Toni Nathan is the first woman to ever win an electoral vote in 1972, thanks to the grandson of Laura Ingalls Wilder who was an unfaithful elector when the Electoral College met and cast their official ballots for US President and Vice President. This was the first year that we see Libertarian candidates for the White House.
If I was a supporter of the Libertarian party when it first appeared on the ballot – I’d be a whole lot older than I am, but I would have probably stood proudly behind my car with those cutting edge bumper stickers too. There’s nothing wrong with being Libertarian, right? Let’s not bash him.
I looked up Hospers on wikipedia because I didn’t remember him at all. The faithless VA Republican elector became the ’76 Libertarian presidential nominee! That’s thinking ahead.
It’s a personalized plate. California will let you keep your personalized plates when you get a new car; they’re an exemption from the rule that the plate stays with the car. That guy must have had those plates on another car before he got the Pinto.
There’s actually a Chevy Equinox in my neighborhood with blue California personalized plates.
I still can’t wrap my head around plates that stay with the car and go to a new owner. In Maryland, you can either transfer them to the next car that YOU own, or turn them in when you get new plates or sell the car.
My old “BAY” plates (literally – 750-BAY) were on my ’97 T-Bird, my ’97 Grand Prix, and my ’07 Mustang before they were long in the tooth and I decided to get new ones. They were in use for nearly 20 years when I replaced them with the Maryland Proud Plates.
I kept them though to see about restoring them when my car reaches “Historic” status in about 4 years (3 model years now). I’ll just have to find “07” stickers or peel back down to that layer if possible to be able to display them legally here in Maryland.
I actually like the CA plate system, it adds character to the car rather than the owner, and if the car is old it seems impressive. I’d much rather have whatever Illinois plates my Cougar had on it in 94 than the busy silk screened abominations the state sent me a few years ago
Agreed, XR7Matt. Seeing original plates on a car in California is a great thing. The original black plates—not the revival—mean that car (with very few exceptions)—has lived its entire life (since before 1969) in this state.
-Nate
Posted November 9, 2023 at 6:56 AM
Well said Mike ! .
Some of us will even chose one oldie over another due to the black & yellow license tags……..
I still have the same Maryland license plates I got in 1985 with my first car. The stack of stickers that need to be updated every two years got so thick it would have been easy for someone to peel off some of them and move them to another plate to make it look up to date when it wasn’t. If I traded in my car for a light truck (van, SUV, crossover, or pickup), I’ll need a new light truck license plate.
Seems equally likely he’s wandering a street corner wearing a sandwich board he carries around in that very same barely-running Pinto. I worry about seemingly full-grown adults who scream their political peculiarities to the world as if they have everything figured out.
In the early 90’s he drove down to the shipping terminal and had himself and the Pinto shipped to Somalia, where he experienced the paradise of NO GOVT and was never heard from again…
I imagine this guy liked his Pinto because it was thrifty with gas (more money to invest in gold!) and he could tune it up himself, independent of the dealership.
My ultra square John Galt-loving parents preferred Volkswagens for the same reasons. They would laugh derisively at hippies in VW busses who flashed their lights and waved at us.
California didn’t introduce personalized plates until 1970, when they’d gone to the blue plates. There were no black personalized plates until the revival seven or eight years ago.
I have seen the black plates photograph as blue in certain lighting, but I’ve never seen the reverse. It’s possible that he painted his blue plate black, which is and was illegal—but then, given the plate…
Nice pic! I would take that little Pinto in a heartbeat! I’ll take my chances on that just as soon as a 32 Ford,. Which by the way, I would proudly drive as well.
That one sticker should say “don’t rear end me” lol
That Pinto is no government mule.
I bet that gentleman is collecting Social Security now.
And is on Medicare.
Give the guy a break. There’s no choice in the matter.
And give him a brake when approaching from behind.
Wow, can’t remember the last time I’ve seen a Hopsers/Nathan bumper sticker!
Toni Nathan is the first woman to ever win an electoral vote in 1972, thanks to the grandson of Laura Ingalls Wilder who was an unfaithful elector when the Electoral College met and cast their official ballots for US President and Vice President. This was the first year that we see Libertarian candidates for the White House.
If I was a supporter of the Libertarian party when it first appeared on the ballot – I’d be a whole lot older than I am, but I would have probably stood proudly behind my car with those cutting edge bumper stickers too. There’s nothing wrong with being Libertarian, right? Let’s not bash him.
“Let’s not bash him”, nor the rear end of that Pinto.
I looked up Hospers on wikipedia because I didn’t remember him at all. The faithless VA Republican elector became the ’76 Libertarian presidential nominee! That’s thinking ahead.
