My car is sitting in a dirt lot and this place is still charging trumphed up daily storage fees. After it rained I had to carefully walk through the mud to avoid slipping and yet they are still charging me these exagerrated fees. My care has barely been there for a few weeks and they want over a thousand. They say if I want to sign the car over to them that I can only pay 500 but I have to pay it today. They dont offer a payment plan. You have to pay the entire 500 upfront. If you dont have 500 then you cannot sign the car over and until the lien company takes it and it goes into collections, I cannot do much but get stuck with a 1,000 + dollar bill and ruined credit when this happens. I dont understand why the impound is so ridiculously overpriced and why it costs so much to store a car in the mud (yes mud) It is so obvious that the City of Los Angeles is merely price gouging people on any little thing so that they can profit on us. I would like to sign the car over and get on a payment plan to pay the 500 but since they ironically refuse to allow us to pay through installments, I have to instead wait for the bill to go into collections in order to get a payment plan, which does me no good by then since they will be charging me the maximum fines at their ridiculously overpriced rates.
They designed this to put us into collections on purpose. We are forced to pay ridiculous fees to attempt to avoid collections but if you dont have large sums of cash laying around then you end up getting exploited by them as they double the bill sending it into collections. The system is designed to prevent us from having a fair chance so that it can profit as unscrupulously as possible. I'm on Social Security. I live on a very limited income. Yet the County and City want to over charge for every little thing as if I somehow am going to have extra money magically, doubling or tripling the bill, issuing warrants and sending it into collections when I am unable to do what is mathematically impossible.
These guys are really trying to generate revenue the wrong way. They are really hurting low income people with this revenue scheme that targets the poorest and most hurting.
I'm really losing respect for city government, county government and the State of California government. It doesn't give a damn about helping me to become a self reliant functioning member of society. If I didnt have family to live with at low rent I would be homeless because of these stupid over inflated fines. Then they would prosecute me for vagrancy. Or I could live in a bording care with my credit destroyed knowing I'm going to die there due to never being able to crawl out of the hole on an even more limited income once the bording care confiscates my SSI check.
This system is not looking out for me as much as it claims. It is crippling me instead to make a few extra bucks.
I dont know where the money is but I dont have it. The City, County and State need to send the bill to whoever is actually doing well, not low income people like myself struggling to succeed.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
A Supportive Woman in my Life
I'm realizing that I really could use a supportive woman in my life. I'm in a very dysfunctional relationship that seems to be more a source of pain than anything. I guess it just wasnt meant to be. I want to believe but I have to check myself and keep my feet on the ground. What I wish would happen and what really is happening are not the same. I'm looking at how she responds and reacts, how unreliable she is, and how mean she has become and I am realizing this is just going to go from bad to worse. I need to wake up and face the music. She is not going to change and I'm not happy. I really was hoping that she was going to be the one but as painful as it is to face directly, I'm seeing that she isn't.
I'm sick of walking thru life alone, and now I have to go back out on that same fucked up blvd and stroll through it all over again knowing that nothing is promised.
I'm sick of walking thru life alone, and now I have to go back out on that same fucked up blvd and stroll through it all over again knowing that nothing is promised.
Brandy Presidente
I did some research and found out that Brandy is made from grapes(uvas).
I honestly did not realize that grapes could produce something so strong. They can do a whole lot more than mere wine it appears. I also found that Mexico has a long history of Brandy production. Actually, Mexico has an extensive history of liquor production. I never realized such a wide variety of liquors are produced in Mexico for the world to enjoy.
DRINK RESPONSIBLY
Friday, November 14, 2008
My Master Plan
I scheduled my appointment for my DUI program. I scheduled the wrong day and afterward remembered that I have a court date in Pedro the same day, so I had to reschedule immediately after hanging up the phone, which was embarrassing.
I've been arguing alot with my lady. We both lost our cars and it is making it hard for the two of us to see each other. She has been trying to keep in touch over the phone when she can but she still disappears for large periods of time leaving me clueless as to what is going on with her. Her work schedule is all over the place and she has so much going on that it just makes it more difficult. She is a very independent woman. She kicks it with who she wants, does what she wants, and I feel neglected alot. Some of the stuff she does just doesn't look right. She says one thing but then does another. I catch her covering up shit and lying too much. She hides so much stuff from me that it is getting insulting. She says she doesn't have time but then I find out all this other stuff going on with her and I realized she does have time. She just uses it in a way that doesn't make sense to me. I'm really frustrated with her flaking on me and she doesn't even call to tell me. She just leaves me waiting and ignores my calls if I call to ask her what is going on. I have to leave angry messages to get her to finally pick the phone up to tell me that she is flaking on me, and she always gives stupid excuses that really show her lack of priorities. I am starting to feel like a fool. I wish I had it good where I could just dump her and move on to some other jaina, but the reality is I'm not much of a people person so if I do I'll probably be doing a stretch before my next functional opportunity to be with someone. I just don't got it like that. Wish I did but I don't. I'm not a very sharp mind, my conversation skills are very bad, I realize I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed. Maybe I'm just doubting myself and need to try harder, but I try pretty damn hard. If you don't know what to do then you don't know what to do. We live in a society of no explanations and high expectations. If you don't understand the rhythm you don't really get to benefit from it. I'm walking the streets but I feel like I'm still doing time. I don't understand and I tend to be locked out of my own environment. Simple basic things don't come easily to me. I don't understand this place, I just pretend like I do to avoid upsetting people.
Well I am making plans for the 12Th. So far this is what I have on my list:
-charge phone battery
this way when I power it up when released it might work and I'll have a phone.
-get a haircut the day before
this way I can still look decent while in there for as long as possible
-take change
this way I can catch the bus home or use a payphone if my phone doesn't power up
-have a list of phone numbers
this way I know peoples numbers if my phone doesn't work
I hope my lady goes to court with me but she cant seem to do anything unless someone gives her a ride. She says she will visit me but I don't know how without a car. If she cant even send a one sentence text message to tell me she is canceling plans then I don't know how she is going to write me entire letters much less mail them on time.
