Don’t box me in with labels

Posted on 14. Jul, 2010 by kchristieh in my life

When a well-meaning friend recently referred to me as a “Mommy Blogger,” I instantly got defensive. Over the past 1,400+ blog posts, I’ve covered a wide variety of topics and made a conscious effort not to use my unsuspecting family as my primary blogging material. In fact, a quick survey of my most recent 20 posts shows that only 1 centered on something I did as a parent, and that one (“Why I Love Baccalaureate“) could have been written by anyone in attendance at that event. As blessed as I am to be a parent, I especially don’t want to be labeled as something that doesn’t totally define me, or that implies something I’m not.

Here are some other labels that people have pinned on me, and why I hope you can see beyond them:

MOM: I’m the proud parent of a 16-year-old and an 18-year-old. They’re great kids, and yes, they call me “Mom.” But I have my own life, with just as many friends on Facebook, and I don’t need to live vicariously through them, spy on them, or pander to them the way the “Mom” label might imply to some people. Ironically, or perhaps predictably, I think that the people that put the “Mom” label on me the most are my children’s peers.

WIFE: I’ve been married 23 years to a great guy. Wow. That’s twice as long as my parents were married to each other. I’m blessed to be in a marriage loaded with mutual love, respect, values, interests, etc. But as much as I may be the one that makes the dinner and drives the kids, I have my own life too. And so does my husband. Being a wife is wonderful, but it’s not all that I am.

DEMOCRAT: Over the past 19 years, I think I’ve only voted for one Republican. As much as I’d like to call myself an Independent, because I do think independently, I think my voting record definitely qualifies me as a Democrat. But I don’t agree with all the positions of the Democratic party, even some that are basic to other people. I think my positions are consistent and logical, but don’t we all?

WHITE: When I was an RA in college, one of the students in my dorm, whose father had been a sharecropper, called me the most “white bread” person she’d ever known. Yes, I am White. The parts of me that don’t see the light of day could blind you with their brightness, and I am shocked at how closely I align with the website “Stuff White People Like.” Yesterday I dragged the kids to Whole Foods to get more Mandarin Pumpkin Marmalade for my morning crêpe, and they said that was incredibly White of me. Given that for the over 400 years that I can trace back my family tree all my ancestors hail from Northern Europeans, this label sticks. But please don’t think that because I’m one race, it doesn’t mean that I don’t love people of all races. I married a Latino man, who has ancestors over the past 150 years that were Native American, Persian, Italian, and Spanish. I don’t care what race the person my children go out with or marry someday is; I care about what’s in that person’s heart, and in their character. And if you really want to get technical, I’m not exactly white. I’m more like the square on the right, which is hex #FFF3ED.

JERSEY GIRL: Yes, I was born in New Jersey. But I chose to leave. See the next label.

CALIFORNIAN: I LOVE California. I love the weather, the diversity of people and their cultures, and the geography. But most of all, I love the energy and enthusiasm of my adopted state, and the freedom and encouragement to venture forth and buck tradition to try new things. But I don’t have blinders on; I know California isn’t perfect. Our public education system is sinking fast at all levels, and we’re far from resolving important issues like immigration, prison overcrowding, and health care. We’ve also taken a big hit economically over the past few years. So while I’m proud and blessed to be a Californian, like my state, I’m complicated and not easily labeled. Ditto for being AMERICAN. I was so lucky to be born here, and am so proud to be a citizen of a country that values freedom so highly. But it doesn’t mean I agree with everything our nation does. Thankfully I have the freedom to be able to say that!

MIDDLE-AGED: I’m 47. Born in 1963, high school class of 1981, college class of 1985. I don’t hide it. Even so, I don’t feel any older than I did 20 years ago. Sure, only my hairdresser knows the true color of my lovely locks, and you won’t see me in a bikini anymore. But I feel like I have just as much energy and zest as I ever have. I embrace the information revolution, and have loved keeping up with all the new tools that allow me to stay efficient and productive in my life and in my career. My age actually benefits me in that I’ve experienced so much more of life that I feel smarter and wiser than ever. So call me middle-aged, but make sure it’s a compliment, not a hindrance. (Oh, how I hope this is all true in 20 years!)