“Don’t tread on me” and just above that is a black racing stripe (on a Pinto?) that could be mistaken for a tire track.
Black plates on a Pinto?
It’s a personalized plate. California will let you keep your personalized plates when you get a new car; they’re an exemption from the rule that the plate stays with the car. That guy must have had those plates on another car before he got the Pinto.
There’s actually a Chevy Equinox in my neighborhood with blue California personalized plates.
I still can’t wrap my head around plates that stay with the car and go to a new owner. In Maryland, you can either transfer them to the next car that YOU own, or turn them in when you get new plates or sell the car.
My old “BAY” plates (literally – 750-BAY) were on my ’97 T-Bird, my ’97 Grand Prix, and my ’07 Mustang before they were long in the tooth and I decided to get new ones. They were in use for nearly 20 years when I replaced them with the Maryland Proud Plates.
I kept them though to see about restoring them when my car reaches “Historic” status in about 4 years (3 model years now). I’ll just have to find “07” stickers or peel back down to that layer if possible to be able to display them legally here in Maryland.
I actually like the CA plate system, it adds character to the car rather than the owner, and if the car is old it seems impressive. I’d much rather have whatever Illinois plates my Cougar had on it in 94 than the busy silk screened abominations the state sent me a few years ago
Agreed, XR7Matt. Seeing original plates on a car in California is a great thing. The original black plates—not the revival—mean that car (with very few exceptions)—has lived its entire life (since before 1969) in this state.
Well said Mike ! .
Some of us will even chose one oldie over another due to the black & yellow license tags……..
-Nate
I still have the same Maryland license plates I got in 1985 with my first car. The stack of stickers that need to be updated every two years got so thick it would have been easy for someone to peel off some of them and move them to another plate to make it look up to date when it wasn’t. If I traded in my car for a light truck (van, SUV, crossover, or pickup), I’ll need a new light truck license plate.
You should see a stack 50 years tall.
And he paid the government more of his money than necessary in order to get those vanity plates.
Hmmm, I wonder if he has a “I told you so” bumper sticker on the back of his new Lincoln today.
Seems equally likely he’s wandering a street corner wearing a sandwich board he carries around in that very same barely-running Pinto. I worry about seemingly full-grown adults who scream their political peculiarities to the world as if they have everything figured out.
And a ‘Who is John Galt?” sticker. That’s a character from Ayn Rynd’s “Atlas Shrugged”. “Who Is John Galt?’ signs were common at Tea Party events.
“Who is John Galt?”
Someone far too exceptional and individualistic to be driving a Ford Pinto.
Remember those stickers..
Having read the book, I agree with whoever it was that said the question shouldn’t be “Who is John Galt?” but rather “When will John Galt shut up?”
So this guy didn’t take social security and paved his own roads to work, right?
In the early 90’s he drove down to the shipping terminal and had himself and the Pinto shipped to Somalia, where he experienced the paradise of NO GOVT and was never heard from again…
He could have gone to Haiti, just a short trip from Florida.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/10/haiti-no-elected-officials-anarchy-failed-state
Nice cardigan.
+1 🙂
President Carter would approve.
Governments review personalized plates for ‘suitability’. This plate would probably not get approved, here in Ontario.
Right – Canada. Sheesh.
I imagine this guy liked his Pinto because it was thrifty with gas (more money to invest in gold!) and he could tune it up himself, independent of the dealership.
My ultra square John Galt-loving parents preferred Volkswagens for the same reasons. They would laugh derisively at hippies in VW busses who flashed their lights and waved at us.
Hard to imagine a time when VW was associated with ease of maintenance.
I wonder if he’s still waiting to get his first girlfriend.
I think I would prefer the 1971 Ford Galaxies or LTD parked in front of the Pinto.
A bit safer in a rear end collision.
Ron Jeremy and his Pinto back in the day
California didn’t introduce personalized plates until 1970, when they’d gone to the blue plates. There were no black personalized plates until the revival seven or eight years ago.
I have seen the black plates photograph as blue in certain lighting, but I’ve never seen the reverse. It’s possible that he painted his blue plate black, which is and was illegal—but then, given the plate…
Maybe he doesn’t like going to Vermont.
“Hard to imagine a time when VW was associated with ease of maintenance.”
Actually Don ; they were _cheap_ to maintain, not less labor .
This guy is simply clueless .
-Nate
Would he be a “sovereign citizen” these days?
Nice pic! I would take that little Pinto in a heartbeat! I’ll take my chances on that just as soon as a 32 Ford,. Which by the way, I would proudly drive as well.