They're doing it again.

[keith]

Last week I thought I heard a blurb on the radio about another "100 days of summer" campaign. I heard it clearly today. The "hundred days of summer" was a campaign against speeders where the state troopers were going to be authorized $1 million in overtime with the goal of writing at least $8 million in tickets. Thats when I got two about a month apart.

This year the plan is a little more modest, not as much overtime and they are widening the net to include other offenses, not just speeding. Today is supposed to be the first day but I think some of them got a head start. I've seen more troopers in the last week than I've seen in any previous month before then.

[MootsMan]

Not saying I'll never get a ticket in the Terc, but it's a lot less likely than in other vehicles I've driven !!

[Petros]

So apparently the state sees the "investment" of more law enforcement yielding a good pay out in higher ticket fees. They found another way to pick your pocket.

Too bad there is no "pay off" to motivate the state to spend that money actually catching criminals that cost the taxpayers in theft and life losses. Fat chance they will ever do something actually useful to the majority of the population.

[Neu]

Crazy thing here in oregon, head of the mongols got released after 1 day of his 1 year sentence, because the budget can't be balanced enough to build a new jail.

I heard something like we need 1200 cells in our jail, we have like 70 or something.

[splatterdog]

It seems almost everyone is only in it for the money these days. And the easier the better.

Sales were good in a small minnesota town a couple weekends ago. I have never seen as much saturation, even in the city. Must have been 20 people pulled over in a 5 mile stretch with squads to spare. I wonder how pushy they were on their upsells too. Fines have skyrocketed too in the last few years.

Do I feel my family is better protected? Not even close......

[ARCHINSTL]

Interesting about the Mongol's leader...
I viewed a recent show on a cable channel about that "club." Seemed like a lot of scary fat folk with big chips on their shoulders and an inordinate sense of self-importance and value to the world...
Tom M.

[takza]

They (undercover) used to follow me on the highways till I got tired of it and took to the back roads. Much more scenic and places to stop and take a leak. They used to follow me with light planes and undercover. They still play occasional games and so forth...usually around towns and on highways. By now they have likely installed a GPS tracking device. You'll only understand how much of a police state you live in when you try to escape it in someway. But they are fighting for our freedom in Iraq I understand...so I guess everything's gonna be OK.

[Petros]

They (undercover) used to follow me on the highways till I got tired of it and took to the back roads. Much more scenic and places to stop and take a leak. They used to follow me with light planes and undercover. They still play occasional games and so forth...usually around towns and on highways. By now they have likely installed a GPS tracking device. ...snip

takza, do not flatter yourself. I doubt there are enough of "them" to follow someone around who drives a 25 year old Tercel who likes to stop and take a leak along the road. Why would they want to do that? What would they learn from you that is so important? Could you be that important to them? Not likely.

If you want to drop out there are easy ways to do that, though you are correct it is getting difficult to do if you want modern conveniences. Work for cash, and only pay cash, live in a trailer on forest land, pick up your mail from a Post Office box, use only public transportation, or ride a bike. NO one will be able to find or track you. That is pretty extreme of course, but just paying cash for everything eliminates almost all paper trails on your activity. I do that except for my mortgage, utilities and taxes and there is almost no record anywhere of what I buy, or where I go.

But consider even the authorities are overloaded with their criminal work load, in WA state where I live there are some 18,000 registered sex offenders (those that served their time, were "treated" and released) that they can not keep track of, despite most of them just going about their normal business, jobs, cell phones, etc, they just did not check in with their PO. And they do not have the resources to even make a few phone calls, or check the employment records to locate these people they are supposed to be tracking.

[terkill]

i saw that same show last night, about the guy that went undercover and staged a murder and everything. its a bunch of drunk old vietnam veterans that feel the need to start fights because of a word on the back of a jacket.
- I've seen the government monitor people for a lot of stupid things, just because he drives a tercel doesn't mean hes perhaps a secret foreign government agent plotting against the U.S... haha.. (friends of mine say you have to be mentally insane to drive such an ugly car...) lol

[takza]

takza, do not flatter yourself. I doubt there are enough of "them" to follow someone around who drives a 25 year old Tercel who likes to stop and take a leak along the road. Why would they want to do that? What would they learn from you that is so important? Could you be that important to them? Not likely.

I just giving you some facts as I've experienced them. You need to realize this is post 9/11..when the propagandists started talking "this changes everything"....they were preparing you for something. Things have changed to some extent..mostly much more of the same.