CHRISTIAN: I am Christian. I believe that God sent Jesus to us because he loves us, and that we should follow his teachings and LOVE one another. And that’s the rub: I think that many Christians these days, who spend the bulk of their time bashing people they don’t agree with, shed a bad light on Christianity. I think God loves everyone, no matter what their race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. and that we should too. So I hope that when you label me as a Christian, you think love, not hate.

GEEK: Yes, I have an MS in engineering, and can easily stay up all night refining the code on a website to make sure that each pixel matches up. But “Geek” to some people implies a lack of social skills, and that’s definitely not a problem for me. (See the Facebook reference above.)

Maybe if you combine these labels you’ll get a better picture of who I am, as long as you bear in mind the ways I’ve stated I don’t adhere to their stereotypes. Once people know me, they know that instead of labels, they should use adjectives to describe me. I’d prefer hard-working, caring, flexible, social, eager, curious, and many others. Just be careful not to stereotype me. I’m a unique person, with lots to contribute, just like everyone else.

PS – Despite not wanting to be called a “Mommy Blogger,” I will probably write a few posts about my first child going off to college next month. I may not only be a Mom, but it is a big part of who I am, and we’re going through some big changes in our house.

Vote for the Snoopy License Plate

Posted on 25. Jun, 2010 by kchristieh in shopping

Do you like Snoopy?
Of course you do!

Do you like museums?
Of course you do!

Therefore, please click here to sign up to show support for a personalized Snoopy California license plate. The DMV requires that there are at least 7,500 pre-paid plates before it will issue a new personalized design. Once there are 7,500 people that have signed up on this site, they’ll ask people for $50 towards payment for the plate. Proceeds benefit California’s awesome museums.

You can pay a bit extra and get a personalized plate. I think I’ll pass on that; I prefer anonymity. So far, so good on that front. I was in a line of five cars the other day waiting to turn left, and four of them were my model and color. Doesn’t get more anonymous than that.

But I’ll make an exception for a Snoopy license plate. I’ve liked Snoopy for so long that my Teddy bear that I got when I was three years old is named Snoopy.    :)

Q: Okay, so what do I need to do?

A: You just have to tell us you’re interested in a Snoopy license plate. This pre-registration won’t cost you a thing, and only requires your name and email address.

Q: I sign up. Then what happens?

A: When we have enough California drivers signed up, you’ll be contacted again to complete an application and pay $50 per vehicle towards an official Snoopy license plate – or a bit more if you want it personalized. The DMV requires 7,500 pre-paid registrants to begin production on the plate.

Q: But what if you can’t find 7,500 people?

A: Last we checked, California has 23,000,000 (that’s 23 MILLION) registered drivers. We’re pretty sure we can find 7,500 Snoopy and museum fans out there. If we can’t, you’ll get your fee back.

Q: So why is Snoopy supporting California museums?

A: Snoopy, being the community-minded beagle he is, understands that museums are for everybody.

Q: And why should I support California museums?

A: Museums are truly special places, community forums where families, friends and neighbors can meet, learn and discover together. We’re lucky in California, because our state has an incredible variety of great museums that serve a truly diverse range of interests and specialties.

Q: Who is the California Association of Museums?

A: The California Association of Museums is an organization dedicated to building a brighter future for California museums and the communities they serve, through education, outreach and support. You can find out more about CAM here.

Q: And who is Snoopy?

A: Good Grief!

New site: Ramon Resa, Inspirational Speaker

Posted on 03. Dec, 2009 by kchristieh in inspirational people, work

Ramon Resa managed to rise above a childhood full of poverty, violence, physical and sexual abuse, alcoholism, and total disregard for education to become a pediatrician. He returned to his roots, and besides running a successful medical practice, he speaks to teens and parent groups about the importance of staying in school and working hard to achieve your dreams.

I recently designed a new website for Ramon. I’ve spoken to him on the phone, but I’ve never met him. Hopefully some day I will, and hopefully my husband will be with me when I do. I think they’d have lots to talk about.

La Canada Flintridge parcel tax passes with nearly 75% of the vote

Posted on 30. Jun, 2009 by kchristieh in economy, education, local news

La Canada Flintridge voters have overwhelmingly approved Measure LC, a tax of $150 per parcel to help fund local schools. Election results as of this evening indicate that nearly 75% of the votes approved of the tax. Some votes have yet to be counted, but they won’t bring the percentage below the 2/3 needed to pass the tax.

