Only minutes after I posted a link to Megan McArdle’s good observation on how doing something about millionaires in particular is impossible without violating the rule of law (Hayek wrote extensively on this in the Constitution of Liberty) now we see the truth for what it is in my old state of Taxachusetts:
Eventually the absurdity of the 55 mph speed limit sunk in and in 2006 MassHighway traffic engineers recommended a speed limit increase. State Police vetoed the change, preferring the 99% violation rate that let them write tickets at will. Police have no legal role in setting speed limits. Somebody in the Romney administration weighed the risk of losing ticket revenue against the risk of being blamed for accidents. Police won.
Maybe it’s only the rich that speed in Massachusetts? After all, average income there is higher than in many other states. Who cares about the antiquated Rule of Law?
Those of you who play fantasy football may have noticed this as the fantasy “update” for Tom Brady:
Tue, Sep 20: Gisele Bundchen, supermodel and wife of New England quarterback Tom Brady, was stopped for speeding over the weekend and given a verbal warning by a Massachusetts state trooper. State police spokesman David Procopio says Bundchen was going about 70 mph in a 55 mph zone on state ROute 6 in Barnstable when she was stopped Saturday.
Advice: Procopio says Bundchen did not get any special treatment. The same trooper gave four other drivers verbal warnings that afternoon. He gave 20 others written citatatios, but those drivers committed other violations in addition to speeding. (STATS, Inc.)