[lbo-talk] is law enforcement a way to raise money for localeconomies

[Carrol Cox]

It's wonderful how often some dramatic/romantic moral issue clouds political
discussion. Michael in his original post as well as this one was concerned
with a general issue, criminal treatment of minor offenses; drunk driving
was not the focus. Perhaps he made a slip even to mention it -- but that is
awfully easy to do in quickly written e-mail posts, and for a whole thread
to be dominated by a slip is almost obscene. Traffic enforcement (leaving
drunk driving out of it) is in some ways a racket. Driving in southern
Missouri one comes around a curve (say at 55 mph) & about 20 feet in front
of one is a sign: Speed Limit 20mph. It makes up a substantial part of the
town's budget. Such speed traps have been notorious for 90 or more years. In
my first post I tried to separate out drunk driving from the general
subject; Alan frustrated that effort nicely with a disquisition on the
intellectual and political biography of Carrol Cox, thus taking us even
further away from the political issues Michael tried to raise.

Carrol

-----Original Message-----
From: lbo-talk-bounces at lbo-talk.org [mailto:lbo-talk-bounces at lbo-talk.org]
On Behalf Of michael yates
Sent: Wednesday, May 09, 2012 10:19 AM
To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
Subject: [lbo-talk] is law enforcement a way to raise money for
localeconomies

Drunk driving can never be condoned and must be punished. But it seems to me
that a college town like Boulder encourages drinking (Flagstaff, AZ is
blatant about it, with ads directly encouraging it). Buses don't run late.
The cab companies raised a fuss when a free shuttle was proposed. Isn't it
possible that the police and all of the others who collect the money don't
really want there to be fewer DUIs but rather more, to justify their
existence and expansion? Like prison guard unions that certainly don't want
there to be fewer prisoners and don't care much that no one is
rehabilitated. As I noted earlier, there are many other offences, far less
serious than drunk driving that are punished with heavy fines. Police can
charge you with what they want, and you pay the consequences. In
Pennsylvania, cops have two years to charge you with something after an
arrest or even an illegal search of your person or car. Let's say you are
riding your bicycle in a town. The police don't !

 like you for whatever reason and stop you for something. They demand to see
you wallet. You foolishly, or our of fear,  show it to them. They find pills
in your wallet. They note this but let you go. A year later you are notified
that you have been charged with drug possession. Good luck to you. I've had
a lot of experience with police, magistrates, courts, and the like. It is a
nefarious system. Let me add that these experiences have seldom involved me.
I don't drink or use drugs. I do have a car, however and we drive a good
deal, evil and socially irresponsible as that may be.

 		 	   		  
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