This will bring about $900,000 per year to our local school district. It won’t cover the whole shortfall the district will need to cover due to decreased state funding, but it’ll definitely help lessen the pain.

Thanks to all who supported Measure LC and our schools!!

New YMCA website launches

Posted on 29. Jun, 2009 by kchristieh in work

Every few years a website needs refreshing. Design trends change, technology advances, and businesses and organizations evolve. The YMCA of the Foothills (formerly known as the Crescenta-Canada YMCA) website was long overdue for an overhaul when they hired me and some of my fellow freelancers for help. The colors were old, the design was very plain, and the site was difficult to navigate. Most of all, it didn’t make you want to get involved in the great activities and opportunities the YMCA provides. You can see a screenshot of the old site to the right.

Before we got started, graphic designer extraordinaire Debra Doty redesigned the YMCA of the Foothills logo to correspond to their name change. I then designed the site, Tom Reynolds managed the project and client interaction, and Eric Lim did the coding, which was particularly hairy since it has a complicated database behind it.

You can see the result below. I think it looks great, and am sure that this will raise the YMCA’s profile so that they can move forward and have an even greater impact in our community.

Our return to Skid Row

Posted on 09. Jun, 2009 by kchristieh in local news

My daughter and I returned to Los Angeles’ Skid Row today so that she could interview Andy Bales of Union Rescue Mission for her independent study project. We were honored that he’d take the time to speak to her and to give us a tour of URM afterwards.

Did you know that Los Angeles is the nation’s homeless capital, with over 90,000 homeless people? Skid Row is ground zero. It’s mind-boggling how such poverty can exist so close to shiny tall office buildings and just miles from multi-million dollar mansions.

My daughter’s creating a video documentary for her final project. So far she’s also spoken to Mike Stefanko of the Inner City Law Center and Denise B., a woman who descended into alcoholism and homelessness but eventually picked herself up and wrote about it. (More about that in another post.) I don’t think my daughter will post her documentary online, since she’ll want to help maintain Denise B’s identity.

Instead, I hope you take to heart this great video about the kids on Skid Row.

The women’s common room at Union Rescue Mission now has some computer terminals. I have no time to spare, but I’m going to try to make time to help advise the women and children there how to use them.

It ties back to my post the other day about your calling. It’s best when you do what you’re interested in. I bet that just about anyone could find a way to make their skills and interests a force for positive change on Skid Row.

Wear pink this Friday in support of California’s public schools

Posted on 11. Mar, 2009 by kchristieh in economy, education, local news, politics

As if California’s public schools aren’t already hurting, the new state budget is going to make things even worse. According to Pink Friday,

California’s public schools, colleges and universities are facing more than $11 billion in state budget cuts. These cuts are going to impact an entire generation of kids and alter public education for years to come.

March 13 is the deadline for school districts to issue preliminary pink slips to California’s teachers. Last year, more than 10,000 teachers got pink slips and nearly 5,000 lost their jobs. And this year could be much worse.

“Pink Friday” is a movement to get people to wear pink this Friday, March 13th (how appropriate!) to protest further school budget cuts. Besides wearing pink, you can also attend an event in your area or write to an elected official.

If you live in , you can also help get out the vote for the proposed parcel tax of $150 per property. It’s a drop in the bucket compared to what you already pay in taxes, but the schools really need it.

Did you know that San Marino has to trim over $5 million from its already lean $29 million budget. OUCH! Thankfully, La Canada has saved its reserves and isn’t in that situation. But things are tight here, too.

Another pathetic California public school statistic

Posted on 02. Mar, 2009 by kchristieh in education, startling statistics, tv

MSNBC reports that

California ranks 48th in the nation in the percentage of high school seniors who go on to a four-year college the next academic year, according to the annual California Educational Opportunity Report — involving UCLA researchers — released Monday.

The near-the-bottom ranking comes despite the fact that the majority of California students who graduate indicate an intention to get a bachelor’s degree, according to the report.

The report goes on to state that California students are

• More likely to attend overcrowded, less personal schools;
• Less likely to have qualified teachers;
• Less likely to take advanced math classes in 11th and 12th grade;
• Getting less than $2000/student to educate them than the national average…and that was BEFORE our budget crisis.

