First speeding ticket in 20 years

OG Yurt said:
I don't believe you are entitled to a jury for a non criminal offense. In my state, if you appeal a ticket, it actually goes through a separate court and there is no jury unless you appeal past that court and can argue, say, a constitutional violation.
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Here in Texas we have the option for a jury trial in Traffic court. I can't remember, but I think it was only 6 jurors in the court I was in.

I only challenged a ticket once- Never again! That jury was the most unfair bunch of prudes I ever saw. I ended up with having to pay a lawyer fee, and still had to pay my fine. LOL! I mean COL!

The only thing I was challenging was them trying to double my fine because the police said I was ticketed in a Construction zone, when the construction signs were all laying down on the side of the street, with all the work already done, with all new lanes open. It was clearly not any longer a construction zone- no construction workers, no construction vehicles- no nothing.
 
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Adolf_Twitler said:
Property values are too high everywhere, and they are only going to get higher the more the Feds and states cut funding on infrastructure everywhere, causing the local tax authorities to have to look after their own communities!
Fortunately I don't have to pay much in property taxes anymore because of my age, but I feel the pain of others.
And, it only screws the younger families who are struggling to afford their first home while Real Estate prices are bubbling up higher and faster than ever before.
And I also might add that property taxes are already higher as a result of so many people not having health insurance, they are using emergency rooms in your district as well as mine, and yes! It comes back on us in the way of Property taxes!

When I was paying property taxes, my HospitalTax portion of the tax was over 2,000 a year- higher than what I was paying for my own personal company assisted private health insurance- that wasn't that good to begin with. My God, hospital taxes should not be more than our School Taxes- but they are!

I live in the DFW area, but I hear this is bad everywhere. And even though we have been known in the past for having lower and more affordable housing here, that has all changed with the influx of people moving here from California that sold their lean-to shack in California for a million bucks and paying well more than properties are worth here causing the tax base to just keep rising and rising to where housing is out-pricing our affordability to keep up with them.

I don't see these problems as political, I just see them as problems that need resolving.

I know they are painting a rosie picture about the economy. But I honestly believe it's all done with smoke and mirrors, because everyone I know is working more hours than ever, and just going deeper into debt.

I'm good,retired now, have everything I could possibly want, but I see and feel the pain of most all those around me, neighbors, family, friends etc.
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It's not the property values but the tax rate. The house that I sold 23 years ago in Upstate NY is now valued at $150k, it is 1400 square feet so that is $107/ SF. They pay $4500 per year in property taxes, or about 3% of the value.

My house here is 3200 SF, valued at $355k so that is $111/ SF. My taxes here are $3380 which is 0.95% of the value; less than 1/3 what I would pay in NYS.

Add in the fact that I now live in the city so have city services: trash pickup, recycling, water, sewer, police. My old house in NYS had none of that.
 
Dark Soul said:
It's not the property values but the tax rate. The house that I sold 23 years ago in Upstate NY is now valued at $150k, it is 1400 square feet so that is $107/ SF. They pay $4500 per year in property taxes, or about 3% of the value.

My house here is 3200 SF, valued at $355k so that is $111/ SF. My taxes here are $3380 which is 0.95% of the value; less than 1/3 what I would pay in NYS.

Add in the fact that I now live in the city so have city services: trash pickup, recycling, water, sewer, police. My old house in NYS had none of that.
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15 ears ago, my property was only appraised 150K and I was paying over 5 grand a year for local taxes. I'm embarrassed to admit what the local taxes are today.

So you have it made in the shade friend.

Where do you live?
 
Adolf_Twitler said:
15 ears ago, my property was only appraised 150K and I was paying over 5 grand a year for local taxes. I'm embarrassed to admit what the local taxes are today.

So you have it made in the shade friend.

Where do you live?
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My "city home" is near Winston-Salem NC and my "mountain home" is in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Boone.

My mother-in-law pays $18k in property taxes for her 2400 SF Cape in Ramapo, NY.
 
Dark Soul said:
My "city home" is near Winston-Salem NC and my "mountain home" is in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Boone.

My mother-in-law pays $18k in property taxes for her 2400 SF Cape in Ramapo, NY.
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Nice! I feel sorry for your Mom though! But I bet her estate is nice! And lobster is cheap there! So it ain't all bad!
 
