he gas crunch is hitting everyone. And now it may hit us in the pocketbook in a new way. Tickets. Seems local cop shops have busted their fuel budgets. So, some want to and others are already adding a “surcharge” when they charge you with speeding to cover the cost of gas. I understand why they’re doing this. I just don’t agree. I think it’s horribly wrong. It clearly destroys the myth that enforcing the speed limit is a public safety issue. They could try to make the argument that it still is because it’ll help keep the cars rolling. But this clearly shows what we’ve always known about smaller departments. It’s a revenue enhancement opportunity. Personally I think the state should ban municipalities from doing this. It could lead to the arbitrary and capricious use of motor vehicle statutes thus making it the law of rule not the rule of law.
Archive for June, 2008
I’m not just “the Madman” in name only. Today, I really am mad! But I don’t know exactly where to direct my madness. Thursday a private sub-contractor digging a hole on Peachtree at Spring Street puts one of those ubiquitous metal plates over it when they wrap up. What they didn’t wrap their heads around was the plate wasn’t big enough. So, later, it fell into the hole. Then so did a coupla’ cars before someone finally put some barrels and tape around it. That kind of irresponsibility is maddening in and of itself. But the city’s response is even worse. At first they didn’t want to even do anything about it because it wasn’t there fault. It was a private contractor. WHO CARES?!? FIX IT! Then go after the contractor. If you say, well, the law says… Change the law. It can be done. Peachtree is a major artery in the heart of the city. Peachtree at Spring is a major commuter crossroad. Atlanta is a major city. We have a major problem when the people that run things around here fail to grasp that concept. It’s almost as if they have their collective head…in a hole!
