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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lane3 who wrote (26244)	9/7/2001 5:15:00 PM
From: The Philosopher	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 82486

The choice in this scenario is between driving relatively safely and obeying the law. We shouldn't have to deal with that irony and make that choice. I agree you shouldn't have to make that choice. But is the answer to break the law, or to put pressure on the government powers either to change the law or to enforce it? It's the "broken windows" concept of policing. Speeding is, IMO, a broken window. Look at Tim, a reasonable enough fellow in some ways, yet because others break the law with apparent impugnity he has a cavalier attitude toward law generally. He'll break any law he considers stupid if he thinks he can get away with it. The answer of law abiding citizens, IMO, shouldn't be just to become a lawbreaker themselves, but to insist that government enforce even the small laws to engender respect for law generally. Don't tell me they can't afford it. If the police enforced the speed limits rigorously, from what you tell me there would be no problem finding people speeding. Assuming it takes ten minutes to catch a car and write a ticket, and the average ticket is $75, then in an eight hour shift assigned solely to speed limit enforcement, allowing two hours off for breaks, misc. duties, etc., a single office could bring in $2,700. That's enough to pay his salary, the judge's salary, the cost of the cop car, the cost of the jail and courtroom and all the other ancillary costs, and leave plenty left over for funding vastly underfunded social programs. Everybody wins except the law breakers, and they deserve to lose. And you get to drive in whatever lane you want to and feel safe.