Well I will say my goodbyes now. I have like ohhh maybe 6 reckless driving tickets over 15 years of driving....all from VA most from NOVA. Now don’t get me wrong, here me out. I have driven 160 mph on two wheels (or was it one)...and done some stupid young too much testosterone childish stuff. I have been driving since 1992.5 (July 13th). I have been pulled over 52 times that my memory will allow me to recall for every one of the listed reasons the Mike posted above, I have been stopped for. I have been stopped for having a Christmas bow on my rear bumper of my new car (Failure to display license plate). I have an officer try to give me a DUI for admitting to having one beer. Blew .4 then a .3 right after. I have was stopped for the 14th time in 13th of owning my 1999 300M in 1999!

My point is that I know that I will be stopped for something just because…nice car, wrong signal, nervousness because the police are tailgating me, someone else causing me to swerve. I have seen it all. I get a reckless about every 3 years it seems and this law is sure to cost me big bucks. Morning Glory, I agree with your feelings, however walking in my shoes you see a totally different picture. 7 months of ownership with my G35 I had been stopped 6 times! Only two tickets, because those were the only two times I was speeding. “ I never speed in my sports car” Screw all cops, accept those who drive Z’s, G’s, Air Force Vets, my Uncle, brother in law and neighbor ..lol!

Most cars that are pulled over are not your S500 Mercedes AMG’s or Porsche 911 turbos… VIPERS, Lambo’s, BMW 6Series…. why? Because they can afford lawyers! This law mandates that every person hire an attorney which they can’t afford, to pay a fine they can’t afford, to lose their license to a job they can’t afford to lose, to not feed their wife/husband and kid because they can’t afford to live without two incomes!

Poor people and young people are targeted in NOVA, just pay attention next time you cruise the beltway. If not the car is old and crappy, which most too often mean lower class.

The wife and I make good money. We pay over 50K in taxes to the corrupt government and bias county of Fairfax. If we can barely make it, how the hell is everyone else? Hell we cant even afford to sell our condo without paying 10K in fees! What sense does that make?

Thanks Mike, my day is ruined….lol. Seriously thanks for the heads up!

 

=(

 

46.2-679.2 added.
All-terrain vehicles and off-road motorcycles. Requires non-dealer owners of all-terrain vehicles and off-road motorcycles powered by gasoline or diesel engines displacing more than 50 cubic centimeters and purchased as new on or after July 1, 2006, to title their vehicles with DMV. SB 191; CH. 896.


So let me get this straight. A highway is anyroad owned by the state, however it is illegal to ride your ATV on public roads, however they want you to register your 4 wheeler so that you can pay property taxes to drive on non-government owned roads....This is a crock of snot. Good luck finding 95% of ATV's listed at the DMV.


We need to seriously all get together on the 1st of July and do a 350Z G35 protest downtown on the 1st to show our disgust?

 

A lot of those fines are absurd but I'll play devil's advocate here. Would you all rather have VA raise everyone's property, sales, and income taxes to raise revenue?

It seems that VA was dead set on finding a new revenue stream and they had two choices: either raise taxes (which will affect EVERYONE) or raise fines on traffic violations (which will affect a few). I'd much rather they raise fines that I have a chance of not being subject to (as long as I behave) as opposed to taxes where 100% of everyone will have to pay.

 

How about neither. Rather than finding new ways to stick it to the citizens, they need to streamline government operation. The tax base in NoVA is HUGE. The couple of million they make a year off of these civil fines will be inconsequential in the grand scheme of statewide revenue and it wouldn't surprise me one bit if it goes to fund yet more government programs that benefit nobody but the government.

Isn't it interesting that because it's not tax, they don't have to tell you what they're doing with the funds?...Hmmm....

 

No offense, and I'm going to make a guess here, but I doubt that you're fully acquainted with the annual VA state budget. Those lines like 'streamline government' or 'cut the fat' and the like are just tired and contrived golden oldies that people say over and over again that may get a lot of applause, but in the end, the people who espouse that don't know what they're talking about.

If what you say is true, that the extra cash is going to fund useless projects, I would agree with you fully. But if that tax revenue is going to help poor people get health insurance or help with transportation or improving the roads, I have less of a problem with it.

Also, as an aside, while it's not perfect, VA is probably one of the best run states in the country. It's a much nicer place to live than MD, DC, a lots of other places.

 

+1 .. VA due to Northern VA's affluence, VA is not in a budget shortfall.

http://www.baconsrebellion.com/Issues05/09-05/Haner.php

In 2006 VA finished with a general fund surplus of $1,126,576,000 – one and one eighth billion dollars.

 

Drive down the 66 and tell me if the have really used all the road funding they had last year to fix anything.

 

I think they have, or at least they appear to be... didn't they widen 66 from out past the Gainesville Rte. 29 exit, in towards 28? I am not sure how far, but they did do something... driving to the GMU Prince William Campus was a torture session!

These laws are pretty intimidating. What are we going to do though.. from the Wash Post article I posted in my duplicate thread, it says that even if they fought the bill, it would take a few years before it was repealed. We are screwed.


***My bad on reposting this thread... tired at work, didn't see the sticky. Had the best intentions though, I promise!

 

That they did, but they left the 66/495 (probable the most complained about streatch of 66) untouched. Hell, I saw a ladder in the center lane this weekend. Its still a constant traffic jam almost any hour of the day during the week, and there are potholes that almost eat my jeep and would definately eat the Z. Regardless, they say they are going to use it for something that no one believes they will use it on.

Personally, ive started looking at houses in WV. I would rather take a 1-2 hour commute to live someplace that won't keep screwing me over every time I turn around.

