the webmaster thinks carlos is making up this stuff
Date: Fri, 03 Mar 2000 19:32:17 -0700
From: carlos@theriver.com ("Carlos A. Alvarez")
Subject: [privacy] How I just saved $1900 and increased privacy
To: (Recipient list suppressed)
Reply-To: privacy@onelist.com
From: "Carlos A. Alvarez" <carlos@theriver.com>
Driving is a privilege. How many times have you been told that? The key
is that "driving" is defined under the law differently from how you or I
use it. If you are merely "traveling" in your private conveyance, you are
not "driving", and you have a RIGHT to do it.
For the privilege of driving, you must pay. You must register your
vehicles, pay a yearly extortion fee so you don't get harassed on the
highways, submit to and pay for vehicle tests, and obtain a license. All
of this has for more value to the state for the purpose of tracking you
than any supposed improvement it might make in highway safety. Even the
most incompetent idiot can get a US driver's license.
Some of you who know me, know that I've never had a driver's
license. Well, a few years ago I did get an international motorist permit,
for convenience when I don't have time to argue with the cops. You too can
obtain this, and foreign ID, for about $100. Now there is the matter of
car registration. For my RX-7, the yearly fee is nearly $300 (this year,
it goes down each year), and the one-time extortion for the purchase would
be about $650. I decided I wasn't going to be part of this scheme, and did
not transfer the registration when I bough the car. Of course, this makes
me a very visible target for the road pirates.
The solution? I just paid $200 to register my car for FIVE YEARS in a
foreign country. One that goes out of their way to refuse to exchange any
information with US authorities. The car is untraceable, the registration
can't be suspended or messed with in any way. Likewise for the foreign
"license."
I've greatly increased my privacy while saving nearly $2000.
Many people ask whether this is "legal." I guess it depends on which layer
of law you want to believe. The Supreme Court has upheld the right to
travel issue a number of times. But there are state statutes that require
you to register your car and yourself within the state. When in doubt, the
Constitution wins.
You could argue the legal issue, but the cops will probably give you a
ticket. You can then take it to court, but most people don't enjoy that as
much as I do. The easy way out is to simply NEVER admit to the police, if
questioned, how long you've een in the state. Remember you have a right
not to answer any questions. Period. You can be asked for license and
registration--then SHUT UP. If asked, you can respond with questions, say
you refuse to answer, or whatever, but don't answer. A friend of mine very
politely says, "With all due respect, sir, I prefer not to engage in any
conversation with you. All the information you need is right there, and
that is all the information I am required or willing to provide."
Simple, and non-confrontational. In fact, more people should just say NO
to police questioning, searches, and other intrusions. If they have
probably cause, they can get a search warrant. Don't believe the bullshit
line that it will "go easier on you" if you cooperate. Don't let them
intimidate you; they are trained to do that, and are trained to use all
sorts of psychological tricks. Don't fall for it.
Now, if you are still cited for failure to obtain local registration and/or
license, this is easy to beat in court, and you probably won't have to even
show up. I've been cited for this. In both cases, I mailed in a motion
for dismissal due to lack of evidence. I noted that the officer had no
evidence to support his contention that I had been in the state for any
period of time, and that the burden of proof was upon him. I also mailed
in copies of my foreign documents. In both cases I was given a dismissal
in the mail.
It is unlikely you would be cited for this, however. In both cases, I had
time to kill so I told the cop that I had these documents specifically so
he could not track me, intimidate me (threat of license suspension,
insurance rate increases, etc.), and that he could go write all the tickets
he wanted, but they would make no difference. He can't attach them to my
"license" since it is untraceable. He can assess no points against it, and
if I blow off the ticket, nothing he can do about it. Oh, I also mentioned
that his little $100 ticket might seem like a lot of money to him on his
ublic servant's salary that *I* was paying, but it was barely an hour's
work for me. With a little more finesse and tact, you probably would not
get cited like I did...
Up next, when I have a little more time, my court cites on the driving
"privilege" issue.
--
Carlos Alvarez, Tucson, AZ, USA, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
http://www.neta.com/~carlos
You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it lay on its back and
float.
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