Thank you CdwJava, that is what I was looking for, just an explanation of the violations so that I knew what I was facing when I go to court. Being that I was literally the only car on the road when I made the two lane changes, other than the officer who was far enough behind me that I did not notice him until he came up and started pacing me, there is a possibility that my not signaling did not warrant a ticket. I will have to look into that, as I’m not interested in going in front of a judge and pissing them off by being misinformed or arguing a point that has no credibility, and receiving even more fines.
One other question I have is if anyone knows how I would go about obtaining the traffic survey for that street/area of town, mostly out of curiosity but I like to be well informed.
As for the comments on budget I will take a few minutes to explain something that may clear up what I said because from the responses you guys have given I think this explanation could be of value, as you're misinterpreting what I said. And, well I like talking about this stuff because every time I do, I learn something, and knowledge is second in value only to time.
A bloated budget does not directly equate to the entire hierarchy of the budget having a noticeable lax in capitol to spend. This is true when it comes to government, especially our government at this time. In regards to government departments, good and healthy business practices go out the window, and they do so quickly. The operating procedure is to make sure that your entire budget is spent before the annual review, because if it is not, it will be decreased. Often times those funds are misallocated, because they are spent very quickly in a furry at the end of the organizations fiscal year. Employees such as police officers often do not see any of this money, because to give the whole department a raise, more/better equipment/training, and other such all inclusive acts is an action that is done at the beginning of the fiscal year, when the budget statements from the prior year show that the department was likely close to, or over budget.
That creates quite a negative atmosphere from a business standpoint, and encourages some of the most arrogant and foolhardy business practices that a capitalist could ever invasion. In general terms a government employee is punished for being efficient when it comes to revenue and budget, unfortunately that can only last so long, and eventually will collapse. I personally hope that does not happen, but I would start preparing for a drastic economic/government flux or change in the next 30 years. On average a person will experience a major depression every 65 years, the baby boomer generation has yet to experience one, and is nearing the average age of 45. Think about it, it will serve you well.
Tickets are a great revenue system, just because the issuing department only sees 22% of that revenue does not mean that it does not exist. The officers, clerks, and all other agencies involved in handling the process of those tickets will be paid, tickets being issued, or not. It is far more profitable to issue them.
I would gladly and wholeheartedly invest in anything that was legal and gave a consistent 22% return, it would be foolish not to. Some of the most successful stockbrokers in history had average returns in the area of %16. The Stop and Shop super market chain on the east coast is considered to be almost god like due to the fact that they have an average annual ROI of 5%, where as most other major chains in the area are below %1.
Parking citations are even more profitable, that is true. In my town they have given more people golf carts and chalk sticks, as well as changed nearly 30% of the cities streets, in the downtown locations where daytime commuter parking is most prevalent, to have once a week street sweeping. There is nowhere to park in my town, it is a major issue, and has been for years. On any given day, there will be a percentage of people forced to pay $35 to park that day, because there are no spots left, and they will have to accept a ticket. Why do this to your city? Because the budgets from last year, and the years before that show that the government departments are close to, or over budget… so they must need more revenue, they must find a way to spend more money.
I have lived here for 13 years, I live on a street that has "street sweeping" twice a week, I have never, once, seen a street sweeper at the times that parking is not allowed. Be that as it may, it is amazing revenue for the city; unfortunately it will almost certainly not go to good use, as financial literacy is not required to be responsible for government budgets as it is in the civilian business world.
Remember, wealth is not how much money you have, or how much money you spend, but how much money you keep. Unfortunately the system that our government uses does not adopt that belief.