It doesn't make me a goody-goody, but someone who accepts he's done the wrong thing and needs to face up to the consequences.
Instead of having offenders get away with non-payment, why don't the courts impose the various detentions on top of those fines?
Maybe that will teach these ratbags that they can't get around the law.
Tauranga Sensible Sentencing Trust spokesman Ken Evans says non-payment of fines shows disrespect for the court system and that those who don't pay should have assets sold.
Too right.
Trust founder Garth McVicar said the Ministry of Justice should be taking a tougher line on offenders.
He brands New Zealand's collection "dismal" compared with Australia's system where 90 per cent of fines are collected.
But while sensible people see the problem and how to deal with it, try convincing the Ministry of Justice of the need for a hard line on the matter.
While general manager of collections Jacquelyn Shannon said the ministry was committed to ensuring fines and reparation remained a credible sanction in New Zealand, it seems the bar is set fairly low.
And I'm not sure her attitude is right for someone who needs to wrench dosh out of hands unwilling to let go of it.
Ms Shannon said: "Our efforts are paying off. The amount of outstanding fines and reparation has fallen from $658.8 million in July 2011 to $567.1 million owing as at August 31, 2014." Umm, I think she has missed the point. Okay, so almost $100 million has been clawed back from defaulters, but there is still $567 million outstanding.
The Government needs to drink some concrete and get hard with these people who are thumbing their noses at the justice system.
As A non-smoker I am not too fussed with people wanting to kill themselves that way unless they are puffing near me while I am eating, or when their kids are in a car with them.
It is their choice and if they are smoking in designated areas then it isn't anyone else's business.
Unfortunately today, the anti-smoking Nazis can't quite seem to understand that people do have choices - even in a world where it seems everyone can tell you how to think and behave.
Up in the Wild North, the staff at NorthTec have their undies in a knot because the polytechnic has only limited smoking on its Raumanga campus rather than banning it outright. According to Tertiary Education Union rep Chan Dixon at least 10 staff are "furious" about the issue.
Despite concerns around health and the reputation of the school, management was refusing to budge, Ms Dixon said.
Now I reckon sensible people should put this into perspective. The polytech has limited smoking to just one area, isolated from classrooms.
And as for the "at least 10" furious staff - the place has 400 staff in total.
But those other silent staff don't make as much noise as the squeaky few do they?
It isn't often I am gobsmacked, but on Saturday afternoon I witnessed something that truly astounded me.
I was getting a trolley from the Pak'nSave carpark and stood back while a woman got one ahead of me. She looked at the inside of it and wrinkled her nose in distaste because it had a scrunched up - obviously used - tissue in it and two supermarket dockets.
Looking at me, she said "Yuk I'm not touching that disgusting thing" and proceeded to tip the smaller trolley on its side so all the papers fell on to the ground.
"That's better," she said with a grin. "Only now you've just dumped litter on the road," I responded.
She shrugged and walked off.
If I had been her, I would have got another trolley rather than littering because where I come from dropping papers and rubbish on the ground is a big no-no.
Guess the idea of being a tidy Kiwi isn't cool anymore.
-richard@richardmoore.com
Richard Moore is an award-winning Western Bay journalist and photographer