 

Uh, so where are your credentials letting us know that "you're fully acquainted with the annual VA state budget"?

It seems rather the opposite since you don't know if this "extra cash" is going to fund useless projects or help the poor get health insurance.

Even if these shady laws bring in 20+ million in extra revenue it's still a drop in the bucket compared to the 1+ billion surplus Virginia received in tax revenue last year.

 

I cant handle VA...and WVA isnt as Corey Friendly as I would like. Did you know fairfax has a huge percentage of homeless children? The gov waist money everyday... to include my 5 zero salary and all my buds here that do absolutely nothing. We could streamline billions if the gov got there head out of there azzes. This fee thing is just a front for the corrupt multi-million dollar golf project or keep the Attorney General (my boss) out of jail fund. Fairfax doenst know how to get the riff raft out of there county, so they are going to "fee" them to death or exile (make them move)!

 

Problem being, its not going to get the riff raff out. Its going to make the poor and despondent, stuck, and run out the middle class.

 

Exactly. It's just going to produce more dead beat parents. I wonder who's going to get stuck with the bill to help pay for child support.

 

As John stated earlier in this thread, VA has a budget surplus from taxes already. You're right that I'm not acquainted fully with the state budget, but take some time poking around THIS SITE. It's baffling the dollars that are spent on things. As an example, this state will spend over 265 MILLION DOLLARS on "Comprehensive Services for At-Risk Youth". That's almost a dollar for every person in the US, or $35 per person in the state of VA.

You call my statements contrived golden oldies if you want, but as citizens we have a right to expect...no demand, that our government be efficient *and accountable* with our money. If the government was in need of further revenue for projects that truly benefit the commonwealth, then that revenue should be generated through taxes, as that's what tax is for.

I agree...worthwhile government programs should get funding. But they should get it from taxes, with the full accountability that goes with taxing the people. Civil fines that have no accountability, and were not approved taxation by the people are wrong.

On the whole, I COMPLETELY agree with you. I love living in VA, and while I may not agree with certain aspects of government (like these civil fines), the Commonwealth is more "of the people, by the people and for the people" than MANY other states.

 

Yep. We (NoVA) carry the rest of the state. The unfortunate side of that is that while geographically speaking, VA is a very republican state, NoVA with all of its' government feeders, tends to be very democrat and thus often ends up swinging the rest of the state. Typically, Democratic thinking says 'more .gov to take care of the people'.

I have no problem with penalizing unsafe drivers, but as a judicial fine, not as a 'civil fee'. If the state can randomly impose fees at will, when do they start imposing fines for not passing state inspection, or how about for not mowing your lawn....

 

*Takes a look at sig for credentials*

When did I ever post that I'm familiar with the state budget? Take a pill, calm down, don't overreact (I've noticed that getting a rise out of you takes little to no effort; so sensitive!), my point was that people who say 'streamline government' prove they don't know what they're talking about when you ask them what SPECIFIC programs they would cut. Of course, they are all for the cutting unless it closes down a factory or military base in their district which benefits them directly...

Again, calm down, this was a conversation between kcobean and myself.

 

You have a good point re: more transparency in how the money from the raised fines should be spent.

But I've read those budget surplus figures elsewhere and normally, they're published by people with a political ax to grind (same with the people who post those figures here; they believe in one thing, therefore, they'll find those statistics that best support their beliefs). Also, considering that there are people on THIS SITE who use 87 octane gas in their Zs, claim that the popcharger give them 20 whp, believe that illegals should be shot on sight without due process, and probably still think the Earth is flat, I hope you'll forgive me if I don't use my350z.com as my first choice in researching the state of VA's budget issues.

Again, I'll stick to what I said originally, of those projects that need cutting (including the one you mentioned), how do people know whether those projects are working or not? Also, if there truly is extra money in a budget surplus, why not have a program for at risk teens?

 

So when they raise taxes this year like they have in the last... ohh say 100 years, we can smack you in the face with a sock full of hot rocks? lol

We all will pay more taxes, fees, tickets, lawyers, etc. Hell if the Attorney General is a ***** bag, why wouldnt any other law enforcement person below him be, to include my DOJ working azz? If I can pay more taxes to stay out of the long arms of the law....My checkbook is ready. But to be discriminated against and molested by FF County because I didnt signal.....thats a entirely different ballgame/subject and ball of wax.

The girls who died in that semi accident were also "rumored" to be high. May God be with them all. No one deserves to die.

We are tallking about basic police stops the equate to $1000 fines! And I think we all missed that if you have points previosuly there is also an optional $750, per point on your license, penalty tacked on too!

 

You're absolutely right, so here are MY uneducated thoughts on the matter to justifiy my statements.

In 2007, we're going to spend 1.2 BILLION dollars on, get this...Central Appropriations. That's the process of allocating funds. Nothing is produced or returned to the people. Yet we're only going to spend $621,472 on the "Office of Commonwealth Preparedness".

In 2007, we're going to spend 78 MILLION dollars running a gambling operation (Lottery). Yet we're only going to spend $2.8 million on the "Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy"

In 2007, The Virginia Racing Commission gets $5 Million dollars, yet the Virginia Parole board gets just $700K.

In 2007, The Virginia Department of Fire Programs will get $25 Million dollars. The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control....$450 Million.

My point in all of this is, there is a LOT of money going to programs that are either bloated beyond reason, or shouldn't exist at all. There *is* room for taxes to be used more efficiently, but the truth is that NONE of this has any bearing on the state collecting civil fines...Civil fines are a clear overstepping of the bounds of state of government. We've now got the DMV acting as 'debt collectors' for state sanctioned fees. What happens when you fail to pay your fees, what do they do, suspend your license? Take your car? This is bad mojo for a free people.