Adolf_Twitler said:
Nice! I feel sorry for your Mom though! But I bet her estate is nice! And lobster is cheap there! So it ain't all bad!
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One acre is hardly an estate. Her husband built it, and it is a dated but beautifully maintained property. Valued at $532k, she pays 3.4% of its value in taxes every year. The same home here would be worth about $350k and taxed at $3300, or less than 1/5 of what she pays.

She better move fast, since the Hasidic Jews are taking over. Once they decide that they want your house they will knock on your door, give you a low ball offer and tell you that if you don't take it, no one will buy the home. Based on their rate of growth I figure that she has four years before that happens. Her husband will never leave the home unless he's in a box, and he's 86, in good health. Looks like another family home will not end up for me to inherit...
 
Dark Soul said:
This was in Upstate NY last week and I pulled out, turning left, from a side road onto a low volume but high speed two lane. There was a car way down the road to my right and after stopping, checking both ways, accelerated briskly onto the highway. The guy behind me was gaining quickly so I got it up past the speed limit before I started my coast down to cruising speed. It was a cop and he bagged me doing 71 in a 55.

Not sure if I should hire an attorney of just pay it. I don't give a shit about the fine only my insurance.
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I got nailed for running a stop sign almost 2 yrs. ago. It never increased my insurance, but the assholes at PennDot gave me 3 points.

That said, how did he clock you at 71? Radar? His own speedometer?
 
RB 60 said:
I got nailed for running a stop sign almost 2 yrs. ago. It never increased my insurance, but the assholes at PennDot gave me 3 points.

That said, how did he clock you at 71? Radar? His own speedometer?
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Radar. I saw 74 on my speedo and it reads 2-3 high, so it's a legitimate kill.
 
Adolf_Twitler said:
If you do try to fight that ticket, make sure your lawyer does not allow any jurist who has a cop in their immediate family!

And make sure your lawyer asks that question during the selection process if the DA doesn't ask first.

Just a tip! Uh! Speaking from experience! LOL!
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In other words, you tried to skirt the responsibility of being a speeder.
 
Our system over here is that if you are not going hugely over the limit, you get the choice of paying for a course in road safety, avoiding anything on your licence. It was actually rather good, and reminded a lot of us how the law had changed since we passed our driving tests. 71 mph past a cop, though! Forget it. Like when I had just bought a new car, wasn't quite clear on the gears (back a while) and was fumbling to see to the right change at a roundabout as the cop in front just stopped. I couldn't see a mark on the bugger, but it seemed easier just to pay for non-existent repairs. Lucky our politzei aren't bribable! :)
 
Dark Soul said:
Radar. I saw 74 on my speedo and it reads 2-3 high, so it's a legitimate kill.
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Pretty much the only way to beat that is to find out when the radar gun was calibrated and prove it hasn't been calibrated within the allotted time frame. That, or have the cop bring the radar gun to the court room and hope when you point it at something stationary it reads it's moving (that has happened before!).

Here's some other ideas

https://thefreethoughtproject.com/7-simple-steps-fighting-speeding-ticket-win/
 
RB 60 said:
Pretty much the only way to beat that is to find out when the radar gun was calibrated and prove it hasn't been calibrated within the allotted time frame. That, or have the cop bring the radar gun to the court room and hope when you point it at something stationary it reads it's moving (that has happened before!).

Here's some other ideas

https://thefreethoughtproject.com/7-simple-steps-fighting-speeding-ticket-win/
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The radar was Calibated a few days before. Best just to blow the fuse, get a bill from a shop a be done with it.
 
Dark Soul said:
This was in Upstate NY last week and I pulled out, turning left, from a side road onto a low volume but high speed two lane. There was a car way down the road to my right and after stopping, checking both ways, accelerated briskly onto the highway. The guy behind me was gaining quickly so I got it up past the speed limit before I started my coast down to cruising speed. It was a cop and he bagged me doing 71 in a 55.

Not sure if I should hire an attorney of just pay it. I don't give a shit about the fine only my insurance.
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TDAK will have your head on a pike for this!!

:village:
 
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