With states and municipalities losing tax money, they're trying to combat that...by writing f**king speeding tickets! WTF! We always knew it wasn't about safety, they were lining their coffers by doing this. Now they're actually admitting it.

This ought to be illegal. You know it's not just the fine we have top pay. Points go on the license and then the insurance co's get to screw us too. It would only be slightly more understandable if you didn't receive points and didn't get higher insurance premiums.

I say we all print this out and the next time we have to go to court over this BS, refer to the article and have a copy to give to the judge.

Here's an article from MSN.com:

Speeding? You'll pay higher 'taxes'

Watch out, leadfoots: Many strapped cities and towns are trying to fix their budgets by stepping up traffic enforcement.
By Christopher Solomon
MSN Money

Here's a tip for the next time you're barreling down U.S. 425 through northeastern Louisiana: If you see a sign that reads "Baskin Town Limits," slow down. Way down.

Baskin has been expecting you.

Between 2004 and 2006, little Baskin (population about 200) got 87% of its town budget from speeding tickets, the highest percentage of 304 Louisiana municipalities surveyed.

"It is primarily a tool in many communities to raise revenue," Louisiana state Rep. Hollis Downs, who represents two parishes in north-central Louisiana, says of the town's aggressive traffic enforcement -- what others might call speed traps.

Baskin is perhaps the most extreme example confirming what you've long suspected: Tickets are often as much about revenue as safety. And now, as a soured economy or other factors further empty coffers, many are turning to law enforcement to serve as part-time tax collectors -- with guns and badges.

Many states and cities no longer even try to hide that fact.
------------------------------

Rest of article at link.

Warren

 

Or how about this article stolen from NY Metro?

Police Raid Car Enthusiast Gathering, Generate Revenue

California: Police Raid Car Enthusiast Gathering, Generate Revenue
Police raid Riverside, California parking lot to issue modified car tickets at local car enthusiast gathering.

Nine police agencies in Riverside, California sent more than one hundred police officers to surround a gathering of automotive enthusiasts. Owners of imported sport compact cars had gathered at the Canyon Crossing shopping center on Friday night to swap stories, talk about their passion for cars and show off the latest enhancements to their rides. At around 11pm police surprised participants by blocking all exits with fifty police cruisers. Officers then began a warrantless search and interrogation operation of the 150 vehicles that were present.

"If you're not into street racing, why would you need that?" Riverside Police Traffic Sergeant Skip Showalter asked an enthusiast during a similar crackdown last year. "Why would you want more power going to your car?"

Police issued a total of forty-eight tickets for "engine modifications" with police accusing the owners of the parked vehicles of being street racers. Another fifty tickets were issued for paperwork violations, dark window tinting and lack of a front license plate. The most revenue, however, will be generated from the fees imposed on twenty vehicles that were confiscated. Despite labeling the parking lot raid as taking place at a "street racing venue," Riverside Police offered no evidence that any street racing actually took place.

Across the state, gas tax funds are regularly used to fund similar crackdowns that generate big revenue. In 2004, the California Highway Patrol issued a total of 101,553 "modified car" citations worth $10.5 million according to CHP data obtained by TheNewspaper.

In 2005, the California Office of Traffic Safety handed Riverside Police $400,000 in state and federal gas tax revenue for the "establishment of a regional task force to conduct enforcement operations targeting street racing, modified vehicles and speed contests," according to the Riverside Police Department's June 2007 Chief's Report. The department received another $503,268 grant for selective enforcement efforts in 2008. The other agencies that participated in the raid include the California Highway Patrol, Riverside County Sheriff's Department, and police from Baldwin Park, Fontana, Irwindale, Moreno Valley, Ontario and Mount San Jacinto Community College.

 

To protect and serve.... as tax collectors???

 

God I'm happy I live in the city I do. The police here are really nice and if you go to some neighboring towns they are jerks. There's police all over my city and when my brother had a motorcycle wipe out cops were there in 2 minutes telling him to stop trying to move (which he was doing as a reflex), but despite having cops all over town they are really relaxed. They won't give you a ticket unless you are going about 9+ over the speed limit. One time I went up a street that is one of the most major in the city and it goes by apartments so it was a 30 mph zone, but I forgot that cause its a major road and was going 45 down it. I explained that I went to school near the street and had not really realized it was a 30 mph zone and he gave me a warning. Another time I was driving with my headlights off (I never forget in the s2k, but in suvs I cannot really tell a difference in lighting from day lights and headlights), a cop followed me into a neighborhood and I had my window down and he was just like Hey, you need to have your headlights on. I just said, "Oh, sorry officer, and thank you." and he went on his way

When I went to a car meet (they met up in my city) most of the s2ks had their front plates off and we were discussing how some cities like really hated it if you didn't have the front plate, but the cops in my city don't really care.

The cops here are cool and keep it on the down low and worry about the big time offenders .

(From what I can tell from reading these forums California cops are really ignorant and are like VTEC?!!! Is that even legal?!)

Btw. Sorry to hijack the topic, but what kind of cops does your state have?
Here in Texas
2007-early '08: The switched from crown vics to Dodge Chargers
Mid '08-current: Crown vics, Mostly Chevy malibus or Chevy Tahoe, and Ford Trucks (Rangers? I am not even sure) (Not to be racist, but the only reason we can figure they have gotten so many Tahoes is because they can fit more mexicans in the back. We really can't figure out any other reason they changed to them)

They probably sold the chargers due to the recession and high costs to have them.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090103/...us/mileage_tax

This chit is getting ridiculous.

 

Its called Billy the Kid, only with a badge. Governments are nothing more than legal criminal enterprises at this point who have abandoned their original purpose long, long ago.

 

I wonder how cops feel about hooking for the city?

 

This is what makes me dislike the higher ups. They seem to be able to get away with ANYTHING no matter what the people say. I thought the higher ups worked for the people to serve and protect. Guess the decepticons are right, they "enslave and punish"

 

ehh wuts the big deal? this has been known for a very long time. Bad economic times = More tickets. Shit after nassau county in NY went bankrupt they started just plea bargaining alot of tickets so you just pay more fines and dont fight the ticket as much and you get no points. Win win to me.

Just dont get caught guys

V1 + laser interceptor (or blinder) = pretty uncatchable by cops. ( both are also legal in most states. except the Nazi states liek virginia)