Tickets, OK for You, but not for Me

This has been swirling around the local politics in NH. I've taken a couple of legislators off my vote for list due to their moronic opinions.

State legislators don’t make minimum wage.

The $200 biennial stipend amounts to pennies per hour for representatives and senators toiling in the New Hampshire General Court.

They get a few perks, however, and getting a break on minor motor vehicle violations has traditionally been among them, said Rep. Gregory Sorg of Franconia, a lawyer who is handling Nashua Rep. Bea Francoeur’s challenge of a speeding ticket in Nashua District Court.

Nope that's not it. Getting out of a speeding ticket because it's a perk isn't even on the argument list for this one. Though if it were, I'd say, don't run for office if money is your concern.

Francoeur was cited after a Nashua police officer clocked her traveling 44 mph on East Dunstable Road on her way to Gov. John Lynch’s inauguration Jan. 4. The speed limit on that portion of the road is 30 mph.

Francoeur challenged the ticket, however, arguing that the state constitution forbids police from arresting legislators on their way to or from Concord on official business. A hearing on the case is scheduled April 12 in Nashua District Court.

Sorg argues the ticket should be tossed. He cites Part Two, Article 21 of the New Hampshire Constitution, “Privileges of Members of Legislature,” which states that legislators can’t be arrested or held for court appearances on their way to or from a session of the legislature.

Police contend that stopping someone to issue a traffic ticket does not amount to an arrest and that legislators aren’t immune from prosecution for such offenses.

So as a legislator, they are of the opinion that they can't be stopped for a ticket if they are on the way to a session. Though how a police officer is to know what and where they are speeding to is beyond me. Not that there was an arrest. And that if she was going to such an important vote, you'd think she would have planned out the trip to ensure timeliness. But wait, she wasn't going to a vote, she was going to the inauguration of the guy she supposedly is declaring protection from on due to the ticket. WTF?

The mass of the legislators arguing that she shouldn't get a ticket, or even be stopped are not even bothering to stop and think. Not only is this empirical proof that they believe they are a privileged few, but they think that the average citizen will agree with this crap. The article is in place to make it illegal for the Governor to interfere with the legislature, not to stop the prosecution of illegal activities by the legislature. If this were a case of the Governor tampering with the legislative process, then it would be grounds for impeachment, but it's not. It's just a regular cop doing his job, and a fool who can't separate what is a good fight from a sure loser.

“To Rep. Francoeur, this to her is a matter of principle. She’s not trying to make herself better than anyone else,” Sorg said, adding later, “When she gets behind a principle, she won’t budge. She’s a feisty lady.”

Well, she may be feisty, but I'm hoping she learns that the citizens are cantankerous. I think anyone supporting this stand should look for another hobby. Frankly, this is insulting to anyone who obeys the law irrespective of their need to get somewhere fast.