California Doing California Things

[bilby]

I am horrified by the almost universal attitude that threatening strangers with death, due to wantonly negligent actions, is only a major crime if an automobile is not involved, and that if an automobile is involved, the unlawful threat of death immediately becomes so trivial as to be barely noticable.

 

[Politesse]

Do you believe that the legal system should go easier than it does on minor crimes?

I believe the government (anyone in fact) installing monitoring equipment in people's vehicles in order to punish them for minor infractions is Orwellian.

And every bit as imaginary as your non-existent COVID hotline.

I'm sure we had one here in Los Angeles, mayor Garcetti had something going about "snitches getting rewards" I'm pretty sure you'd be all over that.

But you are stil struggling to just... answer the question. It it is neither complicated nor nuanced. Do you believe that we need to back off on law enforcement, or not?

I am reasonably satisfied with the existing traffic speeding law enforcement as they stand and do not want or need the government monitoring me every time I take a trip in my car.

Which, of course, has not been proposed.

So do you believe minor crimes should go unpunished, most of the time?

As is currently the case with reckless driving behaviors like speeding through school and construction zones? That are very illegal and frequently result in the death of innocent bystanders, but are only pursued in occasional CHP raids in high traffic areas at the end of the month?

 

[TSwizzle]

Do you believe that the legal system should go easier than it does on minor crimes?

I believe the government (anyone in fact) installing monitoring equipment in people's vehicles in order to punish them for minor infractions is Orwellian.

And every bit as imaginary as your non-existent COVID hotline.

I'm sure we had one here in Los Angeles, mayor Garcetti had something going about "snitches getting rewards" I'm pretty sure you'd be all over that.

But you are stil struggling to just... answer the question. It it is neither complicated nor nuanced. Do you believe that we need to back off on law enforcement, or not?

I am reasonably satisfied with the existing traffic speeding law enforcement as they stand and do not want or need the government monitoring me every time I take a trip in my car.

Which, of course, has not been proposed.

Not yet but it will come. One poster on here was down with it.

So do you believe minor crimes should go unpunished, most of the time?

Already answered.

As is currently the case with reckless driving behaviors like speeding through school and construction zones?

When people are caught doing those things, they are usually punished. Sometimes they may get off with a warning. Seems appropriate.

 

[Politesse]

If cars just had a safety feature that prevented the car from exceeding 80mph under any circumstance, I'd be fine with that. It seems a lot less authoritarian to me to just have a universal safety feature in a car, than to randomly and arbitrarily arrest free citizens for breaking laws that are otherwise seldom enforced. You can arrest people for falling off bridges, or you can just build a guardrail. I am 100% okay with guardrails. No one gets arrested, and fewer people die. Civil rights maximized.

 

[Gospel]

I am horrified by the almost universal attitude that threatening strangers with death, due to wantonly negligent actions, is only a major crime if an automobile is not involved, and that if an automobile is involved, the unlawful threat of death immediately becomes so trivial as to be barely noticable.

The road-raging drivers in Florida seem to view every other vehicle as a threat and have no problem letting us know. Maybe they've been right all along?

 

[Politesse]

When people are caught doing those things, they are usually punished. Sometimes they may get off with a warning. Seems appropriate.

I know you know that isn't true. When is the last time you even witnessed a herd of cars slowing down to the posted speed limit in a freeway construction zone? Most of which have a CHP officer parked there doing... jack shit about all the speeding?

Do you speed, Tswizzle? Do you intentionally break the law on a regular basis? Should we retitle this thread "Unashamed illegal complains that laws exist"?

 

[Gospel]

Most of which have a CHP officer parked there doing... jack shit about all the speeding?

That's because everyone knows they won't actually do anything—they're just there to provide visibility for the construction workers.

Edit: As well as control traffic and render assistance if there is an accident involving the construction site.

 

[Politesse]

Most of which have a CHP officer parked there doing... jack shit about all the speeding?

That's because everyone knows they won't actually do anything—they're just there to provide visibility for the construction workers.

Indeed. And in that sense, I'm glad they're there. People don't deserve death because they are ones who do the necessary work to keep the roads open. But pretending the highway patrol is an "authoritarian" organization when they seldom enforce any laws is bordering on absurdist humor. Ignoring traffic laws is practically a sport in California.

 

[bilby]

Not yet but it will come. One poster on here was down with it.

I had no idea that this discussion board was so influential.

Is one poster in here being "down with it" really sufficient to get something enshrined in Californian State Law?

I would have been more cautious with my use of the "like" button, had I realised the vast power I was weilding over the 39 million residents of your home state.

 

[Politesse]

Is one poster in here being "down with it" really sufficient to get something enshrined in Californian State Law?

Depends how high up they are in the SoCal civil service aristocracy.

 

[TSwizzle]

When people are caught doing those things, they are usually punished. Sometimes they may get off with a warning. Seems appropriate.

I know you know that isn't true. When is the last time you even witnessed a herd of cars slowing down to the posted speed limit in a freeway construction zone? Most of which have a CHP officer parked there doing... jack shit about all the speeding?

