geekapalooza

Wow - MA is not where I want to be obviously, unless I'm driving a Yugo.

(Don flame suit) Maybe "Taxachusetts" needs a change in Political Parties that rule the State. Sorry, couldn't resist....

worf928

Ron, I'm originally from Texas - so I'm not a born-Yankee. Just gettin' that out of the way so we don't need to open up a family-sized can of whoop-a$$ on each other...

Have you looked hard, recently, at how Texas' insurance stacks up againt the rest? Last time I checked Texas was worse for those of us who's family's driving record and taste in cars was - shall we say - towards the edges of the bell curve.

Does Geico do business in Texas? Who's paying for the speed-detection gear? Is it your local taxes? Or your insurance premiums?

Oh well, Texas seems to be going to H3LL and a hand basket. Just look at those governors you guys have elected since I left. There was that wanna-be-a-biker-chick gray-haired lady and then, of late, King George Junior.

Of course on the other hand, the Concealed Carry Law should be national as far as I'm concerned. I guess you win some and you lose some.


(I think I need two new smilies - one with a flamethrower for Ron's nomex and one grinding an axe...)

geekapalooza

Dave,

The thread could go way way Political with all the minutiae we could explore and discuss. Guess the best thing to do, is agree to agree on some things, and agree not to agree on others.

Since ya poked some fun at Texas (I really loved the jab on Ma Richards), I'll reciprocate, then leave it be. Who can forget good old "General Dukakis" on the Tank cruise, or... well... pick any Kennedy you want and make your own joke.

BTW - I'm still waiting to see the first Country that can actually Tax or Regulate themselves into prosperity. It hasn't happened, never will.

Cheers

worf928

Who says we disagree on anything?

Quote:

Who can forget good old "General Dukakis" on the Tank cruise, or...

Oh you mean the little dwarf guy that I almost walked right over one day in Brookline MA? "Oh, gosh, sorry Mr. D. didn't see you all the way down there. Wow. You are shorter than the uppers on my cowboy boots. Oh, and did 'ya get your wife busted out of the slamer on the drunk driving charge? Well, good luck to ya and lemme give ya a hand up..."

Quote:

well... pick any Kennedy you want and make your own joke.

Who needs to make jokes? Just listen to the news.


No sacred cows are a-grazin' in my prairie. Except the 928. Don't mess with 928s...

Tony

That picture has the makings of a Rennlist home page shot!

Ispeed

Hey, I know I'm guilty. I also have respect for cops and troopers, I wouldn't want their job. I also don't want to make the roads more dangerous for other people because I want to go fast.
But I usually pay these things without a fight because I know that I'm wrong, and I am going to fight this one. Mass does suck to drive in, and points on your insurance are not cheap. Bunches of cars were going by this guy at 80 mph. A speeding shark is a lot safer than the econoboxes, minivans and SUVs at 85mph and on the phone. I am always polite to cops and troopers, but it is my right to go to court, and if I lose I won't cry. The American way is to stick up for your rights. My 928 has actually eaten up a lot of $, and one less ticket will help at this point.

I thought that pic would be something we all can relate to.
ps. Dave C's wife is the coolest chick- born to drive, and has octane in her veins!

moon928

Fight it! I have fought all of mine (in Ma.) and won.

Man I am glad I didnt decide to go to CT. today. I was thinking of it and there would probably have been two of us in that picture. Carl PM me the Troopers last name.

Did you dyno?

worf928

Oh. I think we can. No doubt about it.

And that was a *great* picture.

Quote:

ps. Dave C's wife is the coolest chick- born to drive, and has octane in her veins!

Thanks Carl. Her dad taught her to drive on a dirt track. Said the best nap she ever had was on the floor of Mark Anderson's trailer when the ALMS cars were qualifying. And her car has more horsepower than either of mine.

Oh, and she does body work as a hobby.

Before anyone asks - no sisters.