Its sad because part of the root problem is a lack of money. Without money everything becomes extra frustrating and complicated. A simple trip to the store becomes an ordeal without a car. If we had money everything would flow so much easier and be less stressful. I could get my own place and she could visit. I could pick her up and we could do more. Without funds everything becomes a challenge, even simple things and the strain kills the chemistry after a while. I guess if you've known someone for a long time then it wont matter but it prevents potential relationships from making it.
You can only work with what you got, so this is my plan:
-Spend as little money as possible. This way we can save as much as possible. I need to save money
-Fix my credit. I only owe a couple hundred bucks but still, I was denied a chase card because of it. I'm really stressing over my tickets though. They can go into collections so I hope I can serve time for them instead to clear them.
-Graduate the University. I only have 1 semester left after this one. Then I just have to pass the exit exams and I will have a Bachelors Degree.
-Network with people. I need to force myself to talk to people to get to know more connections. I am surrounded by connections and I can just waste them by silently passing thru.
-Expunge my record. Once I graduate I can request a court date to reduce my convictions to a misdemeanor. They are non-violent felonies so as long as I demonstrate that I'm trying hard to make it I think they will show me love as long as I can pay the fees. No more being a Felon! Employers will never know...
The fact that I need to save is frustrating because I am in so much ticket and court debt that I don't have much to save sadly. I try to budget my funds wisely but they are limited after all. However, I still need to plan for what I am saving for:
I've been arguing alot with my lady. We both lost our cars and it is making it hard for the two of us to see each other. She has been trying to keep in touch over the phone when she can but she still disappears for large periods of time leaving me clueless as to what is going on with her. Her work schedule is all over the place and she has so much going on that it just makes it more difficult. She is a very independent woman. She kicks it with who she wants, does what she wants, and I feel neglected alot. Some of the stuff she does just doesn't look right. She says one thing but then does another. I catch her covering up shit and lying too much. She hides so much stuff from me that it is getting insulting. She says she doesn't have time but then I find out all this other stuff going on with her and I realized she does have time. She just uses it in a way that doesn't make sense to me. I'm really frustrated with her flaking on me and she doesn't even call to tell me. She just leaves me waiting and ignores my calls if I call to ask her what is going on. I have to leave angry messages to get her to finally pick the phone up to tell me that she is flaking on me, and she always gives stupid excuses that really show her lack of priorities. I am starting to feel like a fool. I wish I had it good where I could just dump her and move on to some other jaina, but the reality is I'm not much of a people person so if I do I'll probably be doing a stretch before my next functional opportunity to be with someone. I just don't got it like that. Wish I did but I don't. I'm not a very sharp mind, my conversation skills are very bad, I realize I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed. Maybe I'm just doubting myself and need to try harder, but I try pretty damn hard. If you don't know what to do then you don't know what to do. We live in a society of no explanations and high expectations. If you don't understand the rhythm you don't really get to benefit from it. I'm walking the streets but I feel like I'm still doing time. I don't understand and I tend to be locked out of my own environment. Simple basic things don't come easily to me. I don't understand this place, I just pretend like I do to avoid upsetting people.
Well I am making plans for the 12Th. So far this is what I have on my list:
-charge phone battery
this way when I power it up when released it might work and I'll have a phone.
-get a haircut the day before
this way I can still look decent while in there for as long as possible
-take change
this way I can catch the bus home or use a payphone if my phone doesn't power up
-have a list of phone numbers
this way I know peoples numbers if my phone doesn't work
I hope my lady goes to court with me but she cant seem to do anything unless someone gives her a ride. She says she will visit me but I don't know how without a car. If she cant even send a one sentence text message to tell me she is canceling plans then I don't know how she is going to write me entire letters much less mail them on time.
Its sad because part of the root problem is a lack of money. Without money everything becomes extra frustrating and complicated. A simple trip to the store becomes an ordeal without a car. If we had money everything would flow so much easier and be less stressful. I could get my own place and she could visit. I could pick her up and we could do more. Without funds everything becomes a challenge, even simple things and the strain kills the chemistry after a while. I guess if you've known someone for a long time then it wont matter but it prevents potential relationships from making it.
You can only work with what you got, so this is my plan:
-Spend as little money as possible. This way we can save as much as possible. I need to save money
-Fix my credit. I only owe a couple hundred bucks but still, I was denied a chase card because of it. I'm really stressing over my tickets though. They can go into collections so I hope I can serve time for them instead to clear them.
-Graduate the University. I only have 1 semester left after this one. Then I just have to pass the exit exams and I will have a Bachelors Degree.
-Network with people. I need to force myself to talk to people to get to know more connections. I am surrounded by connections and I can just waste them by silently passing thru.
-Expunge my record. Once I graduate I can request a court date to reduce my convictions to a misdemeanor. They are non-violent felonies so as long as I demonstrate that I'm trying hard to make it I think they will show me love as long as I can pay the fees. No more being a Felon! Employers will never know...
The fact that I need to save is frustrating because I am in so much ticket and court debt that I don't have much to save sadly. I try to budget my funds wisely but they are limited after all. However, I still need to plan for what I am saving for:
1. A car. Nothing great just a decent lil bucket with a good motor. I have to start off humble.
2. My own place. I priced apts and they have several singles for 8-900$ -I just need to have the security deposit up front.
3. Emergency money. I don't want any surprises to cripple me.
4. Relationship Money. Because without a lady to celebrate life with, I don't see a reason to even try.
I need to force myself to do things that I don't want to do and learn to enjoy them.
Figuring out things on my own is not easy, so I need to try to be receptive.
