When I was on the state police, you had to give 8 for 8. That is, you had to show enough work on your activity sheet that you had eight points of activity for eight hours worked. A traffic stop was worth one point, whether you gave a warning or a civil infraction. (For comparison, an arrest was worth four - because of the extra time and work involved.) According to the Boston Herald, the MSP is now making a citation worth 1.5 and a warning worth only 1. I call that a tax hike.
Think Deval Patrick is behind it?
Wait--enforcing the law is a tax hike? Seems like a typical soft on crime conservative complaint. Furthermore, Deval Patrick isn't governor yet, so no, I don't think he is behind it. This is your boy Romney at work. One can only wonder what Reed Hillman would have done.
However, if you do the math, this should be considered a tax cut (as if fines for breaking the law are "taxes"). Instead of having to issue 8 citations in eight hours to cover a quota, a trooper now only has to issue 6 citations to cover the 8 for 8 you mention. Fewer citations, less money. If a citation were now worth only .5 points, you might have a case.
You'll be able to buy that Porsche yet!
Posted by: | November 16, 2006 at 09:19 AM