Thursday, May 01, 2008

• Life of Irony

  I had a business meeting today. I had to drive about 3.5 hours to get to said meeting to give a presentation on a Farm Business Plan involving starting up a renewable resource center to create ethanol from cane. (For more information on ethanol http://yellowbordermagazine.com/2007/10/biofuels/biofuels-text) It's a pretty cool project and I think that it could be very marketable especially as busting into the corn market is proving to be VERY expensive for buyers of corn. In any case, allow me to continue the story. So I finish the meeting and start to drive back. I am about 1.5 hours away from the office on a notoriously cop heavy part of the highway when I pass by a highway cop. I look down at my speedometer and notice that I am driving 68mph. I thought, "Phew! Only 3 over." So I didn't feel very nervous, but I politely tapped on my break so that I was going 65.

  About thirty seconds later, the highway cop is coming up fast behind me. He flashes his lights and I pull off to the side thinking that he is going to whiz by going to an emergency call, but he was actually pulling me over. "Hmmmmm," I thought, "I guess that I was going 3 over."

  So I pull over and he comes up to the car and says, "Hi miss, do you know why I pulled you over?"

  To which I reply, "No, not really."

  Then he follows with, "Do you know what the speed limit is?"

  I say proudly, "65."

  "Actually.......it's 55."

  I get a stunned look on my face and say, "Oh sh*t, sorry."

  He asks, "Where are you from, do you drive this route often?"

  I say truthfully, "I am from south of here and this is the first time that I have driven this route. Going to and from a city north of here for a business meeting."

  So he says kindly, "Well, I could give you a moving violation that would give you two points on your license and a $200 fine, but since you aren't from around here, I am going to write you a violation for 'Wasting a Finite Resource.' This ticket doesn't count against your license, and it is only $60, and basically what it means is that by speeding, you were wasting gas, but instead of getting in trouble for speeding - which is a petty crime - you will get in trouble for a civil violation - which is not really a crime." I chuckled to myself a little and handed him my registration and license.

  He came back and read me the paperwork. I looked over the paperwork to verify that I wasn't getting a speeding ticket and verified verbally with him what the violation entailed and what fine I would have to pay. Then I signed it and started laughing aloud. The officer looks at me slighty confused and says, "Is everything alright miss?"

  I reply, "Of course it is. I just got a ticket for wasting a finite resource while driving my Toyota Prius home from a meeting about creating a renewable resource."

  And just what is the officer's reply? "What?!? Is this car electric or something?"

  This is a true story.

  • 7:50 PM
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