Daily Archives: 31 May 2012
Texting While Walking Banned in New Jersey Town – $85 fine!
Avid texters beware: Fort Lee, N.J. police said they will begin issuing $85 jaywalking tickets to pedestrians who are caught texting while walking.
“It’s a big distraction. Pedestrians aren’t watching where they are going and they are not aware,” said Thomas Ripoli, chief of the Fort Lee Police Department.
Ripoli said the borough, which is home to approximately 35,000 residents, has suffered three fatal pedestrian-involved accidents this year. He hopes his crackdown on people who display dangerous behavior while walking will make his town safer, but not everyone is on board with the idea of issuing $85 tickets.
“When I walk I still look around. I’m not like constantly looking down the whole time,” said resident Sue Choe.
Another woman complained about the tickets were “a lot of money.”
Officers handed out pamphlets during a short grace period in March before they began aggressively going after “dangerous walkers.”
(Read more)
Paying for Carter’s postage, Bush’s bills, and Clinton’s rent
In 2010, taxpayer-financed expenses included $15,000 for Jimmy Carter’s postage, $579,000 for Bill Clinton’s rent and a whopping $80,000 for George W. Bush’s phone bills. It adds up: All told, U.S. taxpayers were on the hook for more than $3 million of expenses for the four surviving former U.S. presidents.
They certainly don’t seem to need the money. These days being a former U.S. President is a lucrative business. After all, Bill Clinton raked in more than $10 million just in speaking fees last year. George W. Bush made even more: $15 million just for giving speeches. (Read more)