Nice GPS Officer Smith...can I buy that one?

Time for a little local news. My local paper The Gazette reported in yesterday’s paper that the Montgomery County police recently walked through the parking lot of a strip mall looking in cars for “valuables” left in plain sight. In 20 minutes they found items estimated to be worth $5,500. A car thief’s dream; but these were cops and they only wrote warnings which were stuck under the windshield.

Here’s where my problem with the situation comes in. We have a major budget shortfall that needs to be filled. Local politicians are trying to get creative by cutting funds for various programs and raising taxes where they can. But I say, “Why don’t we allow the cops to take the ‘valuables’ they find in the cars?” We could sell them on E-Bay or Craigslist and take the money to help plug the holes in the budget. You left your GPS on your dashboard, well guess what, you’re screwed. That cop over there just stole it. Oh and don’t try to report the cops for breaking the law…our cops don’t even pay their speeding tickets when they’re off-duty.

If it brings you any solace, think of it as donating to the greater good of the public. Besides, you really don’t need that GPS unit. You know how to get from your house to the train station in the morning and then from the station to the grocery store that evening before heading home. This should be a no-brainer…you do it five days a week, every week for the year.

Also think of all the great deals you’ll be able to get on portable DVD players, un-cashed paychecks, credit cards, power tools and more. It’ll come in really handy when you’re in a bind and don’t know what to get for somebody for their birthday or even get some fresh flowers (if someone left them out recently) for that special somebody when you forgot your anniversary and are on your way back home.

Sure I’m advocating public theft, but it’s for a really good cause: My Tax Bill.