Stupid Laws To Protect Stupid People
February 25, 2003
By Ken Schram
Video : KOMO 4 NEWS
Tacoma police are going after car thieves, by giving car owners tickets!
SEATTLE - Let's see if I've got this straight.
Tacoma police are going after car thieves, by giving car owners tickets!
Isn't that special.
Here's the scenario:
Cold morning. You go out, start up your car and then retreat back to your cozy living room while it warms up.
Tacoma P.D. says that's just an open invitation for some thief to hop in and simply drive off.
So, to cure people of their own stupidity, police hope to beat the thief to the scene, and tuck an $86 ticket under someone's unstolen windshield wiper.
Punishment for not having your car stolen.
And lest you think that only those living in Tacoma are ticket bait, think again.
Any police department can write up the same citation.
You're OK if the car's warming up in your driveway, but if it's parked in front of your house on the street, uh-oh.
Taking this to its illogical conclusion, we should soon expect laws that penalize us for allowing our library cards to fall into the wrong hands, or for leaving our bank receipts intact at the ATM.
That's our world today: $86 tickets for NOT having our car stolen.
Hell, I know of car thieves who got off easier than that.
All I can say is that if we're going to have stupid laws written to protect stupid people, there are folks in the Legislature up to the task.
Want to share your thoughts with Ken Schram? You can e-mail him at
kenschram@komo4news.com 
Stupid Laws To Protect Stupid People 
