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- State money harvest June 25 - July 4
- "Emphasis patrols" yield nice cash
- SUNNYSIDE (Thursday 6-24-99)---We just got a news release from the Pasco PD today. Officer Brad Gregory wrote it. We appreciate receiving the releases. Hope our take on this one's content won't make 'em stop FAXing us stuff.
Here's what Gregory's release says:
- "The Pasco Police Department will be joining the Washington Traffic Safety Commission and law enforcement officers all over the state on cracking down on drivers and passengers who do not wear seatbelts.
- "Starting June 25, the Pasco Police Department is joining hundreds of agencies across Washington in cracking down on drivers and passengers who do not wear seatbelts.
- "The emphasis will run from Friday, June 25, through the 4th of July holiday.
- "Officers will also be stepping up enforcement because it's a proven fact that most adults, who don't buckle up themselves, don't buckle up kids.
- "Recent research finds that an unbuckled driver is three times more (?) likely to restrain a child passenger. Child passenger law requires that children under 3 years of age must be in a child seat.
- "Children between the ages of 3 and 9 must be in a child safety seat or a safety belt. All children under 16 must be in a seatbelt or they will be ticketed...."
- Please.
- Brad Gregory, Pasco traffic safety officer, may be a great guy. But he doesn't know me or my kids or my grandkids. So common sense tells me he couldn't care less about whether we do or don't wear a seatbelt. Neither does the state Traffic Safety Commission in Olympia. Especially not them. They are in the tax business. Gregory's in the business of doing their bidding.
When you hear the "concerned" rap from government, you must know your intelligence is being insulted. Their eyes aren't really on your personal safety. In fact, their eyes are on the fine money, not whether you bounce out of your car on impact and tear yourself a new ass.
Gregory and the boys are going to "crack down" during "emphasis patrols" because the state wants the money seatbelt fines will harvest for state government during the holiday. It's a backdoor tax.
- Every victimless crime law, when broken by a supposedly free individual, brings cash into state coffers. That's why the legislatures pass the law. "It's the money, stupid"
- It's common sense to buckle up, so do it. Buckle up your kids. Put the little ones in safety seats. But don't do it because government types threaten to fine you if you don't. These alligators cannot and do not give a rip about you, personally. You can take that to the bank.
- --Q.T. Pye (LA)