It is very important to walk with dignity . I need to find more places to plug in.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
A better law
If I had the power to change things this is what I would do:
1. Find the cheapest towing service in town, instead of the most expensive.
The towing costs the police impound bill us are 3 times higher than the cost of towing on the street privately. They need to stop giving contracts to overpriced tow companies and find a new one that doesnt cost so much.
2. Lower ticket costs drastically. A ticket should be 60-70$, not 280$
Ridiculously overpriced tickets are not a civilized deterrent. The punishment does not fit the crime (if you want to call forgeting to use your blinker a crime) Putting people more in debt does not help the public, it hurts the public.
3. Ticket instead of towing.
Towing should only be used as a very last resort because the car is in the middle of the road or something.
4. Give Warnings instead of tickets if it is something minor.
If I forget to use my blinker or dont come to a dead stop at a stop sign, I dont deserve to get a 300$ fine. A warning would be more reasonable unless I have a history of doing this.
5. DUI fees should fit your income.
They are too overpriced for low income people to pay. They should assess our income and then fine us accordingly to avoid crippling us. Likewise higher income people could be billed more so that the fines are not a joke to them. The hospital assesses our income when billing us, why doesnt the court system?
6. Stop abusing enhancements to make any 1st time offense treated like a 2nd or 3rd.
Unless someone got hit or hurt, the course should be the appropriate one. Longer courses are too expensive and 1st timers dont deserve to get punished like 3rd timers.
7. You should be able to fight your ticket even if you cant afford to first pay it.
The current California Law mandates I first pay it in order to get a trial to fight it. I cant afford to do this due to how overpriced tickets have become. So I cant afford to excercise my right to fight it. I am supposed to be innocent until proven guilty. I should not have to pay the ticket until after I am convicted, not before. Unless I plead no contest and waive my right to a trial, I should not have to pay the ticket before the trial but after the trial. This is unconstitutional.
8. Community Service and Jail time should be lessened for people that are forced to take those options since they dont have the money to buy their way out of this by paying the unfair fines off.
Low income people should not have to suffer so much more for the same trivial misdemeanor. I did not commit a felony so stop treating me as if I did. The time needs to fit the crime.
9. License suspensions should be shorter. Debt should not be a reason to suspend a license.
Los Angeles is huge and has one of the slowest and worst transit systems in the nation. When other metropolises built subways and trains all over them we tore them out and instead built freeways. I cannot get a job or do anything without a car in this freeway county. I might be able to use the subway to do everything in New York or Oakland but not in Los Angeles. Our system is more spread out, slower and much less user friendly. The politicians sold us out to the oil and automobile industry and built freeways instead of rail lines. They are the reason why everyone needs a car to get around in a place as sprawled out as Los Angeles. Now they want to turn around afterwards and tell us that driving is a priviledge and not a right and to go take the bus after helping tear out the rail system and purposely designing our community to be a freeway transportation system requiring people to have cars here. The politicians caused this public trasnsportation mess so for them to be so unsympathetic shows how ignorant of their history they are or how unreasonable they are.
10. Find the cheapest DUI programs possible for people to be ordered to attend.
It seems they picked these ridiculously overpriced DUI programs to do what AA manages to offer the public for free. How is it Victory Outreach and Alcoholics Auynonomous offer similar services to the public for free and it is not even their damn job to provide the publis with services! Yet the government that is supposed to provide these services cant and sends us to the most over priced programs. Its as if the court system went shopping at Macy's for DUI programs instead of shopping at the swap meet or K-Mart. Why are they abusing courtroom jurisdiction to make profit off of people that dont have the money? This is the wrong way to make revenue. It is the reason why I began voting NO on every law enforcement measure and bond that I see on my ballot now. You dont need extra money for court and law enforcement as far as I'm concerned; you are overcharging us too much for every little thing as it is for me to have the same sympathy I used to when I looked at your requests on the ballot for more funding.
11. Allow people payment plans to get their car out of impound.
Currently unless you can pay the 150-260$ impound fees up front all at once, you cannot get your car out of impound. Without a car many people are less able or unable to work. What is upsetting is that if you cant afford to pay the overpriced impoud fee upfront, they keep your car and bill you for each day it is held there. The bill adds up so quickly that many times we end up losing our car to the impound because the bill gets to high for us to possibly pay. It becomes cheaper to buy another used car instead. The system is designed to put us further into debt fast. Once again, low income people end up in a bunch of debt and still losing their car whereas a higher income person can merely pay the fee and drive out of there. This policy does not treat us the same. These scales are not balanced. I should be able to drive out of that impound lot with only a downpayment paid on my bill. I should not be required to pay the entire cost first since they overcharge us so badly for this.
_________________________________________
Apparently screwing low income people over through the legal system is big bucks in California. Wealthy people dont really feel the sting. Middle Class hurt, but low income people are bankrupted by it. The system does not treat us equally. Does the police department issue the same size uniform to every single police officer? Or does it first measure them to give them the appropriate size that fits them individually? I dont understand how other government agencies like hospitals have programs in place to lower costs or eliminate costs for people that dont have money, but the court system doesnt have one. This Rambo approach to law enforcement and court sentencing is not fair. What is the point to even having a justice system if it is not fair? Isnt that what the court is supposed to be all about? How can these judges and lawmakers be so ignorant to the people they claim to serve? Or did they just give up on doing their job because they dont care? Either way this is a very disappointing system. I find it very primitive.
" But it's a deterrent "
^^^^^^ This is why I find it primitive. Anything can be a deterent. If we personally executed every politician federally indicted, I'll bet political corruption would drop drastically and we would have all of these big statistics to point to and gloat over. But when you choose such a primitive way of deterring people - Fear because of ridiculous and unconstitutional punishments- well you havent really done much but take the lazy way out of addressing the problem.
We should consider more fair punishments.
We should also consider more incentives.
