The Injustice the DOJ Uncovered in Ferguson Wasn’t Racism

[Valjean]

The report seems to me just more evidence of similarity between police forces and street gangs.

Yeah. It appears to be a quite institutionalized issue there.

Of course this will mean "We shouldn't have governments at all."

Exactly, JH. You've hit the nail on the head.
As Americans we're not supposed to be governed, we're supposed to be represented.

 

[fromderinside]

Hey. I'm from speedersfundus. We have crosswalks. So not only do tourists ignore us they blast right through crosswalks with pedestrians on them killing about one of us every two years. There is no fine high enough to recover for the loss of a child, an elder, a wife, or a mayor, just because Jimmie Bob from Cape Sheer Ignorance wants to get to the Redwoods before three PM.

How about a traffic light for pedestrians to use to cross the street? And how about lowering the speed limit where people will actually be crossing the street rather than a mile or two out from there? All too often the speed limits look like they are set more with revenue in mind than safety.

I have never seen a cop staking out a location I regarded as a safety issue. The places I see the cops staking out are places where the law conflicts with sensible driving, or places where they can step out in the crosswalk in another lane when you have no chance of stopping in time--guaranteed ticket. Furthermore, if the problem with the law gets fixed the stakeout goes away.

How about that. City limits are marked by a 45 mph speed which reduces to 30 mph at the intersection where there is a restaurant east and a hardware store west of the 101 connected by a cross walk. A block later there's an auto supply on one side and two car shops on the other side connected by a cross walk. Three blocks down the road comes Rays and a set of shops and restaurants across from each other with obligatory crpss walk. Things continue past the grade school (crosswalk) to a hardware store across from circle K and savings and loan (cross walk) two blocks further come the artist shops and tourist restaurants (two cross walks) then a bend in the highway with an intersection leading to the Post Office (cross walk) thence to the blinking light with hotels across from viewing point (cross walk) thence to the end of town a trip of about one and one-half miles. Where would you suggest increasing speed limits?

No sir you just don't get it. We do fund our government using speeders who deserve to do it. I do my best each year to divert the fine money from police to other municipal needs like parks, senior and poor services, and beautification. Its a state law that police don't benefit from monies they collect and I do my best as a budget committee member to ensure we meet both the spirit and letter of the law. Yes there are times when my best efforts don't succeed which is why I understand your stereotyping.

I suggest you calibrate your seeing.

Go to north Georgia or most anywhere along the east coast south of Ft. Belvior! Here I'm in agreement with Derec and Loren Pechtel.

 

[fromderinside]

I live in the middle of a fairly large city, right on a major thoroughfare. A lot of commuters use this street to get form downtown to the outlying suburbs. Speeding and accidents are common. Pedestrians and bicyclists use the street at their own risk.

In a few weeks, my street will be converted from a 45 mph 4 lane, to a 35 mph 2 lane with a center turn lane. Since the plan was announced, I've heard a lot of people declare it will make traffic worse, which shows they don't understand the goal of the project.

We want commuters to take other routes. I don't care how long it takes them to get home. I have no reason to let my quality of life suffer because someone bought a house 20 miles from his job. It's not my problem. My problem is having a street which gives easy access to my store, for drivers and pedestrians, alike. The 45 mph commuters are not my customers.

You've got some despicable government there.

They bought those places considering how the roads were. You should owe them money for what you just took away from them. You chose to live on a 45 mph street, that's your problem, not theirs.

I don't mind traffic calming on side streets, but not on main streets.

I'm not going to answer for Bronzeage but I think you've missed a lot that should be mentioned. Those supporting the government there, the citizens there, are entitled to arrange the city as meets their needs. those who chose to live elsewhere are entitled to their desires as well. However, Outsides need not be a consideration of those who find it useful to attract attractions such as Big Boxes, Stadiums, Museums, etc, into their desire list. If outsiders want to use them they just have to get used to the foibles of those silly city folk who saw fit to attract stuff attractive to others.

Fortunately, Bronzeage is in position to influence his environment which includes a divider and two lanes. I'm sure your 20 miler appreciates his digs as well.

Old twenty miler probably has some stadium people and big Box people trying to get more access to their places, but, Bronzeage and friends won this one.

Governments may choose efficiency for commerce and the like or they can choose to make their cities more like Charleston SC which is a very nice little big city in an otherwise poorly governed state.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

How about that. City limits are marked by a 45 mph speed which reduces to 30 mph at the intersection where there is a restaurant east and a hardware store west of the 101 connected by a cross walk. A block later there's an auto supply on one side and two car shops on the other side connected by a cross walk. Three blocks down the road comes Rays and a set of shops and restaurants across from each other with obligatory crpss walk. Things continue past the grade school (crosswalk) to a hardware store across from circle K and savings and loan (cross walk) two blocks further come the artist shops and tourist restaurants (two cross walks) then a bend in the highway with an intersection leading to the Post Office (cross walk) thence to the blinking light with hotels across from viewing point (cross walk) thence to the end of town a trip of about one and one-half miles. Where would you suggest increasing speed limits?

