Little Elm Journal > News
Pay now or Pay Later, or not at all
By J. David Barron, dbarron@starlocalnews.com
Riding back onto the scene three weeks ago following a nine-year hiatus in the Rockies, I remarked to my soul brother, Kirkwood, "Where are we?!" State Highway 121 looked like the Autobahn, instead of the hen house-market road with goats waving "bye" like it had been when I left.
"Yeah," he said. "It's a different world around here now."
Yep.
Then I freaked. "Oh, no! I don't have a toll tag. How do you pay now?"
"Oh, don't worry," Kirkwood said. "They've got this stuff down ... They'll mail you a bill and then you either pay it, or you don't."
"Hmmm," I thought. "I like that choice."
Apparently, I am not alone. The North Texas Toll Authority recently published a report that noted more than 25,000 people have amassed at least 100 unpaid toll violations, with nary a single one owing less than $2000 in fines and unpaid tolls. Twenty-two of 'em have stockpiled an astounding total of more than $100,000!
What do they think this is? Monopoly?
Well, they can stop playing. Cuz one young lady (giving her the benefit of the doubt) has won the prize. Amber Young can be thankful she has a very common name. There's certainly nothing common about her transgressions, according to the NTTA, which contends Ms. Young's automobile has boogied through the pay gates 8,366 times without paying!
They must be camouflaged.
In her "Pass Go and collect $200" mentality, Young has racked up a total debt of $179, 593.43 -- or more than the GNP of Yemen.
I don't feel so bad anymore about my $4.27 balance. I sure am glad I'm not her priest, though. Then again, that would require Young to have a conscious.
Where there's smoke, there's fire
Two doctors and a trainer from Lance Armstrong's winning Tour de France teams were handed lifetime sports bans from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, or USADA, this week.
This comes on the heels of accusations and charges, ad nauseam, for seemingly forever now that Armstrong cheated when he almost-miraculously peddled his way to seven straight Tour titles following a diagnosis of testicular cancer. Does seem kinda unbelievable, given the nature of that particular race, alone. Nevertheless, Armstrong has been tested more times than a lab chimp, and he's always come up "negative" regardless of the charges of him using masking agents.
Yet droves of folks from all aspects of the sport have come forth and voluntarily put themselves on record stating they witnessed or were made privy to Armstrong cheating by ingesting in some form or fashion performance-enhancing drugs. Now USADA is dragging Armstrong (back) to court on federal charges that he lied, cheated and generally did everything but pull a Rosie Ruiz and take shortcuts on the trail. Sound familiar?
The outcome -- should it ever come before the end of Revelation -- will probably be familiar, too. Instead of receiving a lifetime ban from the sport of cycling and being stripped of his record number of titles and unfathomable mark of consecutive wins, Armstrong will probably wind up with something along the lines of having to ride with training wheels and stop wearing spandex. And be confined to house arrest, which for folks like Barry Bonds and Charlie Sheen -- peers of Armstrong -- means having to stay within the moat and be content to hunting in their own back yard. Homes like Armstrong's often have their own zip code.
Whatever the conclusion, Armstrong can handle it as long as he is never "proven" to have cheated. That's the one thing the hero to cancer survivors the world over could not recover from, given the Livestrong legacy. And that won't happen, no matter how much smoldering is observed. Just ask Bonds, Roger Clemens, and juicers everywhere.
Don't throw away that box!
Dude from Defiance was living every kid's dream the other day, rummaging through his granddaddy's attic, when he came across a dirty, old cardboard box. By now, you've no doubt heard the fantastic tale from the town in northwest Ohio.
Mr. Karl Kissner was not only living it, he realized the dream of finding treasure in the attic. Inside the box were baseball cards of the likes of Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner and Cy Young that were not only a type long-ago discontinued, but also in near-pristine condition. The short of it is Kissner found about 700 cards that experts are saying could be worth up to $3 million.
According to the AP, Kissner said, ""It's like finding the Mona Lisa in the attic."
The cards are just about as well-preserved. Untouched for more than a century, the colors of the cards are vibrant and the borders are still crisp and white. One expert said, "You just don't see them this nice."