This is so depressing. I’m going to bed. I just watched “24″ so I’ll probably have some pretty wacky dreams. I wonder if Jack Bauer could save the California public schools???

California already ranks last for most school staffing ratios, but it can get worse

Posted on 23. Feb, 2009 by kchristieh in education, startling statistics

My kids are lucky: they’ll graduate from the California public schools before they get even worse. Today’s LA Times reports in “California schools struggling with budget-trimming decisions” that school districts across the state are struggling to find ways to cut back on already tight budgets.

Under the budget approved by the state Thursday, schools and community colleges will be forced to cut $7.4 billion from their budgets this year and $3.2 billion next year. And a $787-billion federal economic stimulus package that is expected to send billions to school districts isn’t enough to backfill deficits, educators say.

Wasn’t California once known for valuing education? Those days are long gone. According to EdSource, California ranks 51st in many student-teacher and student-staff ratios, behind even Washington, DC. When my friend Paul lived in Mississippi he’d (not-so-proudly) note in his Christmas letter all the categories in which his state ranked. Too bad he moved back up north, since I could beat him now.

Here’s the EdSource chart. These figures are already four years old, so I’m guessing we’re in even worse shape now. Maybe if they count Guam or Puerto Rico we can be #52 or #53.

I love my adopted state, I truly do. But this is shameful. I hope we get our act together before even more children suffer.

It’s no wonder our prisons are overcrowded.

T’was the night before voting – A California poem

Posted on 03. Nov, 2008 by kchristieh in politics

T’was the night before voting, when all through the town,
Not a creature was stirring, be they white, black or brown.

My ballot was mailed at the post office with care
In hopes that Obama’s chances would be more than fair

The teenagers were nestled all snug in their beds
Wearing “Obama” shirts just like they said.

While I at my computer, my dog on my lap,
Had just settled down for one last YouTube rap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my desk to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Pulled up the miniblinds and knocked over the trash.

The moon through the branches of palm trees below
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects I know,

When, what to my wondering eyes should stop,
But a miniature hybrid, and the eighth mischievous prop,

With a talented driver, such a brain and a jock,
I knew in a moment his name was Barack.

More rapid than eagles the propositions they came,
So I whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

“Yes on 1A! On 2-4! But no 5 through 7!
No on 8, 9 and 10! But yes on R, 12 and 11!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Be gone with you! Gone with you! Gone with you all!”

As dry leaves that before the wild Santa Anas fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,

So up to the house-top the Prius it flew,
With the car full of hope, and Obama too.

As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,
Down the chimney Obama came with a bound.

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
Inspired all the voters; no task did he shirk,

And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his hybrid, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew with the speed of a missile.

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
“Happy Election Day to all, and to all a good-night.”

California voter guides for propositions and judges

Posted on 12. Oct, 2008 by kchristieh in politics

I wish I didn’t have to vote for propositions and judges. I do my best to research pros and cons before I vote, but I have other work to do. Isn’t this what our elected officials should be doing? Enough venting – it is what it is.

Here are some resources to help Californians decide how to vote in the November, 2008 elections. Other than the official party positions, I’m trying to include non-partisan sites that include pros and cons for each position. Please let me know if you have any to add to the list.

Propositions:

• Official California Voter Information Guide
• Easy Voter Guide
• The California Voter Foundation (calvoter.org)
• California League of Women Voters
• Los Angeles Times
• California’s propositions:
  Stories behind the November ballot initiatives that you won’t find in an official voter guide. (LA Times)
• Party positions:
  • California Democratic party
  • California Republican party

Judges:

• Los Angeles Times
• Judge Voter Guide

If the School Fix-It Fairy came to me

Posted on 12. Jul, 2008 by kchristieh in education, things that bug me

I’ve spent many years raising money for our woefully underfunded public schools. As I noted back in March, our local schools get less than half the funding per pupil that some school districts in other states get. While money won’t solve everything, you can’t have smaller class sizes and better facilities without money.