No sir you just don't get it. We do fund our government using speeders who deserve to do it. I do my best each year to divert the fine money from police to other municipal needs like parks, senior and poor services, and beautification. Its a state law that police don't benefit from monies they collect and I do my best as a budget committee member to ensure we meet both the spirit and letter of the law. Yes there are times when my best efforts don't succeed which is why I understand your stereotyping.

I suggest you calibrate your seeing.

Go to north Georgia or most anywhere along the east coast south of Ft. Belvior! Here I'm in agreement with Derec and Loren Pechtel.

I have no problem with 45 assuming it's applied where buildings actually show up (all too often it's applied too far out for the purpose of racking up tickets, not safety.) I have a problem with 30 on a main street. If there's a problem with crossing the street put in a light, or perhaps one of the crosswalk lights that I've seen around here in the last few years (it's a traffic light but with no cross street, it's just for pedestrians to push the button.)

 

[scombrid]

I used to travel from Tallahassee to Atlanta via 319 N to I 75 back in the day I drove through Moultrie.

I was going to write a Jawjuh rant. There are some bloated local PDs that fund their unjustified existence via speed traps on interstates there. No reason at all for the speed limit to drop through the 1/2 mile or so that they annex out in the middle of nowhere. I've never been busted but I resent having to slow down so the 5 fat-assed Barneys on the overpass don't pop the car with the Florida plates.

Its an old US designated highway that runs right through towns where where we plant all of our most important building, schools, emergency buildings, businesses.

I'm from rural Virginia. One thing that always annoyed me in rural eastern VA and NC was that towns would permit new buildings out on the highway and even on the by-pass which would necessitate dropping the speed limit for the safety of accessing those businesses and such. The towns weren't on the road when it was built. The downtowns still aren't. But then the town decide to expand out to that highway. When you are in an area with no access to interstates then why the hell are towns allowed to clog up the US highways? My home town of Smithfield plugged up the route 10 by-pass. Now Carrollton is plugging up US route 17. Route 10/32 to US 17 that I used to take from VA down to Wilmington is a nightmare of small towns that have spawled strip mall garbage onto the highway and plugged the road with stoplights and 35mph speed limits. Nobody wants to be in those towns except the people that were too sorry to leave.

Gloucester Courthouse in VA is now plugging up 17 going in that direction. Why couldn't Gloucester build Walmart Lowes etc... off the highway? Used to be you'd go by Gloucester Courthouse on 17 and see nothing but a sign pointing you to the courthouse. Now there are a bunch of stop lights. There was a business route for people that had business in Gloucester and a bypass.

I've never been outside the cities out west. Only been where I can get on mass transit from the airports so my commentary isn't directed directly at your situation. Closest personal experience I have to yours is a Mainer bitching about the Massholes with good reason. My rant about rural VA/NC stems from my being a resident of that rural area, not some city person pissing on the bumpkins. The needless travel delays associated with spawl out on the by-pass has driven me crazy for 30 years and it is only getting worse.

 

[scombrid]

They bought those places considering how the roads were.

So did the people that live in his town that is now clogged with speeding commuting McMansioners that weren't there 20 years ago.

You should owe them money for what you just took away from them.

Maybe the developers should be paying an impact fee for their imposition of traffic on the intervening towns.

Down here in the south, we love to build 20,000 unit developments with no upgrade to the roads and then marvel that the existing roads can't handle the increased volume. Existing residents get shafted while the county planning commision gets fat back pockets.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

I'm from rural Virginia. One thing that always annoyed me in rural eastern VA and NC was that towns would permit new buildings out on the highway and even on the by-pass which would necessitate dropping the speed limit for the safety of accessing those businesses and such. The towns weren't on the road when it was built. The downtowns still aren't. But then the town decide to expand out to that highway. When you are in an area with no access to interstates then why the hell are towns allowed to clog up the US highways? My home town of Smithfield plugged up the route 10 by-pass. Now Carrollton is plugging up US route 17. Route 10/32 to US 17 that I used to take from VA down to Wilmington is a nightmare of small towns that have spawled strip mall garbage onto the highway and plugged the road with stoplights and 35mph speed limits. Nobody wants to be in those towns except the people that were too sorry to leave.

Yeah, if the road was there first the city shouldn't get to interfere more than is necessary to exist. Put in a business loop or an interchange, don't turn the highway into a business district.

- - - Updated - - -

Maybe the developers should be paying an impact fee for their imposition of traffic on the intervening towns.

Down here in the south, we love to build 20,000 unit developments with no upgrade to the roads and then marvel that the existing roads can't handle the increased volume. Existing residents get shafted while the county planning commision gets fat back pockets.

I have no problems with developers paying impact fees for infrastructure upgrades.