School here in Orange County, New York begins in September. On the morning of August 7, 2008 at 10:40 a.m., I drove through the Village of Walden on State Route 208. At that point, I had been on Route 208 for a couple of blocks, since turning from a small side street to avoid congestion downtown. Looking straight at the traffic ahead, I didn’t notice my car beginning to speed up. The signs posted in the village are 30 m.p.h. and 25 m.p.h. near the school. Just as you leave the village, down from the school, the speed sign says 45 m.p.h. Noticing that my car was beginning to roll a little before the 45 m.p.h. sign, I applied the breaks on a downhill where there was other traffic. That was not good enough for the police officer who stopped me right past the 45 m.p.h. sign. He said the speed is 30 mp.h. going out of the village. The car I was driving needs 30 m.p.h. just to get up the hill going up to the school. Naturally, you will roll down on the other side of the grade. Then, there’s the cop. He gave me a ticket for 43 m.p.h. in a downhill 30 m.p.h. zone. I never get tickets. People flash me and pass me, because now I drive precisely at the speed limit posted by signs. Following arbitrary speed signs converts decent motorists into into insecure and dangerous drivers. Between "gas prices" and vacation when so many people are away, there are fewer motorists. So, police pick from what’s there to get rid of their tickets. Under these conditions, Mother Theresa would get a ticket.