Even so, if the School Fix-It Fairy came to me and said she’d grant me one wish for California’s public schools, it would be to give principals and districts the power to reward excellence and get rid of teachers that shouldn’t be teaching. Yesterday’s Slate.com story, Hot for the Wrong Teachers: Why are public schools so bad at hiring good instructors? makes the same point.

There are three basic ways to improve a school’s faculty: take greater care in selecting good teachers upfront, throw out the bad ones who are already teaching, and provide training to make current teachers better. In theory, the first two should have more or less the same effect, and it might seem preferable to focus on never hiring unpromising instructors; once entrenched, it’s nearly impossible in most places to remove teachers from their union-protected jobs.

The story talks about a school principal in NYC that got rid of bad teachers (1/3 of all teachers!) at his school by threatening to give them bad reviews unless they requested a transfer to another school. Of course, while this helped his school, the problems just got transferred to other children.

I wish that we could pay teachers what they’re worth, develop better ways of monitoring teacher performance, solicit feedback from students and parents (aka “The Customers”), teach struggling teachers how to teach better and get rid of teachers that can’t or won’t teach. In the end, more quality people would enter the profession, and our children and our nation would benefit.

The more articles like this I read, the more optimistic I become. Unfortunately, my kids will be out of the system in a few years.

Laying off the best teachers hurts California kids

Posted on 19. Apr, 2008 by kchristieh in education, politics

From today’s Associated Press:

SAN DIEGO – Precious Jackson has two years of teaching under her belt and two school teacher-of-the-year awards to show for it. She also has a pink slip.

Now Jackson is a prime target for growing school districts across the country hoping to cherry-pick from thousands of California teachers who have been warned they could be laid off because of state budget woes.

This makes no sense. You’ve got a two-time teacher-of-the-year, and she’s being laid off because she’s got the least seniority. That’s so wrong, but that’s how the union contract works. And ironically, she’s probably also the lowest paid since she’s got less seniority, so the district isn’t getting much bang for the buck letting her go.

I will endorse any politician who can manage to fix that system, no matter what the party. Our kids deserve to be taught by the BEST, not just the most experienced.

Snow day in Pasadena, California

Posted on 24. Nov, 2007 by kchristieh in local news, my life

It was probably around 70 degrees when the kids and I turned the corner to see a man making snow on Holly Ave. in Old Town Pasadena today.

I was surprised when my teens begged to return this evening when there would be 30 tons of snow, reindeer, and a train. I happily obliged, and we included a friend and my niece on our adventure.

The snow was pretty packed and slushy by the time we arrived, but people were loving it.

The reindeer didn’t really want to be there, but we appreciated seeing them. They stuck to the center of their enclosure, where people couldn’t touch them.

We didn’t want to wait in line to ride the train, but many others did.

My son and my niece were so enthusiastic that they made a tiny little snowman. After we left, several families brought their little children over to see it. It made it all worthwhile.

Happy Holidays from Southern California!

Scott Moore lithograph added to art collection

Posted on 12. Aug, 2007 by kchristieh in art

Thanks to my wonderful client Patricia O’Neil, my husband and some friends and I were able to attend the Laguna Beach Sawdust Art Festival last weekend. It was great to finally meet Patricia, and to see that her work is far more extraordinary in person than in photos. I was so impressed by how three-dimensional her house tiles are that I’m going to order one of our house!

My husband purchased a Scott Moore lithograph (pictured below) for his office. The office is located on Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena, which is part of the legendary Route 66. (“Get your kicks…”) He has a Nelson De La Nuez painting that’s got a Route 66 theme, so this California Highways lithograph, with its reference to the Rose Bowl, fits in perfectly. I love how Moore uses collages to play with scale in his paintings. I liked all of his work. (Note: The actual art looks much better and brighter in person.)

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How bad are California’s public schools?

Posted on 27. Apr, 2007 by kchristieh in articles, education, politics

Stanford’s Institute for Research on Education Policy and Practice recently published what appears to be an evenhanded report on what ails California’s troubled K-12 public schools. The report, titled “Getting Down to Facts: School Finance and Governance in California,” is the result of an 18-month effort that included 22 studies by more than 30 researchers from various universities and institutions. Not surprisingly, the problems are both systemic and monetary:

According to Loeb, a number of areas have been identified that could help to improve the system in a relatively short amount of time, although the solutions may be politically difficult. Such changes include reducing restrictions placed on district and school administrators as they try to make improvements, Loeb said. Personnel policies must be designed to help attract, retain and support school teachers and administrators, she said. The report also identified ways to improve what Loeb described as the state’s “irrational and complex” school finance system. In addition, the system needs better information about what works and what does not so that good policy choices can be made in the future, she said.