Most people adjust their speed as advised. Those that don't and are caught will either be fined or warned depending on the severity of the infraction/officer mood/judgement.

Do you speed, Tswizzle? Do you intentionally break the law on a regular basis?

Everybody speeds, everybody rolls through a stop sign at 5:00am or whatever. Everybody knows the posted speed limit on the freeway is advisory. And good luck trying to speed on the 405. And if we are caught we get fines. I am ok with that.

ffs, you authoritarian control freaks are so fucking obsessive and this is why you want this shit in cars.

 

[TSwizzle]

If cars just had a safety feature that prevented the car from exceeding 80mph under any circumstance, I'd be fine with that.

Of course you would, you are an authoritarian control freak.

 

[Politesse]

If cars just had a safety feature that prevented the car from exceeding 80mph under any circumstance, I'd be fine with that.

Of course you would, you are an authoritarian control freak.

There was a time when the kind of lawless Fast and Furious buffoonery you're endorsing was a lot less common, and it wasn't even really all that long ago.

 

[TSwizzle]

If cars just had a safety feature that prevented the car from exceeding 80mph under any circumstance, I'd be fine with that.

Of course you would, you are an authoritarian control freak.

There was a time when the kind of lawless Fast and Furious buffoonery you're endorsing was a lot less common, and it wasn't even really all that long ago.

I don't endorse buffoonery. And it was a lot less common in LA County before DA Gascon started reforming the criminal justice system. Coincidence? I think not.

 

[Politesse]

Ah. So crime isn't the result of lawless thugs like yourself, who ignore the law and brag about it. It's the fault of law enforcement doing the best they can to reform the legal system into something approximating justice.

 

[bilby]

If cars just had a safety feature that prevented the car from exceeding 80mph under any circumstance, I'd be fine with that.

Speed limiters are mature and well established technology. All heavy vehicles* in Australia must, to comply with the National Heavy Vehicle Regulations, be fitted with a speed limiter set to 100kph (about 63mph) or lower.

Many operators set these limiters to 90kph (56mph) or even 80 (50), because doing so has a big impact on fuel consumption - our Volvo B12 TAG buses have a 14litre V12 engine, and get about 2km per litre (~5mpg) when limited to 90kph. Any saving in fuel quickly adds up to a lot of $$$, so the bosses are always keen on efficient driving behaviours, including avoiding excessive speeds (even where such speeds are lawful).

Almost all modern cars have limiters factory fitted, but these are typically set to absurdly high speeds; They are there to protect the engine from damage, rather than to rein in the driver's insanity. It would be technically straightforward to adjust them to whatever the maximum legal speed limit is in the jurisdiction in which they are sold.

All that is lacking is the legislation. Voters are generally in favour of preventing other people from speeding, but are adamantly opposed to the same restriction being applied to themselves. For a wide range of utterly meritless "reasons".









* Except vehicles built before 1987, two-axle farm vehicles built before 1991, emergency vehicles (eg firetrucks), and (oddly) buses with suitable hand-grips for standing passengers. I know of no licenced bus operator that currently makes use of that last exception

 

[TSwizzle]

Ah. So crime isn't the result of lawless thugs like yourself, who ignore the law and brag about it. It's the fault of law enforcement doing the best they can to reform the legal system into something approximating justice.

Don't whine about lawless buffoons/thugs when you are in favor of not prosecuting in the name of justice. This is what you get when you vote for the likes of Gascon.

 

[Politesse]

Ah. So crime isn't the result of lawless thugs like yourself, who ignore the law and brag about it. It's the fault of law enforcement doing the best they can to reform the legal system into something approximating justice.

Don't whine about lawless buffoons/thugs when you are in favor of not prosecuting in the name of justice. This is what you get when you vote for the likes of Gascon.

Is this projection? You're the one arguing for effective lawlessness, here. You desire no enforcement of traffic law except very occasional fines, which obviously have not stemmed your continued criminal behaviors in any way.

 

[bilby]

Ah. So crime isn't the result of lawless thugs like yourself, who ignore the law and brag about it. It's the fault of law enforcement doing the best they can to reform the legal system into something approximating justice.

Don't whine about lawless buffoons/thugs when you are in favor of not prosecuting in the name of justice. This is what you get when you vote for the likes of Gascon.

Don't whine about the likes of Gascon when you admit to breaking the law, and depend on the discretion exercised by law enforcement agencies to protect you from the consequences of your law-breaking.

 

[TSwizzle]

Ah. So crime isn't the result of lawless thugs like yourself, who ignore the law and brag about it. It's the fault of law enforcement doing the best they can to reform the legal system into something approximating justice.

Don't whine about lawless buffoons/thugs when you are in favor of not prosecuting in the name of justice. This is what you get when you vote for the likes of Gascon.

Is this projection? You're the one arguing for effective lawlessness, here. You desire no enforcement of traffic law except very occasional fines, which obviously have not stemmed your continued criminal behaviors in any way.

Sure, Jan.