennessee's specialty license plate program has gotten way, way out of control. There are now more than 90 different designs in Tennessee -- far too many for law enforcement officers to have to keep straight. Lest we forget, license plates exist first and foremost to identify your vehicle.

There are debates about who should be allowed a plate and who shouldn't, and about what is or isn't political speech (since political slogans aren't allowed on the specialty plates). Now, in this latest case, there's a dispute over how to allocate the proceeds.

I agree with what some other commentators -- like Brittney Gilbert at WKRN's "Nashville Is Talking" blog -- are beginning to say. The program needs to be scrapped altogether. Everyone should have the same license plate design (except for cases like handicapped plates where there's a specific and practical reason for the plate to look different). I realize that the specialty plates are fund-raisers for non-profits, but surely the money can be raised some other way.

One commenter at "Nashville Is Talking" raised a compromise proposal, which was that specialty plates be offered only for state-funded programs like state parks, as opposed to any non-profit which can muster the signatures. That's not a bad idea, but I think it leaves the door open for the program to be expanded again. I think a complete cutoff is the only fair way to handle the problem.

I don't see the same problem with personalized vanity plates -- as long as the background of the plate is the same basic design as everyone else's plate. In fact, a vanity plate helps make you more identifiable because it's easy for an observer to remember.

License plates are to identify your vehicle. If you want to put a message on the tail of your car, you always have the option of a bumper sticker.

John I. Carney is city editor of the Times-Gazette and covers county government and other topics. His home page is lakeneuron.com.