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Spy cameras are being put up all over Santa Maria, California. Just driving to the store and back this afternoon, I noticed them at every intersection on top of the traffic light bars. They look like electronic eagles sitting there peering at everyone.
It has been announced that the fine is $400 for any infraction.
I don't know if that is only if someone enters the intersection when it's red, or if they enter when it's green or yellow and the light turns red before the car gets through it. I've found myself stopping suddenly at the instant a light turns yellow, while glancing in the mirror and hoping the truck in back doesn't run right over me and my car. While in an intersection, if the car in front slows down after getting through it, I find myself getting as close to the car as possible so I can get through the intersection at the earliest instant.
I am 60 and have been in only three traffic accidents in my life. The first was when someone slammed into the back of the car after I'd stopped at a red light at an intersection. The person had plenty of time to stop. The second was when I just got on the freeway in the rain, and the car started sliding on some oil from a truck. I was only going 45 mph. The car slid off the freeway onto a field (fortunately) and banged the passenger door on a pole. The last time, I started going through an intersection after the light turned green, and someone whipped around the far side of traffic coming from the other direction and made a left turn into the side of my car. My head banged on the side of the car and I had a mild concussion. After exchanging information, I turned around and went home.
However, three cars almost hit me this week, and the drivers of all three were on cell phones. I am opposed to big brother, but feel that people should not drive while talking on cell phones, and not with dogs or other animals on their laps. I am all for freedom. I am also in favor of staying healthy and alive. In my opinion, big brother and $400 fines are not looking out for our welfare. The situation keeps getting worse. I am now much more afraid of the police and the military, than I am of crooks and terrorists. In fact I go to sleep with the fear of them breaking into my house, or bombing the city, or dropping chemicals on us from the skies.
Now that I've ranted for a bit, do you have the spy cameras in your area and, if so, how do you feel about them?
Spy cameras are being put up all over Santa Maria, California. Just driving to the store and back this afternoon, I noticed them at every intersection on top of the traffic light bars. They look like electronic eagles sitting there peering at everyone.
It has been announced that the fine is $400 for any infraction.
However, three cars almost hit me this week, and the drivers of all three were on cell phones. I am opposed to big brother, but feel that people should not drive while talking on cell phones, and not with dogs or other animals on their laps. I am all for freedom. I am also in favor of staying healthy and alive. In my opinion, big brother and $400 fines are not looking out for our welfare. The situation keeps getting worse. I am now much more afraid of the police and the military, than I am of crooks and terrorists. In fact I go to sleep with the fear of them breaking into my house, or bombing the city, or dropping chemicals on us from the skies.
Now that I've ranted for a bit, do you have the spy cameras in your area and, if so, how do you feel about them?
The cameras are in my area now, but I remember reading a while back that at least here there's no money to pay anyone to monitor them,so they are more for decoration at the moment. How do I feel, well I'm pretty law-abiding and as long as I don't get a ridiculous or undeserved ticket I'm not going to worry about it. When/if I do, then I'll fight it - the arguments one could mention in court for why you went through a light are numerous and would have to be taken on a case by case basis anyway.
Regarding driving while on a cell phone... coming from NY to Indiana a few years back, I have seen the difference. In NY you couldn't be holding a cell phone while driving or else you could get pulled over and ticketed. In Indiana there is no such law and I can wager and win nearly every time I see someone do something dangerous while driving that indeed they are on a cell phone. People just don't pay much attention to their surroundings while on a cell phone. Like you I don't like to have freedoms stripped, but someone needs to do something about cell-phone-driving-safety here. Mandating utilization of hand's-free attachments might be the right way to go unless someone else has a better idea.
Lastly, your fears about the government seem pretty extreme to me. If you're law abiding and a good person I would say you have little to nothing to fear from the military and police. For the most part they just want to stop the crooks and terrorists and won't bother you unless you give em reason. They're just common folk doing a job. I sleep well knowing we have good people upholding laws and great people willing to die for our country's freedoms in the military. It may seem like an opposite extreme from what you've presented, but I just think living with paranoid/conspiracy ridden thoughts won't do anyone good in the long run; so why bother.
