[Tommy]

Here is one anecdotal story. I live in a small town near an even smaller town, Camp Hill, (population 1500) in rural Alabama. Some years ago the state rerouted the highway between Birmingham and Columbus, Georgia and widened it to a divided four-lane. It looks like an Interstate highway but without limited access. When they rerouted, they bypassed Camp Hill, killing what little economic activity it gained from passing traffic. The new highway passes through the city limits of Camp Hill, but you cannot see any actual buildings or signs of a community as you drive by.

I drive that road every day and there is a Camp Hill police car catching speeders 99 times out of 100. I am convinced that the city could not afford a police department or other city services without the income it derives from non-local speeders driving by. From their point of view it allows them to provide better city services without raising local taxes. .... As I said, I drive the road every day and I have never been stopped. That is because I know they are there and do not speed. To me, people who pay speeding tickets are like people who play government sponsored lottery games. It's their choice to pay that voluntary tax for whatever benefit they think they will receive. I've long thought of the lottery as "the stupid tax." It's a tax paid only by those people stupid enough to pay it.