Ten dollars for a pack of cigarettes? It might soon become a reality in many stores in New York City. The cigarette tax in New York would jump $1.60 a pack under a tentative deal struck between Governor David Paterson and state government leaders.

It goes without saying, but we're gonna go ahead and say it anyway: Nobody likes getting a speeding ticket. And that's especially true when said ticket isn't issued by a human officer, but from a machine set up to catch unwary motorists off guard. If only there was some way to get back that lost sense of justice...

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has taken a bold stand against government over-reach: She is five days late paying her property taxes.

Baltimore has now taken away my rights to spit on the ground. Unless you want to pay $200 :)

I was in New Hampshire's Sullivan County district court today to respond to a traffic arrest from February. I was not told, and did not know exactly what kind of proceeding I was involved with.

Rather than give the whole shebang away, I thought I'd relay these two salient observations:

1) I was the only person ( out of about 15 or so ) to plead "Not Guilty."
2) My fees & fines ( for not having my papers in order ) are higher than driving 99 mph in a 65 zone.

If you're interested, I'll try to call in.

Have you ever suspected that your city or town is trying too hard to catch traffic scofflaws in the pursuit of ticket revenue? A Florida woman received a ticket based on evidence from a red light camera, but believed the ticket was unfair because the yellow light was too short. The power of math proved that she was correct..

Since 2002, the fund has collected a grand total of just $12,887.04, which doesn’t even pay the salary of one part-time state employee.

Man exonerated after 12 years of wrongful imprisonment. Received $600k in compensation from the state of Texas. The IRS originally told him that the money should be treated as if it were an insurance settlement for "pain and suffering". Now the IRS is coming after him for back taxes saying the money should be treated as "lost wages".

A small news item from Tracy, Calif., caught my eye last week. Local station CBS 13 reported: “Tracy residents will now have to pay every time they call 911 for a medical emergency. But there are a couple of options. Residents can pay a $48 voluntary fee for the year, which allows them to call 911 as many times as necessary. Or there’s the option of not signing up for the annual fee. Instead they will be charged $300 if they make a call for help.”

Michiganders who fled the state in 2007 took with them almost $1.2 billion more in paychecks than the paychecks of those moving in. In other words those leaving are not just unemployed, but people who wish to keep their own money.
Government solution? A higher gas tax. That'll keep them out!