1. Find the cheapest towing service in town, instead of the most expensive.
The towing costs the police impound bill us are 3 times higher than the cost of towing on the street privately. They need to stop giving contracts to overpriced tow companies and find a new one that doesnt cost so much.
2. Lower ticket costs drastically. A ticket should be 60-70$, not 280$
Ridiculously overpriced tickets are not a civilized deterrent. The punishment does not fit the crime (if you want to call forgeting to use your blinker a crime) Putting people more in debt does not help the public, it hurts the public.
3. Ticket instead of towing.
Towing should only be used as a very last resort because the car is in the middle of the road or something.
4. Give Warnings instead of tickets if it is something minor.
If I forget to use my blinker or dont come to a dead stop at a stop sign, I dont deserve to get a 300$ fine. A warning would be more reasonable unless I have a history of doing this.
5. DUI fees should fit your income.
They are too overpriced for low income people to pay. They should assess our income and then fine us accordingly to avoid crippling us. Likewise higher income people could be billed more so that the fines are not a joke to them. The hospital assesses our income when billing us, why doesnt the court system?
6. Stop abusing enhancements to make any 1st time offense treated like a 2nd or 3rd.
Unless someone got hit or hurt, the course should be the appropriate one. Longer courses are too expensive and 1st timers dont deserve to get punished like 3rd timers.
7. You should be able to fight your ticket even if you cant afford to first pay it.
The current California Law mandates I first pay it in order to get a trial to fight it. I cant afford to do this due to how overpriced tickets have become. So I cant afford to excercise my right to fight it. I am supposed to be innocent until proven guilty. I should not have to pay the ticket until after I am convicted, not before. Unless I plead no contest and waive my right to a trial, I should not have to pay the ticket before the trial but after the trial. This is unconstitutional.
8. Community Service and Jail time should be lessened for people that are forced to take those options since they dont have the money to buy their way out of this by paying the unfair fines off.
Low income people should not have to suffer so much more for the same trivial misdemeanor. I did not commit a felony so stop treating me as if I did. The time needs to fit the crime.
9. License suspensions should be shorter. Debt should not be a reason to suspend a license.
Los Angeles is huge and has one of the slowest and worst transit systems in the nation. When other metropolises built subways and trains all over them we tore them out and instead built freeways. I cannot get a job or do anything without a car in this freeway county. I might be able to use the subway to do everything in New York or Oakland but not in Los Angeles. Our system is more spread out, slower and much less user friendly. The politicians sold us out to the oil and automobile industry and built freeways instead of rail lines. They are the reason why everyone needs a car to get around in a place as sprawled out as Los Angeles. Now they want to turn around afterwards and tell us that driving is a priviledge and not a right and to go take the bus after helping tear out the rail system and purposely designing our community to be a freeway transportation system requiring people to have cars here. The politicians caused this public trasnsportation mess so for them to be so unsympathetic shows how ignorant of their history they are or how unreasonable they are.
10. Find the cheapest DUI programs possible for people to be ordered to attend.
It seems they picked these ridiculously overpriced DUI programs to do what AA manages to offer the public for free. How is it Victory Outreach and Alcoholics Auynonomous offer similar services to the public for free and it is not even their damn job to provide the publis with services! Yet the government that is supposed to provide these services cant and sends us to the most over priced programs. Its as if the court system went shopping at Macy's for DUI programs instead of shopping at the swap meet or K-Mart. Why are they abusing courtroom jurisdiction to make profit off of people that dont have the money? This is the wrong way to make revenue. It is the reason why I began voting NO on every law enforcement measure and bond that I see on my ballot now. You dont need extra money for court and law enforcement as far as I'm concerned; you are overcharging us too much for every little thing as it is for me to have the same sympathy I used to when I looked at your requests on the ballot for more funding.
11. Allow people payment plans to get their car out of impound.
Currently unless you can pay the 150-260$ impound fees up front all at once, you cannot get your car out of impound. Without a car many people are less able or unable to work. What is upsetting is that if you cant afford to pay the overpriced impoud fee upfront, they keep your car and bill you for each day it is held there. The bill adds up so quickly that many times we end up losing our car to the impound because the bill gets to high for us to possibly pay. It becomes cheaper to buy another used car instead. The system is designed to put us further into debt fast. Once again, low income people end up in a bunch of debt and still losing their car whereas a higher income person can merely pay the fee and drive out of there. This policy does not treat us the same. These scales are not balanced. I should be able to drive out of that impound lot with only a downpayment paid on my bill. I should not be required to pay the entire cost first since they overcharge us so badly for this.
_________________________________________
Apparently screwing low income people over through the legal system is big bucks in California. Wealthy people dont really feel the sting. Middle Class hurt, but low income people are bankrupted by it. The system does not treat us equally. Does the police department issue the same size uniform to every single police officer? Or does it first measure them to give them the appropriate size that fits them individually? I dont understand how other government agencies like hospitals have programs in place to lower costs or eliminate costs for people that dont have money, but the court system doesnt have one. This Rambo approach to law enforcement and court sentencing is not fair. What is the point to even having a justice system if it is not fair? Isnt that what the court is supposed to be all about? How can these judges and lawmakers be so ignorant to the people they claim to serve? Or did they just give up on doing their job because they dont care? Either way this is a very disappointing system. I find it very primitive.
" But it's a deterrent "
^^^^^^ This is why I find it primitive. Anything can be a deterent. If we personally executed every politician federally indicted, I'll bet political corruption would drop drastically and we would have all of these big statistics to point to and gloat over. But when you choose such a primitive way of deterring people - Fear because of ridiculous and unconstitutional punishments- well you havent really done much but take the lazy way out of addressing the problem.
We should consider more fair punishments.
We should also consider more incentives.
