Re: [DMCForum] Re: Cop stories

[Ryan Wright <ryanpwright@xxxxxxxxx>]

On 12/17/05, Dick Ryan <deloreanbiker@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> Forgive me, but isn't that about the dumbest thing written here in a
> long time; ie., getting cited for a violation of community supported
> rules is okay, but having those rules enforced is not?????

What? I said nothing of the sort. Gary mentioned that it was "funny"
how other professions are not debated to the extent police officers
are. I provided the answer: Police are heavily debated because they
have such power over our lives. I'll try to rephrase my statement.
Perhaps if you understand what I meant, you won't find it so "dumb":

"The problem is that failure to pay a police fine can result in arrest
and jail time, whereas a 'fine' issued by any other entity is a civil
matter and, at most, they can send it to a collection agency or sue
you in small claims court. This is why people get so upset about
police issued fines - the fine itself isn't the issue. The issue is
the power that's used to back it up."

Nowhere did I say enforcing speeding tickets is not OK, and quite
frankly I've no idea how you jumped to that conclusion. I simply
provided an explanation for why police were debated more often than
other professions. The answer lies in the power they have over us.

> Now you can argue that the rules are not "community supported", but if
> the community didn't support them, they would be overthrown.  Yes, I
> know this is an overly simplified generalization, but, please, whether
> you like them or not, traffic rules/ordinances are put in place by and
> for the good of the general population.

Please note that I am not arguing for the elimination of these rules.
In fact, I specifically said, "I'm not saying we should eliminate
speeding tickets."

Why can't issues be compared and contrasted around here without people
jumping to conclusions? My entire point addressed a single issue: Why
police are debated more often than other professions. I said nothing
about whether traffic laws were appropriate. Why have you jumped to
the conclusion that I have a problem with traffic laws?

> The "problem is that failure to pay a speeding ticket can result in
> arrest and jail time" is NOT the problem.  The "power that's used to
> back it up" is power that WE have given to those who represent us.
> Though the power may occasionally be misused, it is an absolutely
> necessary aspect to societal safety in a culture such as ours.

Gah! More commentary supporting traffic laws! I agree with you, for
crying out loud. But that's NOT what I was discussing. I really have
no idea how I could have been more clear in my response.

By the way:

> The "problem is that failure to pay a speeding ticket can result in
> arrest and jail time" is NOT the problem.

Yes, it is! In the context of the "problem" being "why are police
debated so heavily", that's exactly why!

--
- Ryan
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