sparkgap
Absent Comrade
Well in my trip to Phoenix last week I got a speeding ticket in Albuquerque and in a construction zone on top of that. 57 in a 45 it's going to cost $75.00 and no report to my insurance company or points on my driving record. Now that's what happened. I did the deed, I'll pay the fine.
But here is the stinky stuff that makes me mad. It was a photo stop ticket. The deed was done on May 13, 2009, the ticket was issued on May 21 and I found out I committed the crime on May 26.
Now I'm wondering how many of these photo stop tickets they issue every day without having any affect on slowing down traffic and making our highways safer and in a work zone on top of that. I know for a fact, that I might well have continued down the road speeding and many others just like me might be doing the same.
Now under the old rules, I would have been setting along side the road, the cop behind me with his lights on, and I'm sure after that I would have been very careful about my speed and the other result would have been that all the other speeders would have slowed down.
So, the result of this is that in Albuquerque … the cops and the city fathers don't give a rats behind about your safety or mine. They only care about money, about the revenue they receive from these type of tickets. And that should be criminal!
And it's renewed my belief that traffic cops are told how many tickets to issues each day.
I remember a few years back, when everyone had a CB radio and an old Missouri Highway Patrolmen would start work about the same time in the morning as I did. As he hit the ramp, he would grasp the mike and report on 19 a Smoky north bound on 67. The first time I caught that, I said, that was the first time I'd seen a Smoky, report a Smoky on the highway. Old PaPa Bear said yep and it slows em down.
I pass through and eat, sleep and fuel in Albuquerque about 8 times a year in my trips west, well guess what after I send in my $75.00, that will be the last they see of my money.
And if anyone wants to know were this photo stop camera is, slow down going west on I-40 at Louisiana.
As a side note this was the first ticket I have received since June of 1970 in Cherokee County, Oklahoma. That highway patrolman was very nice, he didn't say a word about the guns and the trunk full of Coors. It's not that I like Coors, I just couldn't buy it in Missouri then.
This also brings up another of my pet peeves. Back in the olden days before there was state sponsored gambling in Missouri and other states, all the bars, lodges and halls I bummed in had some type of gambling. You know, one armed bandits, electronic poker and slots, pin ball machines and pull tabs. And on a fairly regular schedule, the county or city raided the joints, pulled out the machines and that was it. Oh, of course they sold the stuff where it was legal and kept the proceeds and the cash in the machines.
It was just the cost of doing business for the machine owners and bar keeps, and the State said it was done because of how terrible gambling was on families. You know guys stopping after work for a cold beer and dropping a ten spot in the poker machine or worse.
Well here we are 2009 and guess what, you can't go hardly anywhere in Missouri without being able to gamble. Lottery, pull tabs, machines, and Keno and lets not forget about all the Casinos! Yes, that's right the old man and his bride can and do spend all their money on gambling and in some cases it's our money. And the state, well they don't give a holy smelly stuff about your family, just as long as they get their cut.
This in a little different form will go out with my $75.00 and will also get sent out as a letter to several newspapers.
I've been on this forum for a long time and this is my first rant and I hope it's my last.
Bob
But here is the stinky stuff that makes me mad. It was a photo stop ticket. The deed was done on May 13, 2009, the ticket was issued on May 21 and I found out I committed the crime on May 26.
Now I'm wondering how many of these photo stop tickets they issue every day without having any affect on slowing down traffic and making our highways safer and in a work zone on top of that. I know for a fact, that I might well have continued down the road speeding and many others just like me might be doing the same.
Now under the old rules, I would have been setting along side the road, the cop behind me with his lights on, and I'm sure after that I would have been very careful about my speed and the other result would have been that all the other speeders would have slowed down.
So, the result of this is that in Albuquerque … the cops and the city fathers don't give a rats behind about your safety or mine. They only care about money, about the revenue they receive from these type of tickets. And that should be criminal!
And it's renewed my belief that traffic cops are told how many tickets to issues each day.
I remember a few years back, when everyone had a CB radio and an old Missouri Highway Patrolmen would start work about the same time in the morning as I did. As he hit the ramp, he would grasp the mike and report on 19 a Smoky north bound on 67. The first time I caught that, I said, that was the first time I'd seen a Smoky, report a Smoky on the highway. Old PaPa Bear said yep and it slows em down.
I pass through and eat, sleep and fuel in Albuquerque about 8 times a year in my trips west, well guess what after I send in my $75.00, that will be the last they see of my money.
And if anyone wants to know were this photo stop camera is, slow down going west on I-40 at Louisiana.
As a side note this was the first ticket I have received since June of 1970 in Cherokee County, Oklahoma. That highway patrolman was very nice, he didn't say a word about the guns and the trunk full of Coors. It's not that I like Coors, I just couldn't buy it in Missouri then.
This also brings up another of my pet peeves. Back in the olden days before there was state sponsored gambling in Missouri and other states, all the bars, lodges and halls I bummed in had some type of gambling. You know, one armed bandits, electronic poker and slots, pin ball machines and pull tabs. And on a fairly regular schedule, the county or city raided the joints, pulled out the machines and that was it. Oh, of course they sold the stuff where it was legal and kept the proceeds and the cash in the machines.
It was just the cost of doing business for the machine owners and bar keeps, and the State said it was done because of how terrible gambling was on families. You know guys stopping after work for a cold beer and dropping a ten spot in the poker machine or worse.
Well here we are 2009 and guess what, you can't go hardly anywhere in Missouri without being able to gamble. Lottery, pull tabs, machines, and Keno and lets not forget about all the Casinos! Yes, that's right the old man and his bride can and do spend all their money on gambling and in some cases it's our money. And the state, well they don't give a holy smelly stuff about your family, just as long as they get their cut.
This in a little different form will go out with my $75.00 and will also get sent out as a letter to several newspapers.
I've been on this forum for a long time and this is my first rant and I hope it's my last.
Bob