You folks really care about license plates.

I’ve been writing this column for almost a year and few issues filled up my inbox faster than a reader’s suggestion the state should crack down on vehicles with expired registrations. The first wave was friendly reminders of COVID-related moratoriums on expiration and enforcements — a fact the column referenced, and the reason it relied on data from 2017 through 2019.

But the point is well taken: not every car with an outdated sticker reflects a truly expired registration, even pre-pandemic. Some readers said they are just too lazy about replacing their stickers, especially in winter, and boy do I identify with that approach to mundane tasks:

“My truck plate expired in January, it still has last year’s sticker on it,” wrote one man. “However, were the police to run the plate, it is valid and up to date. I just haven’t found the time to clean the plate and affix the new sticker.”

I didn’t ask if that reader’s partner also gives him a hard time about working up the energy for a 90-second task.

Another reader also is relying on the law enforcement database, but for an entirely different reason. In August she mailed a $158 check to the Secretary of State in Springfield. Her bank says the state cashed the check, but the new sticker hasn’t arrived. The local and Springfield Secretary of State offices haven’t returned voicemails, so she’s expecting answers when she goes in person to renew her driver’s license. I should hope so!

There also was concern about the price of compliance.

“Last year when I received my renewal notice, the fee shot up more than 300%! Yes, it now costs more to renew a boat trailer than it does to renew my truck! My cargo trailer even more than the boat trailer! I use both trailers a handful of times a year, they’re hardly ever on the road. I refuse to renew them, I refuse to pay well over $300/year for the privilege of using my things occasionally.”

Contrast that with frustration over refusal to affix a front license plate, which is required.

“I once counted 23 vehicles on 159th Street between Lockport and Orland without a front plate. Traveling on I-57, I actually saw a minivan towing a lightweight trailer. The plate on the back of the trailer was the front plate from minivan. Saving money? You will be amazed at how many violations like this are taking place.”

If the cost of enforcement doesn’t justify the citation, the reader surmised, why even have laws on the books?

The state is always hunting for revenue, but seemingly arbitrary fees and fines will always engender resistance.

• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Local News Network. Follow him on Twitter at @sth749. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.