>The point is not compensation or redistribution but punishment, to say BAD
>state actor, Don't Do That! Sometimes it's the only thing that gets their
>attention.
I understand the concept of punitive damages - but i am arguing that this concept is misapplied here, because it de facto asks the taxpayers to pay for the misdeed committed by a government functionary. It is as if we were all asked to serve a day or so of the prison term received by a government employee. This is much different from a private person paying such damages.
wojtek