Monday, November 10, 2008
8LT04600
Another Day, Another Dollar.... lost that is. I called around to price the DUI classes. Jeez they want around 1,000 bolas for the 9 month class. The whole reason why I took the jail time is because I don't have the money, and these guys give me the 9 month class instead of the usual 3 month class for first time offenders. What part of "I am on a limited income" do they not grasp? 12 units at Cal State University Dominguez Hills costs around 1,300$ and this is 4 classes that run for about 4-5 months. So comparing a single 9 month course that costs almost the same as an entire full 12 unit semesters tuition at the university... I've done my 3rd grade math and realized this is a very over-priced course. Unless we are using diamond studded clip boards and using pens filled with the blood of Jesus, this is a sincere rip off. This class is ridiculously over priced. I have a feeling it is going to cover a bunch of stuff I could learn on the Internet for free or buy in a textbook for 60-100$ and teach myself. There is no excuse to over price a class this much. I seriously doubt this DUI class is really deserving to rival an entire semesters tuition expenses. These guys are just ripping us off to make money for profit. I guess they think regular people have big money to burn. I can understand if they want us to attend classes and see a counselor but I could see a counselor at school for the cost of the tuition as well. My point is this course is not necessary in length and price for a first time DUI. They are just gouging me financially for money I don't have that I could use elsewhere.
This is why I am losing faith in my system. How am I supposed to get ahead and become a functioning, contributing member of society when I have to bankrupt myself instead on overpriced court costs and court ordered programs? Its as if they are saying they want one thing while taking action to inflict the exact opposite. I cant afford the 1,700$ court fee or the 1,000$ in enhancements so I'm going to jail. I cant afford the 1,000 court program that is trumped up to 9 months but I guess they think I'm going to shit money while in jail to pay it.
The system is really gouging low income people. I have looked at tickets I got, and they are ridiculous in price. I rolled through a stop sign without making a complete stop and they gave me a 300$ ticket. I was going 65 on the Terminal Island Freeway and they gave me a speeding ticket because it turned out to be one of the few freeways that has an unusually low 40 mph speed limit. These tickets are also over priced. I can understand tickets not being too cheap, but when every ticket over every little thing is 3-4 hundred $ minimum; this is ripping us off. Where is this money going? Do they realize over priced tickets like these really cripple low income people? When I couldn't pay they doubled the amount owed and issued a warrant for my arrest. It will go into collections and end up damaging my credit later causing further long term crippling of my ability to become self sufficient.
If I want to fight the ticket I still have to pay it first. So according to the law only wealthy people can fight their tickets because only they can get a case by first paying it. If you are low income you do not have the right to fight your ticket because you cant get a case scheduled until you first pay it which we cant afford to! So I actually do not have a right to fight my case unless I can first afford to pay the ridiculous fine . Low income people are supposed to have the same rights as high income, but apparently California Law doesn't care. My ticket went to warrant and now I have a chance to go to court but for a warrant which most likely disqualifies me from fighting the case now. The ticket has doubled in fines as well. Who designed these laws? They don't hurt high income people but they prevent low income people from having the same rights in court.
I wish I could of fought my DUI enhancements because the police lied in the report and made me out to be Rambo. But I cant afford a private lawyer so I took the plea bargain to avoid getting my sentence maxed out. Once again, we supposedly have a right to a fair trial, but if we dare ask to enforce that right then the government that brags about protecting that right comes after us and retaliates against us for daring to exercise it. They try to throw the book at us and max our sentence out to teach us a lesson, that lesson being -You dared to enforce your rights and now you will suffer the maximum punishment we can inflict to teach you and others to surrender your rights to us and take the plea bargain we "offer" you." So do I really have a right to safely go to trial free from retaliation and increased attack????? NO. It is an unsafeguarded, ceremonial, cruel joke towards low income defendants such as myself.
I had a public defender, I got screwed by my last one and I wasn't too trusting of this one. I doubt he is going to really put the time and sacrifice into my case that a private lawyer would. So I took the plea bargain to avoid getting hurt worse by the system. If I was higher income I could actually exercise my right to a fair trial and feel safe about it. I probably could of dropped almost every enhancement and only had a 1st time DUI through a trial. But the reality is the America on paper and the America in real life are not the same. Only the wealthy can safely exercise their right to a trial or even request a trial because only they can pay the fine first as mandated and only they can afford a private attorney that will fight tenaciously. If you are low income you cannot safely exercise your rights although supposedly we have them. They are ceremonial myths. I don't have the right to contest my ticket or fight my DUI case because I cant afford it. Its too expensive for me. Low income people do not have the same chance in court. Financially wealthier defendants can pay their fines and walk out the door with summary probation, a suspended license and merely take the classes. I have to go to jail cause I cant afford to pay the ridiculous fines. I get treated like a 3 time DUI offender and maxed out with enhancements and a 9 month DUI course instead that will hurt me financially. I dared to exercise my right to refuse a breath test and they tripled my sentence because I dared to exercise that right to say no to the BAC . Once again I have rights on paper but I am not safe to exercise them. The very government that brags about safeguarding these rights punishes me for daring to exercise them.
What is the point to having rights if it is not safe to exercise them safe from retaliation?
It makes them a lie.
I don't know why the court, tickets, and sentencing is so ridiculously over priced, but low income people such as myself simply cant afford this price gouging. It is bankrupting me. I can understand paying a fine but this is ridiculous. The fine does not fit the crime. Someone is getting greedy and it is very cruel and unfair towards low income people. I cant afford much with these crazy fines. How am I supposed to actually get ahead in life under such extreme penalties? I cant. This doesn't just punish me, it cripples me by causing my entire life to get put on hold and leaves long term side effects that will prevent me from having decent credit. Why are they ruining my life so much over a misdemeanor? It is because I am low income. Standard fines and penalties that will discipline decent income people cripple low income people such as myself and carry much longer negative side effects on us legally and fiscally. The law does not treat us the same.