It all kinda makes you wanna go see the grandfolks this week, don't it? Don't forget to buy a lottery ticket while you're gassing up for the trip.
J. David Barron is a staff columnist for Star Community Newspapers. Reach him at dbarron@starlocalnews.com
"Yeah," he said. "It's a different world around here now."
Yep.
Then I freaked. "Oh, no! I don't have a toll tag. How do you pay now?"
"Oh, don't worry," Kirkwood said. "They've got this stuff down ... They'll mail you a bill and then you either pay it, or you don't."
"Hmmm," I thought. "I like that choice."
Apparently, I am not alone. The North Texas Toll Authority recently published a report that noted more than 25,000 people have amassed at least 100 unpaid toll violations, with nary a single one owing less than $2000 in fines and unpaid tolls. Twenty-two of 'em have stockpiled an astounding total of more than $100,000!
What do they think this is? Monopoly?
Well, they can stop playing. Cuz one young lady (giving her the benefit of the doubt) has won the prize. Amber Young can be thankful she has a very common name. There's certainly nothing common about her transgressions, according to the NTTA, which contends Ms. Young's automobile has boogied through the pay gates 8,366 times without paying!
They must be camouflaged.
In her "Pass Go and collect $200" mentality, Young has racked up a total debt of $179, 593.43 -- or more than the GNP of Yemen.
I don't feel so bad anymore about my $4.27 balance. I sure am glad I'm not her priest, though. Then again, that would require Young to have a conscious.
Where there's smoke, there's fire
Two doctors and a trainer from Lance Armstrong's winning Tour de France teams were handed lifetime sports bans from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, or USADA, this week.
This comes on the heels of accusations and charges, ad nauseam, for seemingly forever now that Armstrong cheated when he almost-miraculously peddled his way to seven straight Tour titles following a diagnosis of testicular cancer. Does seem kinda unbelievable, given the nature of that particular race, alone. Nevertheless, Armstrong has been tested more times than a lab chimp, and he's always come up "negative" regardless of the charges of him using masking agents.
Yet droves of folks from all aspects of the sport have come forth and voluntarily put themselves on record stating they witnessed or were made privy to Armstrong cheating by ingesting in some form or fashion performance-enhancing drugs. Now USADA is dragging Armstrong (back) to court on federal charges that he lied, cheated and generally did everything but pull a Rosie Ruiz and take shortcuts on the trail. Sound familiar?
The outcome -- should it ever come before the end of Revelation -- will probably be familiar, too. Instead of receiving a lifetime ban from the sport of cycling and being stripped of his record number of titles and unfathomable mark of consecutive wins, Armstrong will probably wind up with something along the lines of having to ride with training wheels and stop wearing spandex. And be confined to house arrest, which for folks like Barry Bonds and Charlie Sheen -- peers of Armstrong -- means having to stay within the moat and be content to hunting in their own back yard. Homes like Armstrong's often have their own zip code.
Whatever the conclusion, Armstrong can handle it as long as he is never "proven" to have cheated. That's the one thing the hero to cancer survivors the world over could not recover from, given the Livestrong legacy. And that won't happen, no matter how much smoldering is observed. Just ask Bonds, Roger Clemens, and juicers everywhere.
Don't throw away that box!
Dude from Defiance was living every kid's dream the other day, rummaging through his granddaddy's attic, when he came across a dirty, old cardboard box. By now, you've no doubt heard the fantastic tale from the town in northwest Ohio.
Mr. Karl Kissner was not only living it, he realized the dream of finding treasure in the attic. Inside the box were baseball cards of the likes of Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner and Cy Young that were not only a type long-ago discontinued, but also in near-pristine condition. The short of it is Kissner found about 700 cards that experts are saying could be worth up to $3 million.
According to the AP, Kissner said, ""It's like finding the Mona Lisa in the attic."
The cards are just about as well-preserved. Untouched for more than a century, the colors of the cards are vibrant and the borders are still crisp and white. One expert said, "You just don't see them this nice."
It all kinda makes you wanna go see the grandfolks this week, don't it? Don't forget to buy a lottery ticket while you're gassing up for the trip.
J. David Barron is a staff columnist for Star Community Newspapers. Reach him at dbarron@starlocalnews.com
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