This Memorial Day weekend should be fairly quiet. There’s only so much you can do when you’re social isolating, especially if you’re also broke.
But if you are planning on going someplace, proceed with extreme caution. Make sure your car insurance is paid up. Make sure your registration is up to date. Make sure your tail lights are undamaged.
Drive carefully. Observe the speed limits. When you approach a school look for the flashing lights. Even if the school isn’t in session, look for the flashing lights.
The police will be out this weekend. They will be looking for people to stop and ticket.
People are hurting. Communities are hurting. Revenue is down. One way to raise revenue, without raising taxes, is to collect fines. So, there will be a lot of police out this weekend, watching for any potential traffic violations.
So, stop at yellow lights.
If you’re staying home, and that home is a house in the suburbs, get caught up on the yard work. Your community has a code and a code officer. The purpose of that code is to collect funds from people who are having trouble keeping the lawns mowed or the hedges trimmed.
So, get your yard in good shape.
Stay on good terms with your neighbors. Code officers know to exploit neighborhood feuds.
It would also be useful to not be Black. Now that one’s difficult. But Blacks are stopped more often, and, of course, fined more often. That’s just how it is.
It will cost you a lot to get caught in that speed trap. If you can’t pay, you can lose your driver’s license. You might even go to jail.
You really don’t want to come home from work, and find a notice tacked to your door saying there’s a warrant for your arrest. That can happen if you don’t scare up that $600 for the fine.
So, maybe stay home this weekend. I know that’s what you’ve been doing since March. I know you’re climbing the walls, because I’m climbing the walls.
But it will be a lot cheaper.