I would of designed a law that first assesses our income and then fines us according to our income. They instead placed a flat rate penalty that cripples low income and tickles high income. Middle Class are the only ones that probably feel the sting the way the framers meant for it to inflict. All of this over zealous hefty fines and punishments strikes me as a very lazy way to write legislature and get results. Any extreme penalties will get results but it does not mean they are fair and balanced. It just means someone was either very emotional or lazy and they wrote a bunch of ridiculous laws that were legislated into action.
I did some research on the DUI and traffic court system and found that it is very cruelly designed to gouge people and sabotage any attempts to contest anything. It is not designed for the people, it is designed to effectively gouge the people. Everything is overpriced. I had my car towed less that 2 miles and instead of the 50 dollar fee that I paid privately, they charged me about a hundred twenty dollars to literally tow it a couple blocks away. Twice I have had my car towed and the price was so unreasonably high that It made me wonder why the unusually high fees? Private towing is 3 times cheaper. but whenever the police have your car towed they must have unicorns towing the damn thing in because the same tow now costs a ridiculous amount of money. I thought maybe they used a flatbed truck but I found out it was the same old standard tow truck. They raise the price and gouge us on everything they possibly can get away with.
I don't know what to do. Do I have to become a bank robber to survive these ridiculous costs and fees? I'm on Social Security and sort of locked into poverty due to the stupid laws their system has, I can pay the court in Pedro and let Long Beach go into collections or vice versa. I cant pay both. I don't know how they expect people to go to school, pay bills and become functioning members when they inflict so much debt over any trivial excuse. It makes it impossible to get ahead in life and makes me want to give up. This is impossible with my current financial situation. Unless I win the lottery I don't think I can legally find a true solution and I'm already bracing for more collection agencies to come after me.
It seems that the only only thing the courts or government is good for is hurting us and making things extra impossible and frustrating. It is almost as if they are performing acupuncture on us to hit pressure points hoping to get us to explode. I'm sick of the court saying "the people verses blah blah blah..." They do not represent me at all. They need to say "The systems verses blah blah blah..." because the people are overwhelmingly in the other side of the court room getting gouged by the court and the system is who the suits and ties really represent.
Its as if a faction of indifferent, ruthless, tyrants took over our court system and they use it to just inflict ridiculous pain and punishment on the people they brag about serving. Its like we are held hostage to this faction that took power of our court system. I hate going to court. I think I would rather go to a funeral than go to court. I never feel safe there or like I have a voice at all. I just sit there and wonder what crazy story and verdict they are going to agree on to each other and how much it will hurt me. I never get a chance to explain ever. Most of the time I don't even know what the fuck is going on. Complete strangers on the street are more willing to listen to me explain myself than the court is. I'm sick of these courtroom clowns claiming to represent me while unfairly gouging me, exaggerating and blatantly lying. But once again everyone plays the role of Pontius Pilate, everyone is a victim to the system and their hands are tied. No one can do anything because "I just work here and these are the set rules." No one is truly empowered and can do anything to make things more reasonable or fair. The way this system is so hopelessly aloof to the people it is hurting upsets me. This is not how a democratic free system is supposed to be. It is supposed to be user friendly and flexible so that it can serve the individual needs of the people. Instead it is very rigid and cold. There is no reasoning with it and no where to complain. No one cares or the people that care don't have the power to do anything except still screw you so their concern is of very little value. This bureaucracy reminds me of a steam locomotive. It is stuck on a track and uses us for coal to move. It can do very little except stay stuck on the track it is on and takes forever to even slow down much less change course.
What gets me upset is the reason why I was so rude to the police and refused to exit my car was because I was so sick and fed up with cops pulling me over and stopping me. I've had so many cops pull me over to search my car and to search me that I was getting sick of it. They never find drugs or guns in my car ever. Yet I get stopped and searched more by them in a period of 6 months sometimes than most people do in their entire lifetime. I had been getting stopped by cops so routinely at that time that I was reaching my limit and getting really fed up with it. When the cop pulled behind me in the parking and shined their spotlight into my car all I could remember was me thinking, "Not this again, I want to eat the hamburger I just bought. I dont have time to go through this song and dance right now." I'm not a violent or suicidal person. But I did tell the cop off because I was so sick of cops bugging me. I snapped. Now they are prosecuting me in court posing as a victim due to my not being a strong enough person to put up with all of their constant harrassment. I seriously doubt that if anyone had had the consistent bad luck getting stopped and searched I was having that they would of been able to keep their cool and calm either. Most people would of refused and been rude. Most people would not have been tazered. I can only take so much and finally lost it. Usually I do comply with police searches.
Now the court is consistently screwing me over. Its as if they designed this system to overload and break people. Almost as if they are purposely hitting pressure points on us to attempt to get us to break and lose our composure. I dont know who designed this system with its ironic timing, but it seems designed to get under peoples skin and get to our nerves in hopes of getting people to explode. Then it punishes us for it afterward by adding increased penalties.
This is why I am losing faith in my system. How am I supposed to get ahead and become a functioning, contributing member of society when I have to bankrupt myself instead on overpriced court costs and court ordered programs? Its as if they are saying they want one thing while taking action to inflict the exact opposite. I cant afford the 1,700$ court fee or the 1,000$ in enhancements so I'm going to jail. I cant afford the 1,000 court program that is trumped up to 9 months but I guess they think I'm going to shit money while in jail to pay it.
The system is really gouging low income people. I have looked at tickets I got, and they are ridiculous in price. I rolled through a stop sign without making a complete stop and they gave me a 300$ ticket. I was going 65 on the Terminal Island Freeway and they gave me a speeding ticket because it turned out to be one of the few freeways that has an unusually low 40 mph speed limit. These tickets are also over priced. I can understand tickets not being too cheap, but when every ticket over every little thing is 3-4 hundred $ minimum; this is ripping us off. Where is this money going? Do they realize over priced tickets like these really cripple low income people? When I couldn't pay they doubled the amount owed and issued a warrant for my arrest. It will go into collections and end up damaging my credit later causing further long term crippling of my ability to become self sufficient.