Though she doesn't do dishes or cook (very well). Like I said - you win some and you lose some.

heinrich

Clarifying this post. Original at bottom:
James-Man wrote: "...why fight if you were already cut a break..."
My response:
You need to fight it because if you believe speed is wrong, just pay. If you believe speed is neither wrong nor right and you don't fight it, you will pay anyway. Personally I believe speed is neither right nor wrong. Speed is speed, in the right hands and with the right equipment and ***in the right environment*** speed is right and good. I never speed recklessly, and I always fight speed tickets. We all speed. Whether we should pay depends on many factors, all boiling down to whether we endanger others. IMHO.



Here is the original, which was apparently so unclear as to cause others to think I was saying the exact opposite from what I was saying
Heinrich Wrote:
Why fight it? Because if you believe speed is wrong, just pay. If you believe speed is neither wrong no right and you don't fight it, you will pay. Personally I believe speed is neither right nor wrong. Speed is speed, in the right hands and with the right equipment and ***in the right environment*** speed is right and good. I never speed recklessly, and I always fight speed tickets. We all speed. Whether we should pay depends on many factors, all boiling down to whether we endanger others. IMHO.

Warren928

Dont get caught speeding in New Hampshire. Ive been told by a friend of a cop here that the court systems are starving for cash and they dont care what kind of defense you have. Its points plus a fine.

I just got nailed last year in an entrapment situation. Unmarked cruiser on my ***, a suburban. after 2+ miles of him being very close to my rear bumper and he wouldnt get off after a couple lane changes , I floored it and hit 125, then the A-hole turns his lights on! $600 please, grab your ankles!!

I wish I was in Illinois were supervision and no points was the order of the day. And you could win a traffic ticket WITHOUT a lawyer.

Shane E.

I agree and have contacted and retained Mucklestone for the removal of the charge that I was doing 90 in a 70. Since that has been the first ticket I have received in ten years, I am just a little used to paying the lowest insurance fees possible.

redshoes

Well you broke in the car finally! Smokey!

Old & New

~~~ Any guilt should be refuted where the penalty so far exceeds the severity of the crime. ~~~

Do it & Good luck, 51.

Good reading material here.



P.S. you should have gone to Hershey with me...

saxapeeel

I was scanning this post to see if anyone had already said what i was thinking. You took the words right out of my mouth.

chris.

Parnelli Joneser

In Oregon, the most recent legislative session that set out that judges were no longer allowed to reduce fines in court, thus allowing them to forecast an amount of newly generated revenue. I had read it and heard it discussed for a good portion of the day on local talk radio, so I assumed it was THE LAW. Or so I thought.
Then I just went to court in February(LIDAR 71 in a 55) in Springfield and the female judge gave a 45 minute lecture to the assembled room and summarily chopped most fines by half if there wasn't a list of priors, except for the guy whose dog killed four sheep.
Used to be in my county(Linn), when you had a ticket you could go to the clerk in the basement and there was a chart laminated in the countertop with a "Schedule of Fine Reduction" and she would look up your record and then look at the chart to determine how much would be knocked off. Going before the judge was moot, unless you planned to actually fight the matter, which was of course discouraged.
Point is that the laws are changing daily, hourly. It's impossible for the courts and police to stay abreast, let alone Joe Public. There are some driver's rights groups that can be tapped for technical arguments like the fact that LIDAR lacks any semblence of credibility. Yeah. it's self calibrating too! Ahh, yeah sure. Add your own favorite string of cusswords here.

The expense of mounting a legal fight and winning assures you a Pyrrhic victory at best, but sometimes you have to fight. Circumstances vary. So does the quality of legal representation. Believe me when i say that. Of course "getting caught in traffic" can be taken several ways, and you made need different lawyers for some cases, but I digress.
Those groups might also steer you toward a lawyer that has fought those cases before. Do your own research before you hire the local hack with an office half a block from the courthouse you're case is in. You can always ask for more time to get your case together. I'm not in a "points" state like some, here's its just ambiguous and at the discretion of the DMV, which isn't consistent at all.

If you are going to fight it- don't half-*** the job.

A classic pull over excuse is the tough-for-blinded-by-MAGLIGHT-and-scared s##itless driver to refute- Signalling 100 feet before making a lane change. This is employed frequently by the Tax Bandits hereabouts.
Rule of thumb if you're being scoped out, followed, etc- count seven stripes after you signal before changing lanes.
It's sad to have to worry about crap like that, isn't it?