If you are not aware of what's going on...it's because they want it that way. A cops dream is to get the goods on you and have you not even suspect it. Think East Germany and the STASI.

[MootsMan]

Propagandist, conspiracy theorist, politicians........everybody has an answer. I just want the government to do what it was designed by the founding fathers to do....provide national security so I can go about my business. Do I like the idea of the government tapping the phone lines of average citizens like me ?? HELL NO !! Do I like the idea of the government tapping the lines of known terrorist and their operatives to thwart another attack on this country ?? HELL YES !! It's part of the govt. fulfilling it's duty. Where do you draw the line ?? Not sure I have a good answer on that one, and there's no guarantees the guys in charge will always play by the rules. But another thing I know.....we had 9/11 because one president cowered on his watch, always trying to be politically correct......we haven't had "9/12" because another president didn't....and took action when we got hit. Has he gone too far in some areas ?? Maybe he has, only history will tell.

I guess I say all that to say this......tickets for speeding or not wearing your seatbelt, etc., etc., etc., are just another form of tax. Hell, the only reason I'm not in favor of doing away with the speed limit altogether is that I'd certainly get run over on the highway if there wasn't one....God knows it happens almost every time I get on the freeway now with a 70mph limit ! Government anymore exists to perpetuate it's own existence, and not to serve the citizens who give it it's power. I foresee a time when the people who are citizens of this country are going to have to take back their rights, possibly by force, and I'm sure it won't be a pretty sight ! That'll make peak oil look like a cake-walk.

[takza]

A few points:

...point....point....point....

[keith]

The first "Hundred Days of Summer" had the goal of writing $8 million in tickets, but I don't think that the goal was to raise $8,000,000. The unannounced goal was to get as many speeders into a "Safe Driving Course". This course is offered to speeders who are getting their first speeding ticket in over 4 years. If you go to the course, which costs you $75 and two hours of your time, the ticket is not sent to the state so there is no record for the insurance company to look at. It is kept in the county to insure that this is only a one time good deal.

Since only the county has the record, You can use this in more than one county as I did. I got my speeding tickets in different counties so I got two one time good deals. You don't pay any other fines or court costs, but you do have to see the judge. In order to have plenty of first time speeders, the state lowered its "tolerance" from 15 over to 10 over.

The courses were utter BS. Most of the statistics used came from the 40's and 50's when cars braking systems and tires weren't so good, and being drunk was an acceptable excuse for bad driving. I would have argued with them but my main goal was to get get it over with and get home. It turns out in both classes, that the same goal everyone else had, so only the "instructor" said anything.

My beef with the last 100 days was that it focused only on speeding. In this area, most drivers hardly slow down for stop signs and yellow lights mean speed up. Even those who do slow down at a stop sign (just enough to make the turn) still pull right out into traffic oblivious to other vehicles. They believe that the bigger truck automatically has the right of way. These behaviors are the primary cause of accidents, not going a little over the speed limit. At least this time the troopers are looking at other things.

[sdoan]

Apologies to all. I've become frustrated enough to call a shovel a shovel. I know this is a family forum, but I just can't let some mis-information go. So in the interest of correcting (or at least mediating) some misinterpretations I submit the following foreign policy quiz.

....we had 9/11 because one president cowered on his watch, always trying to be politically correct......we haven't had "9/12" because another president didn't....and took action when we got hit.

Hey Moots,

Which president pulled US troops out of Lebanon when 285 of them were killed by a terrorist?

Which president sold weapons to the Iranian hardliners?

Who cruise missiled terrorist training camps after a terrorist attack?

Who warned the incoming administration that the number one security issue was Bin Laden and el Qaeda?

"Terrorism wasn't on their plate of key issues." Which administration is described?

Which administration developed policies of “international non-cooperation”? These include the following:
U.S. refuses to ratify the Kyoto Protocol; June, 2001.
U.S. “walks out of” World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance.
U.S. announces its intention to withdraw from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty; December, 13, 2001.

Which president sent all the might of the US military on a deadly trillion dollar goose chase to justify his golden parachute?

Answers:
Reagan
Reagan
Clinton
Transition team Albright, Berger, Clark
Bush
former CEO of Haliburt, recipient of "no bid contracts" in Iraq - Cheney

The purpose of government is to build community (and protect it).

ps. The cost of running government remains constant. How much do your taxes go up when the income tax on $1,000,000 investments is reduced by 10%?

references:
http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101020812/story.html
http://thirdcoastactivist.org/materials ... recent.pdf