remsav

No we already did that with Bush tax cuts.... when you lower 5-10% across the board it benefits the person making more money... ie same example as yours but the other side of the coin.

No the jail sentence is based on time AND fines/penalty. Time is priceless and equal to everyone. The point of making fines based on a percentage is to make the "cost" the same in effect to the person.
By your twisted logic the rich shouldn't go to jail at all, like Madoff stealing and making billions.

seriously whats the deal with the discrepency in penalty, if you rob via arms it's 10-20years and the average robber steals around $500-$5000, if you rob thru deception ala madoff and others it's like 1-5years and these guys steal $millions-$billions and only the reason why Madoff is looking at 150years is because of the number of victims. And more then likely he'll get 10years because of old age.

JonnyHK 

You make a valid technical argument, but you don't consider morals or ethics.

We want to discourage poor driving, hence the suggested system.

Since we don't want to encourage crime etc, the example you use for jail sentences is spurious.
Ditto your take on the tax rebates/stimulus payments etc. One of the whole points is to help those with the least resources.

Nice thought pattern, clear logic - but wrong on so many levels when you consider the bigger picture.

chs4

I was playing devil's advocate there and exaggerating to make a point...I don't believe either of those scenarios I laid out are realistic or warranted. At the same time I don't think that any criminal code should base its penalties on the economic situation of the perpetrator.

At the end of the day, my $100 buys the same amount of "stuff" as someone who earns half what I earn or double what I earn. The fact that I have more (or less) $100's to spend is nobodies business. I'm against any government entity that tries to dictate when I have "enough" money, and even more so when they attempt to punish me because of it.

JonnyHK 

Perhaps I just know more rich wankers than you do who think they have more entitlement to dump on the rest of society because they can afford it!

Sure they can buy the same amount of 'stuff' - it just affects them differently.

Not having a go at you, but there is a lot about our society that isn't fair and can't be counted as simply as you think.

Digital_Cowboy

I would also suggest something like a driving school class designed for bicycle riders. You know how a driver can take driving school to avoid getting points on their license? Like that but designed for bicycles.

About the only way to lose one's right to ride a bicycle is if bicycle riders were licensed.

Digital_Cowboy

Well said, if you value your license, don't loose it.

Digital_Cowboy

Add to that "he just popped up out of nowhere" and "I didn't see her."

Clarks

THere was a driver that hit a 7 year old kid, driver said he just 'came out of nowhere'. Evidentally the kid ran out from between parked cars. Should this driver be held responsible? One person I talkd to said the driver still was responible cause he should have had in mind that a kid might run out, another person said he shouldnt be held responsible.

alhedges

The fact that you've violated the law makes it the government's business; that's how law works. And I don't think we need to be *that* solicitous of the rights of drunk and dangerous drivers.

Note that under this system, all fines are equal - all speeders are fined one day's wages. Just like all criminals who commit a certain crime might be imprisoned for one year. The penalty in both cases is based on time, which is of the same value to everyone.

Keith99

Except it is not the same. Most of those making more are not working 40 hour weeks. You are in fact taking more of their time. Actually it camn impact those at the lower ends too. I know of one low end worker who sometimes works for me on Sundays. He has a regular job 6 days a week but still picks up Sunday work when he can.

DwayneS

That's pretty communistic if you ask me. People need freedom, and having a GPS and remote shutdown in every car would be ridiculous. And you use life suspension like it's nothing. If I'm driving and talking on a cell phone and get in a little fender bender I should not be able to drive and hence not be able to get to and from work and lose my independence for the rest of my life!!! You're crazy.

Digital_Cowboy

Is this an area where kids are known to be playing and/or darting out from between parked cars? Ultimately, yes as drivers are suppose to be aware of what is around them. And should be expecting the unexpected.

Digital_Cowboy

A lot of rental cars have GPS/Speed monitoring soft/hardware in them. If one is speeding even if not caught and ticketed by the local LEO's they can still be "fined" by the rental agency. I'm also sure that a lot of those On-Star equipped cars can be shut down remotely as we've seen commercials where they are started remotely.

Cars are NOT the only means of transportation to get from Point A to Point B. Driving is a PRIVILEGE not a right. If you screw up while driving you SHOULD lose that privilege for a while or for the rest of your life if it is serious enough of an infraction.

Just because one looses their car PRIVILEGE to drive doesn't mean that they have lost their independence.

Actually one can argue that they've lost some of their independence by being so defendant on their cars. And all of the money that they spend on it. I have a friend who had to take a second part-time job to pay for the gas to get to his primary job.

DX-MAN

It's pretty draconian, but not communistic; the point is, freedoms come with responsibilities, and if you don't use the latter, you lose the former....

Not sure how losing your car and driving prvileges would cost you work and independence...I'm car-free for five years now, and I work full-time, and come and go as I please. For fender-bending while you're celling,...sure, get off the f'n road til you finish your call. MY life, MY property, MY ANYTHING isn't worth less than your phone time.

Like I tell my kids -- you want to be treated like an adult, act like one. It starts with responsibility. And responsibility is a 24/7 job. (Okay, who's next on the soapbox!)

trackhub

Massachusetts doesn't have a "points on your license" system. Instead, they use a system of fines and insurance surcharges. Thus, a single speeding ticket could conceivably cost you thousands of dollars over the next seven years. Three speeding citations within a twelve months period means an automatic thirty day license suspension. I'm not sure how it progresses after that. Eastern MA is just full of lawyers who specialize in getting licenses back.

One big problem is what happens when someone is caught driving with a suspended or revoked license. Basically, you go to court, get a little spanking, and pay a one hundred dollar fine. That's it. No actual criminal charges. This is what happens if it's your first offense, or your one hundredth. There's been no real effort to change the law. The popular saying around here is "Massachusetts residents vote, with their right foot."

At the present, the big concern at the state house is about elderly drivers. Nothing about hormonally pumped up teens behind the wheel, cell phone queens, or the ever present "I'm tough, look out for me" types. (Passes the soap box to the next ranter...)

Digital_Cowboy

How does that work for say someone from New Jersey who might be passing through?

DwayneS

I disagree. I live in a rural area and my father has been driving over 3 mountains to work, over an hour of drive time, that's two time a day. He has to leave around 3:30 to 4:00 AM depending on road conditions (it take up to two hours in the winter as only one of the mountains is cleared and salted). To get to a Wal Mart it is a good 45 minute drive. My LBS, one hour and much of that is interstate once out of the valley I live in. And being in a small rural town, there is no mass transit, only two taxi services (which you have to call to get them to pick you up) and have outrageous fares.

So I guess I could just walk to work, my LBS, the grocery store, and maybe try to commute on a bike here and there. Or go broke from taxi fares, or have someone else drive me everywhere. That sounds like lots of independence to me!

SchnauzerHerder

There are always consequences to your actions, some more severe than others. Very few people are as dependent on their own ability to drive as they may think. You said yourself that you can get a ride off a friend or neighbor. I used to live in a rural area, where getting anywhere without a car was a challenge, but if you do something that cause you to lose your license, you've only brought it upon yourself. Would you rather be jailed instead?

Digital_Cowboy

Driving is still a privilege and not a right. If there isn't much or any public transportation other then taxis in your community then you need to petition your local politicians to change that.

Living car free all or some of the time may mean making sacrifices, but even in rural areas it is still doable. Check out this book: How to Live Well Without Owning a Car: Save Money, Breathe Easier, and Get More Mileage Out of Life