Drinking my cup of coffee waking my brain up... Read some articles on Obama to start my day.
I read that GM is going to go bankrupt and is asking the Federal government for a bailout package in the billions. Personally I don't mind but I think they need to mandate certain conditions in order to receive one. I realize that our economy is doing very badly. Everything is connected like the web of life, except this is an economic cash flow version of that interconnected web. Every time something goes wrong (i.e. petro prices rise overnight, housing prices skyrocket, etc...) it sets off a chain reaction that hurts everyone. All these big big banks are collapsing like Freddy Mac and Fannie Mae which is pretty big. So although I don't really have any partiality toward GM, I realize that they might help them to prevent further economic repercussions. However I would only help auto manufacturers under one condition:
They have to agree that by 2016 every car they produce needs to be a hybrid .
...at the least.
We need to get off petro for a variety of reasons (i.e. global warming, unreasonable demand internationally for oil, etc...) and the sooner we make this inescapable transition the better. If we want Detroit to remain strong internationally it needs to become cutting edge and that means petro powered rides gotta go. I can understand if trucks remain gas powered and diesel but that's it. People don't need to drive around in escalades or suburbans and automakers should cater to such excess waste on their own dime. Other than actual truck trucks like full size pick-ups and big rigs, everything needs to become hybrids or better. Otherwise we will be investing in a failing system that is already outdated and going obsolete.
I don't know how battery powered and natural gas powered cars would do, but the bus and many county vehicles are natural gas or ethanol powered and they pull their weight just fine. I've read some impressive stats for battery powered cars as well. The only problem is refueling. There is no grid of gas stations nationwide or even city wide for people to utilize to refuel. Until this changes, alternative powered cars will never make it. Other than local governments with set routes, no one will want them due to their worthless state of existence without places to refuel.
I remember learning in high school how Roosevelt rebuilt the entire national infrastructure to boost the economy after the great depression. He helped revive the economy and modernized the nation at the same time. He poured heavy amounts of Federal Dollars into paving and building roads, bridges, walkways, and other much needed infrastructure nationwide. We take having paved roads to drive almost anywhere for granted but many of these paved roads cutting through unfavorable locations we owe to his presidency.
The economy is falling apart layer by layer on itself right now and President Obama is going to enter a Capitol that is in serious need. I am wondering if building a nationwide infrastructure to make travel by natural gas, ethanol and battery power is feasible to both boost the economy and begin weaning the population off of petro powered automobiles.
I realize alot of people might pout and kick and scream but our nation needs to grow out of petro already. Not just for automobile use but for everything. I learned other places such as the E.U. are using wind, wave and solar power to power cities. Domestic infrastructure over there is actually powered by cleaner more efficient energy sources while we remain in the steam powered era polluting the earth excessively and wasting much needed funding on it. We really need to power our homes, schools and transportation with cutting edge clean energy sources like many other emerging nations are doing.
I don't mean to be on a soap box but our nation has become stuck in the rut of this way of life and we need to get rolling again or we are going to fall further behind these emerging superpowers in the world surrounding us as well as suffer from the dilapidated system we currently are under.
Science is amazing, but as long as it is ignored or hidden to keep business running as usual... the people, earth and economy will suffer so that a small handful of tycoons will profit from the infrastructure we are locked into.
The video Zeitgeist: Addendum explains this concept beautifully. Just as long as we are not using science as an excuse to live recklessly, it could provide alot of solutions.
I feel bad for this new president. He is inheriting some serious crisis problems that we are going to look to him for solutions to. Hopefully he encourages many suffering industries such as automobiles and housing to lower their prices. Homes where I live are becoming too over priced. This neighborhood is not that deserving of the prices I'm seeing, but since it is Southern California they want to raise prices due to location to greedy amounts. I see cheap apartments for ridiculous prices, simple houses for appalling prices, houses for sale everywhere while they are building houses on every field left in my community that they set insane values on! It is obvious greed is behind this and not a humble practical policy to serve the people looking to attain homes.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Lookin up!
Things with my lady are going well. We talked and got through alot of confusion. I'm very happy with how today went.
Monday, November 17, 2008
"NO"
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.
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
