You know it’s coming, someone will be in the news raising a ruckus claiming non-Cajuns are improperly claiming they are Cajun on state issued driver’s licenses that note, “I’m a Cajun.”

There are bills in the Louisiana House and Senate to allow you to put, “I’m a Cajun” on your driver’s license, just below the photo, to show pride in your heritage and to help the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL) replace $100,000 in state funding cut last year.

CODOFIL seeks to promote the French language and other ties to the state’s French heritage.

The proposals in the state Legislature would, for $5, allow you to promote yourself as a Cajun and raise money on a voluntary basis for CODOFIL.

I’ve not seen any reports that suggest there are requirements that someone prove they have real Cajun ancestry, so presumably this effort recognizes true Cajuns as well as “backdoor Cajuns” whose only tie to being Cajun comes from simply wanting to claim such an affiliation.

It’s really about raising money for CODOFIL and about promoting Louisiana’s unique culture. Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle says the ID promotes, “… a certain sense of uniqueness about Louisiana that people fall in love with.”

But as with most efforts like this, legislators need to watch out for what comes next.

We’ve seen the one or two specialty license plates in the state become numerous, with special plates for fans of state university athletic programs, about veterans, disabled veterans, bird watchers and lots more.

If this “I’m a Cajun” license marker gets approved, you can bet it won’t be long before other license markers are proposed, like “I’m a Redneck” for those from North Louisiana, or “I’m a Tiger” for LSU fans, or “I’m a Republican” or “I’m a Democrat” or “I’m a Patriot” or other.

It sounds like a cute idea and hopefully CODOFIL gets a ton of money from it, but legislators better get ready for the dozens of similar proposals that are likely to follow.

WILL CHAPMAN

PUBLISHER