Everyone speeds . . . but what about over-speeding? I bet even in Virginia, the land of bad traffic, it’s still only a minority who regularly puts pedal to metal to drive 20 miles over the speed limit. That’s said to be reckless driving, after all.

But it’s not for the public safety that the state of Virginia began imposing huge, whopping fines, for over-speeding. As much as $3000 per fine. It’s not a huge campaign to get us all to drive better, safer.

It’s a huge campaign to allow politicians to spend more. The many millions expected to be raised this year this way was the Democratic governor’s response to a defeat of his coveted tax increase. The fines are to go to road development. That’s deemed necessary because money previously allocated to roads has been waylaid for other programs.

Then came the huge, honking outcry. One hundred fifty thousand people have signed a petition to repeal the law establishing these whopping fines. The legislature has been inundated with calls and emails.

Delegate Robert G. Marshall, who opposed the law before passage, now leads the campaign against it. “Criminal and civil penalties shouldn’t be created for raising money,” he said. “You don’t want to turn our police into gun-toting tax collectors.”

Even Virginians who don’t habitually over-speed see the out-of-whackness of the excessive fines. And they see the politicians’ greed. The problem, officer, isn’t over-speeding. It’s over-spending.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

In Grand Rapids, Michigan, in order to force a recall election the law requires the signatures of 16,500 registered voters on petitions.

Recently, the Committee for Positive Community Change launched a recall campaign against Board of Education member David Allen. The Michigan Education Association has reportedly assisted the group’s recall campaign.

And, then, there they were on the deadline day turning in their signatures. The group’s leader Kenneth Muhammad, also a local Nation of Islam leader, told reporters, “As far as we are concerned, we met our objectives.”

So, just how many signatures did they get? Well, I’ll tell you in a minute.

First things first: Why did they want to recall Mr. Allen? None of the reasons given made sense to the Grand Rapids Press.In a recent editorial they called the recall effort “ridiculous,” “misleading,” and “absurd.”

You see, Allen’s crime was to save the school district a ton of tax money by privatizing some transportation services and the substitute teachers. In fact, that display of good sense caused Kyle Olson of the newly formed Education Action Group to pledge his group’s support for Allen.

Okay. So, I know you’re dying to hear the number — just how many signatures did they get? A whopping three signatures. Just three.

If you look on the bright side, though, the group was only 16,500 signatures short.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

Something a bit odd is happening in Michigan. Public school districts are advertising . . . in newspapers, on radio, through the mail.

All sorts of enterprises advertise for customers, of course. What’s odd is that it still seems odd . . . for education.

In Michigan it’s happening because of a new set of laws regarding “schools of choice.” The state now allows school districts to accept students out of district. And this means more school choice than before.

And where there’s choice, there’s advertising.

“It’s an investment,” said Greg Byndrian, a spokesman for the Detroit Public School District, which sports a $93,000 marketing budget. “You don’t have to attract many students to recoup that,” he stated.

A charter school in Pontiac, on the other hand, eschews buying media time. But it does send fliers out in the mail, and puts up posters in two languages. Still, the school insists that most of its success in attracting students comes directly from past educational success, spread by word of mouth.

But before you wonder about how important advertising is, consider another novel idea some districts have begun to offer: customer service. They are actually training employees to help parents navigate through the school system.

There are critics of all this, of course. They think schools should concentrate on what they do best: improving education.

But, ahem, before these competitive programs, the schools weren’t improving all that much.

So, what next? Why, more competition. Of course!

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

Sometimes Good Samaritans hold shotguns.

Colin Bruley was an on-site leasing agent for a Jacksonville apartment complex. Late one night in June he heard the screams of a next-door neighbor, yelling she had been shot. Bruley ran to help, and tried to treat the woman’s bloodied leg until an ambulance could arrive. Was that the mistake?

Bruley had also brought his shotgun in case the assailant was still around. Was that the mistake? Man’s got the right to defend himself, right?

Well, what about his failure to report the incident to supervisors right after it happened about two in the morning? Bruley says he felt a bit rattled. And that once the woman had gone to the hospital, he didn’t think there was much supervisors could do immediately anyway.

But the next day Bruley was fired for “brandishing” a weapon in violation of workplace rules, and for failing to report the incident presto. I guess he could have woken somebody up at 2 a.m. But sounds like he would have been fired anyway for the so-called brandishing.

Most folks who hear about all this are outraged, with good reason. Colin Bruley, however, is not the kind of citizen to be discouraged by punishment when he should have received a pat on the back. He says: “If I’d lose my job again for helping save some girl’s life. . . . I’d do it over and over.”

Good man. But what kind of society is he living in?

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

Everybody’s thick-headed sometimes. Even me, I guess, on some subjects. Ask my wife.

So I try to keep my cool in public debates.

For example, I’m not shocked when somebody says, “Hey, let’s have more government telling people what to do.” Or: “Hey, let’s send more U.S. tax dollars to poor countries overseas.” I may disagree — strongly. But I’m not going to explode into a state of shock like I’ve never heard this sort of thing before.

But what about Bono, the economist/rock star?

Ah, now I have your attention. What did this rock-star guy do now? He attended a technology conference in Tanzania. Many speakers there argued that traditional aid has failed to lift Africa out of its economic doldrums. Uganda journalist Andrew Mwenda contended that Western aid has not only failed, it helps entrench poverty. He wants more investment. He asks: “What man or nation has ever become rich by holding out a begging bowl?”

Bono was shocked! From the audience, he shouted “Bollocks!” — plus another
word I can’t quote on this family channel. Bono told the group that listening to Mwenda was like listening to an African Margaret Thatcher. According to Bono, the aid simply hasn’t been tweaked properly as yet.

Well, once he calms down a bit, maybe Bono can explain to us why the kind of economic freedom that works for America can’t also work for Africa. I will be shocked if he can muster any argument at all.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.