Florida recently voted down having cameras to catch red light runners -- you know that 'privacy' issue. But that is just for state highways. Cities and counties can still have them if they wish, but so far we don't have any around here. As long as things don't mess up (and with electronics that does happen), I'm not opposed to it -- too many people have crashes & many are killed in crashes because of the red light runners.
I don't put a lot of credence into those 'privacy' issues that are cited. Every time we go thru a toll booth a camera is on us and if we don't pay the toll, we'll get a letter or fine. We have cameras on us in any department store or convenience store we enter. Get money out of the ATM and you're filmed. I'm not sure what people are afraid of if they're obeying the laws. Maybe afraid a camera will catch you doing something embarrassing?
Lastly, your fears about the government seem pretty extreme to me. If you're law abiding and a good person I would say you have little to nothing to fear from the military and police. For the most part they just want to stop the crooks and terrorists and won't bother you unless you give em reason. They're just common folk doing a job. I sleep well knowing we have good people upholding laws and great people willing to die for our country's freedoms in the military. It may seem like an opposite extreme from what you've presented, but I just think living with paranoid/conspiracy ridden thoughts won't do anyone good in the long run; so why bother.
Since you feel this way, in the interest of consistency, I suspect you would support random searches of your home, just to stop the crooks of course?
Since you feel this way, in the interest of consistency, I suspect you would support random searches of your home, just to stop the crooks of course?
You know your example is ridiculously extreme, but I'll take the bait but try to redirect your focus. Intersection cameras vs random house searching... that's a pretty large leap of logic for comparison. One is completely passive, and triggered only by illegal activity... the other is as you suggested "random" and quite disruptive and invasive.
Since you feel this way, in the interest of consistency, I suspect you would support random searches of your home, just to stop the crooks of course?
I'm not for cameras in intersections, but not for privacy reasons. You're on a public street. It's not the same as a random search of your home, in any way.
What turns me off to this idea, especially in the case of something people who run red lights, is that they send the ticket to the owner of the vehicle. That's not how this should work.
Normally, I'd be against this for every reason you can conjure, but not with how overcrowded roads have become. So many people run red lights here in Florida. It's really dangerous. If I get a green light and I'm first in line, I wait at least a couple seconds before I start moving. There have been too many people killed by drivers running red lights, going 60+ in a 45.
You know your example is ridiculously extreme, but I'll take the bait but try to redirect your focus. Intersection cameras vs random house searching... that's a pretty large leap of logic for comparison. One is completely passive, and triggered only by illegal activity... the other is as you suggested "random" and quite disruptive and invasive.
One is also against the law, while the other is not...
Scranton has just begun installing these as well at downtown intersections, and I've already heard the whining beginning from people thinking it's an "infringement upon their personal liberties" (these are the same folks whining about the city's recent ban on smoking and its possible upcoming ban on trans-fats). If you aren't intelligent enough to stop at a red light, then you DESERVE to have "Big Brother" watching over you. Try calling 911 some time to report the license plate of someone who just went through a red light or was tailgating another vehicle and see where you end up. With how busy our local law enforcement officials are, this will be added peace of mind to commuters that there will be fewer idiots tempted to make destructive decisions behind the wheel if they know they are being watched (there's a reason why everyone slams on the brakes on the highways when they see a cop just ahead in the median).
You know your example is ridiculously extreme, but I'll take the bait but try to redirect your focus. Intersection cameras vs random house searching... that's a pretty large leap of logic for comparison. One is completely passive, and triggered only by illegal activity... the other is as you suggested "random" and quite disruptive and invasive.
I was responding to the logic of your final paragraph, seeming to support any action by police so long as they are only after crooks. And, if one is law-abiding, one shouldn't be opposed to any action that the police might take to catch the criminals.
Personally, I'm not against the cameras, if they can positively provide proof of guilt in a court of law.
Personally, I'm not against the cameras, if they can positively provide proof of guilt in a court of law.
Unless they have a camera which gets a good shot of the face of the driver, then they identify the driver, the ticket won't hold up in court. It can't. They have to prove it was you driving.
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