Finnish sausage king makes history with giant speeding fine

AFP ^ | Tue, Feb 10, 2004

[presidio9]

Finland's sausage king, a 27-year-old millionaire, set a new national record when he was served up a 170,000-euro (216,000-dollar) fine for speeding, it was reported.

Jussi Salonoja was caught last Thursday motoring along at 80 kilometers per hour (50 miles an hour) in a zone limited to half that speed, the Finnish tabloid Iiltalehti said on its internet site.

The price of the fine was scaled to his income, in conformity with Finnish law on traffic violations.

Salonoja, heir to a sausage empire, was already fined 40,000 euros back in 2000 for cruising at 200 kilometers per hour on the motorway, the daily Helsingin Sanomat said.

This week he dethroned record-holder Jaakko Rysola, an internet millionaire, who had to pay 80,000 euros in 2000 for a traffic violation.

Anssi Vanjoki, another Finnish millionaire and a former board member at mobile telephone maker Nokia (news - web sites), nearly scooped the record in 2002 when he was slapped with a 116,000-euro fine for speeding on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

But Vanjoki successfully pleaded that his income had dropped after the bust of the telecom sector, leaving the former high-cost record intact.

[presidio9]

Somebody wants to challenge you to a drag race I think.

Suggested vehicle:

[KangarooJacqui]

Okay, the Finns (and the Germans, who also follow the practice of levvying traffic fines according to income) have this bit right. But when are they just gonna take this guy's licence AWAY?

80km, or 50mph, in a zone designated 25mph - I know places you'd lose your licence for that.

[martin_fierro]

Wotta weenie.

[Charles Henrickson]

He crossed the Finnish line.

[presidio9]

Well, that's what you get for hot-dogging it all the way to the Finnish line.

[ican'tbelieveit]

Are you kidding, why would they take away his license when they can get these kinds of fees out of him when he drives. Just follow him everywhere he goes.

[jpsb]

I do the jail time if I were him. Let the socailist state fed him, instead of feeding off of him.

[martin_fierro]

Jussi Salonoja

Roughly translates to "Juicy Salami".

[per loin]

Them Finns must be communisms or sump'in like that. How dare they fine rich folks meaningfully, just for breaking the law.

[presidio9]

Somehow, I had a feeling this thread would bring out the wurst in people.

[norraad]

Oh, man, if we had that & Bill Gates got a ticket, can you imagine?

[southernnorthcarolina]

WHAT?!

Speeding fines are scaled to income in some European countries?

Let me get this straight. If you are of modest means, it's more acceptable to endanger other citizens than if you are well-off? Unbelievable. Socialism, as it inevitably will, has truly run amok here.

[Rebelbase]

"Somehow, I had a feeling this thread would bring out the wurst in people."

It'll only be the brats causing problems.

[SamAdams76]

"Well it could have been worse. They could have stopped me in Finland!"

[martin_fierro]

You brat.

[zoyd]

I'm sure this article has given any number of American liberals a reason to live -- a new way to screw the rich.

[#3Fan]

The price of the fine was scaled to his income, in conformity with Finnish law on traffic violations.

Imagine if they did that here. The state of Washington would have a satellite tracking Bill Gates to hit him for a billion dollars a whack.

[GladesGuru]

Sounds like the Finns are the wiennies in this case. I can't imagine a sliding scale for fines.

But now I know why the old USSR considered the Finns to be a part of Russia - only a socialist could tolerate such a travesty.

[southernnorthcarolina]

From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs. Marxism writ small, in this case.