Cash Windfall Following Mobile Phone Ban

from the enforcement-for-all-the-wrong-reasons dept

Mon, Jul 7th 2003 12:03pm — Mike Masnick

Last month we had a story about how an initial review of the New York State ban on driving-while-yakking showed no real benefits from the law. In the comments, someone pointed out that this was due to the fact that the police weren't enforcing the law at all, so everyone was still chatting away while driving. However, the lack of police enforcement appears to be changing, at least within New York City. This isn't necessarily because the cops are suddenly realizing the danger of driving while yakking, but rather a push for more revenue to cover the city's well-publicized budgetary problems. Nice to see that are legal policies are now officially being designed to support government overspending.

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Anonymous Coward, 7 Jul 2003 @ 12:16pm

Back in the day
When drunk driving laws were new, people accused the laws of being a revenue maker, a cynical puritan ploy, a war against manhood. Ten years from now, I wonder if Mike's attitude will seem frighteningly backward?
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munich, 7 Jul 2003 @ 5:53pm

Re: Back in the day
I agree with cellphone laws, but there have been lots of recently published examples of New York enforcing old, previously unenforced codes in order to raise money. The latest has to do with the color (or something) of awnings over businesses which was put on the books in the 1960s, never enforced, and suddenly a bunch of small businesses have tickets for 100s or 1000s of $.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Jul 2003 @ 8:01pm

No Subject Given
I'd rather take my chances paying on a optional penalty which is easily avoidable, than inevitable increases on taxes/fees which are unavoidable.

Kinda like speeding - don't speed, you won't pay.
But property tax increases are forever....
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