The money-grab has been on for some time -- that's the dynamic by which government on all levels, from the local dog catcher to federal agents, are trying to shake the last penny possible out of your pocket. Each agency at every juncture at which your life intersects with government is trying to wring the maximum possible fee and penalty from you. They have to. Inflation has sharply reduced the value of every tax dollar they collect; meanwhile, the implementation of mandated programs like homeland security have made their costs soar. Government is passing that cost on to the "consumer"...only you aren't a consumer in any meaningful sense of the word. You don't choose government services; they are forced upon you...often against your will. You cannot withdrawn your consumption and go a competitor or a competing system; attempting to do so could result in imprisonment. For example, if you chose to drive without a license or to earn money on the blackmarket, then your ass could hit the prison pavement.
As well as incurring a stiff fine. There is always a fine or a fee.
How bad can it get? MSN Money reports, Starting July 1, an array of traffic offenses, from expired licenses to speeding, come with a "civil remedial fee" attached. That means a motorist convicted of reckless driving (75 mph in a 55 zone would qualify) faces not only a fine of up to $2,500 and a year in jail, but a non-negotiable $350-a-year tax for three years. The law forbids judges from waiving or reducing the fee. Many fees dwarf the fines. A driver who disobeys an officer's order to pull into a weigh station would be fined $35 and required to pay a $61 court processing fee. But the civil remedial fee would be $900 over three years. Drunken driving? A fee of $1,000 a year for three years, plus fines and court costs. No insurance? That's $300 a year for three years, plus fines. It doesn't stop there. Anyone unlucky enough to have 8 points or more on his license (reckless driving is good for 6 by itself) would pay an additional $100, plus $75 for any points over 8, up to $700 a year. (For a complete list of fee-carrying offenses in VA, see this .pdf file.)
The situation is not limited to Virginia. It is everywhere. For example, Illinois recently passed a new work-zone law for speeding in construction zones on expressways. The enforcement includes cameras. Without ever seeing a cop, you can get a $375 ticket in the mail for driving so much as one mile over the limit even in the middle of the night when no workers are present. A second offense is a $1000.
So be careful whenever you back out of your driveway. Traffic police are nothing so much as roving tax collectors who are looking for any excuse to confiscate the money with which you feed your family and pay the mortgage. THighway patrolmen cops are highwaymen in the original meaning of the word: thefts that roam the highways in search of victims.
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