Monday, November 15, 2010

The Money Grab

I had the misfortune of getting a speeding ticket this weekend. I'm not disputing my guilt Despite the fact that I rarely speed, on this occasion, I was definitely over the limit. What upset me was the absolute determination of the officer to write the ticket without even considering a reprimand and leniency. Even though I don't agree with this mindset, I understand what goes.

Traffic citations are a source of revenue for municipalities and have become, in these troubling economic times, one way in which many cities, towns and villages are seeking to reap income to close their budget gaps. As such the Barney Fifes are out in force, setting up speed traps and scouring their ordinance books to squeeze every dollar they can out of drivers. Since when did traffic laws become a tax and cease to be an instrument of public safety? The proliferation of red light cameras, random "license" checks, and the mother of all money grabs, impound fees, is disturbing. Maybe for some a speeding ticket here and there is no big deal, but to me and most of humanity a dollar still has value. What is also particularly irksome is the fact that if one rolls over and pays the fine via mail it is roughly one third of the minimum fine that is charged if one has the audacity to show up in court. Freedom isn't free, but we can't be clogging up the courts with annoying citizens who wish to actually defend themselves.

There is also the disturbing nature of just who is doing the policing and judging. Show me a cop who has never violated a traffic law and I'll show you a unicorn attending Harvard. Not too long ago a local criminal prosecutor was tragically killed in a one car collision after consuming too many martinis with her cohorts. Just this past year a local judge was cited for reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident, but somehow the judicial ethics folks had no problem with him remaining in robes behind the bench.

The point here is simple. No one is above the law, but few have not strayed beneath once in a while. As such the punishment should fit the crimes and the laws should serve to insure the public safety and not used to raise revenue. It would also be nice if those entrusted with serving and protecting us from the evil doers, weren't evil doers themselves.


Thursday, November 4, 2010

The Stench of Voting

I voted on Tuesday; reluctantly. The only solace to having this election over with is that we no longer have to be bombarded by the crap that is thrown our way via election ads, unsolicited cell phone calls (thanks T Mobile for selling my number) and the endless punditry that passes for political commentary.

Sadly, the way the federal and state governments are constituted is woefully ill-suited to deal with the massive problems that affect Americans. The framers of the constitution rightfully sought to infuse restraint and balance into our system of government, but they could not have foreseen the evolution of this nation into one where our media and politicians have been co opted and corrupted to the point where the will of the people and the power of sovereignty means nothing.

Voting is a Pyrrhic endeavor given the choices that are offered. The quality of the candidates is substandard. No one with any real intellect and moral balance would seriously get anywhere close to the swamp that government has become. Those who are the best and brightest know that even those with good intentions soon become corrupted by the process and are forced to compromise their values to the point where they become meaningless. The end goal of every politician, no matter how well intentioned on the campaign trail, soon becomes the pursuit of power at all costs. This mindset translates into a concerted pattern of avoiding tough game-changing policies and pandering to the lowest common denominator. Smoke and mirrors replace imagination and innovation and hidden agendas abound.

The standard of living in this country is in landslide mode. Effective unemployment, those without jobs or teetering on the brink of unemployment, is in the neighborhood of twenty percent. Owning a home used to be one's best, and often, only investment for the future. Now, with housing prices in free fall, it makes little financial sense to own rather than rent. A college degree used to be an investment in success and security. Now, it is often just another way into suffocating debt and despair.

The education system in this nation is broken and failing our children and our future. Manufacturing, once the backbone of our economy is securely situated in the far east. Our government continues to commit to draining the treasury by fighting wars that are unwinable and morally unjustified. Even seemingly simple issues like Gays in the military are confused and compounded into political issues that seem beyond resolve.

I wish I could be optimistic, but without major changes in the structure and operation of government, there is little hope. It is incomprehensible that government cannot provide effective defense, affordable healthcare, legitimate education and employment to citizens. This let them eat cake attitude is taking us all down the road to a time when a significant portion of the population is having to deal with basic survival.

Tuesday's so-called Republican tsunami comes under the heading of "careful what you wish for." I suspect soon-to-be speaker, Boehner's tears on election night were less indicative of his life trajectory and more representative of the reality that his ox is the one that is next go be gored. We can only hope that the anger and despair that propels lunatics like O'Donnell, Paul and Angle into prominence will serve notice on Congress that chaos is an option if real change is not in the offing.