What's with our obsession with license plates?

What is it about Nebraskans and the slab of aluminum we bolt onto the back of our cars, the license plate?

For some reason, we Cornhuskers get emotional over the design of the state's plates. There are gripes aplenty.

"It's too boring." "You can't see the graphic." "It doesn't represent our state." "It doesn't inspire people to visit or live there."

Nebraskans' opinions about license plates are almost as strong as those about the second-string quarterback for the Huskers. Why isn't that guy starting?

A couple years back, a columnist with a website called "beautifulpublicdate.com" counted 8,331...