If I want to fight the ticket I still have to pay it first. So according to the law only wealthy people can fight their tickets because only they can get a case by first paying it. If you are low income you do not have the right to fight your ticket because you cant get a case scheduled until you first pay it which we cant afford to! So I actually do not have a right to fight my case unless I can first afford to pay the ridiculous fine . Low income people are supposed to have the same rights as high income, but apparently California Law doesn't care. My ticket went to warrant and now I have a chance to go to court but for a warrant which most likely disqualifies me from fighting the case now. The ticket has doubled in fines as well. Who designed these laws? They don't hurt high income people but they prevent low income people from having the same rights in court.
I wish I could of fought my DUI enhancements because the police lied in the report and made me out to be Rambo. But I cant afford a private lawyer so I took the plea bargain to avoid getting my sentence maxed out. Once again, we supposedly have a right to a fair trial, but if we dare ask to enforce that right then the government that brags about protecting that right comes after us and retaliates against us for daring to exercise it. They try to throw the book at us and max our sentence out to teach us a lesson, that lesson being -You dared to enforce your rights and now you will suffer the maximum punishment we can inflict to teach you and others to surrender your rights to us and take the plea bargain we "offer" you." So do I really have a right to safely go to trial free from retaliation and increased attack????? NO. It is an unsafeguarded, ceremonial, cruel joke towards low income defendants such as myself.
I had a public defender, I got screwed by my last one and I wasn't too trusting of this one. I doubt he is going to really put the time and sacrifice into my case that a private lawyer would. So I took the plea bargain to avoid getting hurt worse by the system. If I was higher income I could actually exercise my right to a fair trial and feel safe about it. I probably could of dropped almost every enhancement and only had a 1st time DUI through a trial. But the reality is the America on paper and the America in real life are not the same. Only the wealthy can safely exercise their right to a trial or even request a trial because only they can pay the fine first as mandated and only they can afford a private attorney that will fight tenaciously. If you are low income you cannot safely exercise your rights although supposedly we have them. They are ceremonial myths. I don't have the right to contest my ticket or fight my DUI case because I cant afford it. Its too expensive for me. Low income people do not have the same chance in court. Financially wealthier defendants can pay their fines and walk out the door with summary probation, a suspended license and merely take the classes. I have to go to jail cause I cant afford to pay the ridiculous fines. I get treated like a 3 time DUI offender and maxed out with enhancements and a 9 month DUI course instead that will hurt me financially. I dared to exercise my right to refuse a breath test and they tripled my sentence because I dared to exercise that right to say no to the BAC . Once again I have rights on paper but I am not safe to exercise them. The very government that brags about safeguarding these rights punishes me for daring to exercise them.
What is the point to having rights if it is not safe to exercise them safe from retaliation?
It makes them a lie.
I don't know why the court, tickets, and sentencing is so ridiculously over priced, but low income people such as myself simply cant afford this price gouging. It is bankrupting me. I can understand paying a fine but this is ridiculous. The fine does not fit the crime. Someone is getting greedy and it is very cruel and unfair towards low income people. I cant afford much with these crazy fines. How am I supposed to actually get ahead in life under such extreme penalties? I cant. This doesn't just punish me, it cripples me by causing my entire life to get put on hold and leaves long term side effects that will prevent me from having decent credit. Why are they ruining my life so much over a misdemeanor? It is because I am low income. Standard fines and penalties that will discipline decent income people cripple low income people such as myself and carry much longer negative side effects on us legally and fiscally. The law does not treat us the same.
I would of designed a law that first assesses our income and then fines us according to our income. They instead placed a flat rate penalty that cripples low income and tickles high income. Middle Class are the only ones that probably feel the sting the way the framers meant for it to inflict. All of this over zealous hefty fines and punishments strikes me as a very lazy way to write legislature and get results. Any extreme penalties will get results but it does not mean they are fair and balanced. It just means someone was either very emotional or lazy and they wrote a bunch of ridiculous laws that were legislated into action.
I did some research on the DUI and traffic court system and found that it is very cruelly designed to gouge people and sabotage any attempts to contest anything. It is not designed for the people, it is designed to effectively gouge the people. Everything is overpriced. I had my car towed less that 2 miles and instead of the 50 dollar fee that I paid privately, they charged me about a hundred twenty dollars to literally tow it a couple blocks away. Twice I have had my car towed and the price was so unreasonably high that It made me wonder why the unusually high fees? Private towing is 3 times cheaper. but whenever the police have your car towed they must have unicorns towing the damn thing in because the same tow now costs a ridiculous amount of money. I thought maybe they used a flatbed truck but I found out it was the same old standard tow truck. They raise the price and gouge us on everything they possibly can get away with.
I don't know what to do. Do I have to become a bank robber to survive these ridiculous costs and fees? I'm on Social Security and sort of locked into poverty due to the stupid laws their system has, I can pay the court in Pedro and let Long Beach go into collections or vice versa. I cant pay both. I don't know how they expect people to go to school, pay bills and become functioning members when they inflict so much debt over any trivial excuse. It makes it impossible to get ahead in life and makes me want to give up. This is impossible with my current financial situation. Unless I win the lottery I don't think I can legally find a true solution and I'm already bracing for more collection agencies to come after me.
It seems that the only only thing the courts or government is good for is hurting us and making things extra impossible and frustrating. It is almost as if they are performing acupuncture on us to hit pressure points hoping to get us to explode. I'm sick of the court saying "the people verses blah blah blah..." They do not represent me at all. They need to say "The systems verses blah blah blah..." because the people are overwhelmingly in the other side of the court room getting gouged by the court and the system is who the suits and ties really represent.