“Even if we do put more money into the system—it probably will take more money to make the changes that we want—they’ll only be effective if we use the resources well,” Loeb said.

The difficulty administrators face in firing poor teachers came up time and again in the research. “The one thing that they wanted more than anything else was more flexibility to dismiss teachers who weren’t effective,” Loeb said. “This came up so much that it was really difficult to ignore.”

Unlike earlier studies of California’s school finance system, “Facts” was not the result of a court case. “Because of that, [those studies] tend to be responsive to one side or other,” Loeb said. “We don’t have that. Our goal was to provide information to Californians so that we could get a common understanding in which to move forward and create better policy.”

None of this surprises me. After many years of PTA and Educational Foundation leadership in our community, I agree that not only do local administrators need more power to shape the school community as they see fit, but that without money there will continue to be overcrowded classrooms and unfit facilities. Hopefully this report will be a wake-up call to both the public and to government officials.

Today’s Los Angeles Times has a cover story titled “Teachers dropping out too” about how difficult working conditions have become for teachers, and many are quitting the profession.

In California, teachers are departing the profession in alarming numbers — 22% in four years or fewer — but simply offering them more money won’t solve the problem, according to a report released Thursday.

The real issue is working conditions, which are the flip side of a student’s learning conditions, said Ken Futernick, who directs K-12 studies at the Center for Teacher Quality at Cal State Sacramento.

There’s lots of work to be done on all sides. In the meantime, today’s students lose. You’re only young once…

Can a license plate frame get you out of a traffic ticket?

Posted on 26. Mar, 2007 by kchristieh in politics, things that bug me, travel

If you live in California, you’ve probably seen license plate frames like the one to the right that say “Member – CHP 11-99 Foundation.” For years I’ve wondered what that meant, but I was always driving at the time and didn’t have access to my friend Google.

Today I saw one much closer to home, so I actually remembered to look it up. Here’s what the official 11-99 Foundation website says,

The California Highway Patrol 11-99 Foundation is an IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit, charitable organization that provides Benefits and Scholarships to California Highway Patrol family members. 

Sounds good to me! But, the plot thickens…here’s what Wikipedia says:

The group offers members license plate frames, which some members believe will allow them to get out of tickets, although there have been no formal studies supporting this theory.

I’ve heard of versions of this in other states (can you say “New Jersey”?) but I hadn’t imagined it in California. Here’s what another website says:

For a $1800 donation to the organization you get a license plate frame, a certificate and a wallet with a special 11-99 badge in it. The wallet has a place for your ID just opposite the badge. The perfect thing to hand to an officer who has just pulled you over.

It goes on to say that the CHP website was changed so that it doesn’t mention any license plate frame, wallet or badge. That’s correct – the 11-99 Foundation website explicitly states that “no goods or services will be provided in response to any donations made online via this Web site”, though I wonder about what happens offline… 

In any case, here’s what the May 2 internet archive version of the membership page of the 11-99 Foundation says, and to the right is a picture from that page:

Lifetime Members are awarded an Engraved Membership Plaque and Brass “Gold” Card. This handsome Plaque’s base is made of richly grained walnut with a hand painted CHP 11-99 Star Logo. The inscription is engraved with your name, date of membership and a message from the Commissioner of the CHP. The plaque measures 10″ wide X 14″ high and will proudly announce your Lifetime dedication to our Foundation’s goals.

Your “Gold” Card is thick solid brass that’s been personalized and engraved with your name and Lifetime Membership Identification Number. It is then encased inside a pocket-sized split cowhide wallet (in black).

Lifetime Membership has its Awards…

• Personalized Engraved Award Plaque and “Gold” Card
• License Plate Holder
• Registration Holder

Hmm. Looks pretty suspicious to me. I don’t like getting tickets, but I try to obey traffic laws to avoid them. If people think they can get away with breaking the law because they have a “get out of jail free” card, that’s a danger to the public.

Hopefully it’s not true…