Its as if a faction of indifferent, ruthless, tyrants took over our court system and they use it to just inflict ridiculous pain and punishment on the people they brag about serving. Its like we are held hostage to this faction that took power of our court system. I hate going to court. I think I would rather go to a funeral than go to court. I never feel safe there or like I have a voice at all. I just sit there and wonder what crazy story and verdict they are going to agree on to each other and how much it will hurt me. I never get a chance to explain ever. Most of the time I don't even know what the fuck is going on. Complete strangers on the street are more willing to listen to me explain myself than the court is. I'm sick of these courtroom clowns claiming to represent me while unfairly gouging me, exaggerating and blatantly lying. But once again everyone plays the role of Pontius Pilate, everyone is a victim to the system and their hands are tied. No one can do anything because "I just work here and these are the set rules." No one is truly empowered and can do anything to make things more reasonable or fair. The way this system is so hopelessly aloof to the people it is hurting upsets me. This is not how a democratic free system is supposed to be. It is supposed to be user friendly and flexible so that it can serve the individual needs of the people. Instead it is very rigid and cold. There is no reasoning with it and no where to complain. No one cares or the people that care don't have the power to do anything except still screw you so their concern is of very little value. This bureaucracy reminds me of a steam locomotive. It is stuck on a track and uses us for coal to move. It can do very little except stay stuck on the track it is on and takes forever to even slow down much less change course.
What gets me upset is the reason why I was so rude to the police and refused to exit my car was because I was so sick and fed up with cops pulling me over and stopping me. I've had so many cops pull me over to search my car and to search me that I was getting sick of it. They never find drugs or guns in my car ever. Yet I get stopped and searched more by them in a period of 6 months sometimes than most people do in their entire lifetime. I had been getting stopped by cops so routinely at that time that I was reaching my limit and getting really fed up with it. When the cop pulled behind me in the parking and shined their spotlight into my car all I could remember was me thinking, "Not this again, I want to eat the hamburger I just bought. I dont have time to go through this song and dance right now." I'm not a violent or suicidal person. But I did tell the cop off because I was so sick of cops bugging me. I snapped. Now they are prosecuting me in court posing as a victim due to my not being a strong enough person to put up with all of their constant harrassment. I seriously doubt that if anyone had had the consistent bad luck getting stopped and searched I was having that they would of been able to keep their cool and calm either. Most people would of refused and been rude. Most people would not have been tazered. I can only take so much and finally lost it. Usually I do comply with police searches.
Now the court is consistently screwing me over. Its as if they designed this system to overload and break people. Almost as if they are purposely hitting pressure points on us to attempt to get us to break and lose our composure. I dont know who designed this system with its ironic timing, but it seems designed to get under peoples skin and get to our nerves in hopes of getting people to explode. Then it punishes us for it afterward by adding increased penalties.
...Rising with the sun...
The sunrise seems to give me a boost of vitality. I might go to bed feeling lethargic and obsolete but the sun hits the horizon with alot of juice that I notice my body taps into. (In other words I feel more optimistic in the morning.)
The Los Angeles Times is facing some serious debts. It seems the harder I try to pinch my pennies the more bad luck I end up with financially. I just lost my car to the impound, stupid collections is billing me for bills I already paid, and now I have to serve an extended jail term for something I didnt do. (Supposedly I committed battery on a police Sergeant but in reality I got tazered by him.) I'm not too happy with how things are going at the moment, but I need to keep my spirits up.
Obama won the democratic presidential election! I cant wait until he gets sworn in. Hopefully he chooses a good cabinet for his administration. More importantly I hope he nominate more judges to the supreme court after all the neo-cons that the last president helped place there. The reach of the supreme court's judicial power is far longer reaching than the President or Congress. Luckily Obama has a favorable Congress that won the elections so hopefully they wont be stale-mating his attempts to repair everything both domestically and internationally. Having a good cabinet to keep him informed and help him will be crucial; I'm curious who he will appoint once he is in the White House.
1 semester away from a bachelors degree. I'm finally about to walk the stage and I'm only 1 decade late. I hope I get released from jail in time to still make the spring semester. I am looking into getting a teaching job for one of the school districts. I still have to take all the tests though.
My lady lost her phone. Our relationship is very frustrating. I cant visit her and I cant call her. I try to visit her at work and the staff is tripping now. Something really needs to change but the root problem lies in a decision she needs to make. I'm not too happy about the situation although she does treat me very good when we are able to see each other.
The Los Angeles Times is facing some serious debts. It seems the harder I try to pinch my pennies the more bad luck I end up with financially. I just lost my car to the impound, stupid collections is billing me for bills I already paid, and now I have to serve an extended jail term for something I didnt do. (Supposedly I committed battery on a police Sergeant but in reality I got tazered by him.) I'm not too happy with how things are going at the moment, but I need to keep my spirits up.
Obama won the democratic presidential election! I cant wait until he gets sworn in. Hopefully he chooses a good cabinet for his administration. More importantly I hope he nominate more judges to the supreme court after all the neo-cons that the last president helped place there. The reach of the supreme court's judicial power is far longer reaching than the President or Congress. Luckily Obama has a favorable Congress that won the elections so hopefully they wont be stale-mating his attempts to repair everything both domestically and internationally. Having a good cabinet to keep him informed and help him will be crucial; I'm curious who he will appoint once he is in the White House.
1 semester away from a bachelors degree. I'm finally about to walk the stage and I'm only 1 decade late. I hope I get released from jail in time to still make the spring semester. I am looking into getting a teaching job for one of the school districts. I still have to take all the tests though.
My lady lost her phone. Our relationship is very frustrating. I cant visit her and I cant call her. I try to visit her at work and the staff is tripping now. Something really needs to change but the root problem lies in a decision she needs to make. I'm not too happy about the situation although she does treat me very good when we are able to see each other.
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