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Considering that the highest point in California is 14,494 feet (Mt. Whitney), the ocean would have to rise a whole bunch to submerge California!
We only need enough to separate us from the main land. The illegal migration from Mexico is nothing compared to the rest of the US running to the land of OZ.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SVTRay
Fines for cigerette butts should be 1,000 each butt! California has enough issues with wild fires without the help from smokers. The same here in Texas.
I have been pushing state representatives to creating a $10 CRV for each cigarette butt. Each smoker will either have a pocket full of ass or the bums will be drinking better each night.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jtur88
Actuallly, $500 is a bit steep. If you arrive from Canada or Mexico and there is an orange rolling around in your car that you forgot about, the fine is only $250. No court, no due process, no appeal, you just pay the customs officer on the spot, and he takes a couple of hours to print out a receipt on his computer, while you are detained in a "secured area".
No idea where you were heading with this. No quote or reference. I personally think $500 is to little in any case thou.
Personally, I doubt the legality of traffic cams. I'm not a lawyer, but if CA judges are letting the fine be voluntary . . . come on guys, who are we kidding here? I have no doubt that traffic cams are installed to enrich the city they are in and for no other purpose. Because if we really wanted to stop people from running red lights, the accused (is there any legal precedence of being accused by a machine with no human interaction?) would be arrested and have their licenses revoked. I can't honestly believe that these cams were moved from one location to another simply to generate revenue! If we really wanted to stop red light runners, all the fines would go towards mandatory driver reducation courses with no profit involved for anyone at all. With all the other corruption we regularly hear about from city councils and local govt, do we really need to make them richer then sin because making the fines mandatory will do that. With all this new found cash they could potentially get, what else will they come up with? I'm no tea partier, I believe there should be balance in all things, but this is just a ridiculous grab for cash.
Which is why 1976 and newer vehicles are dirt cheap in California but not in the low population states where we don't have to put up with any of that inspection nonsense. Imagine Fleet if you lived in a state where there were no inspections for any vehicle at all. You can set up your engine to run however you want with no worries or year stipulations.
Yes, that's one reason I own a '66 and a '69!
I was considering changing my '76 Cadillac Limousine for a '75 but a '75 (in the condition and color I wanted) never showed up. But I'm glad I kept the '76. It passed the smog check the last few times without any adjustments needed. Also, I could have dual exhaust installed... the smog technician wouldn't even notice and would still put the smog sensor in only one tailpipe.
Some car owners out here tune their engine for power, then temporarily tune it to pass the smog check and change it back right after it passes.
This thread seems a bit weird but hey, who is checking. I'll add my contribution. In defense of California car-wise: if you haven't made the coastal run from San Francisco into Oregon you've missed one of America's great rides, put it on your bucket list.
Stop at one of the Sequoia/Redwood stands and get humble. The ferns are bigger than you are and the trees will boggle the mind. Next, take the route from the Eureka on the coast to Redding. The switch backs will make you religious real quick praying your brakes hold out as you come off the mountain but its a blast to drive in the right vehicle. Napa Valley in the right season is magical.
For all its faults, California has some of the most interesting drives in the country. Live there - definitely NO, drive there - every chance I get. (This assumes one is not foolish enough to venture onto the highways in the urban areas, especially during rush hour.)
Those of you too young to have made a pilgrimage to the LA car scene in the late 60s & early 70s just missed out. It was THE definition of COOL! My $0.002.
No idea where you were heading with this. No quote or reference.. I personally think $500 is to little in any case thou.
How about "personal experience"?
Does that stand by itself, of does everyone in the Automotive Forum need to submit receipts, or other 'quote or reference' when they say how much they paid for a rebuilt alternator or shop labor or used car?
Where I'm heading is along the already firmly established topic of outrageous fines for petty violations, imposed on people who are traveling by automobile, exercising their constitutional right to move their person or belongings about from place to place.
I'm glad to hear that you have so much money, that you think $500 is too little for every minor traffic infraction. Do you invariably signal every lane change? Have you ever gone 56 in a 55? I think you ought to pay at least $500 for every infraction. If you have that kind of money, I think if you only pay a 50% rate in income tax, that is to [sic] little thou [sic].
No excuse for running a red light. Everybody gets a warning that the light is going to turn red at any moment. That is when you back off and stop.
As far a throwing cigarette butts out the window the cop should pull you out of your car and make you pick up butts on the roadside for an hour. Either that or a $1,000. fine.
As far a throwing cigarette butts out the window the cop should pull you out of your car and make you pick up butts on the roadside for an hour. Either that or a $1,000. fine.
Cigarettes are biodegradable. Multiply by ten for a anything plastic.
There are PLENTY of reasons the government of CA makes it suck to own/operate vehicles here, but none are the reasons you listed.
The fines are high because the repercussions of the violations you describe are serious. As has been mentioned, a tossed cigarette may seem like nothing to you, but could be the spark that leads to hundreds of families losing their homes. And while the red light camera is COMPLETE BS, the original intent is a good one. Running red lights causes NASTY accidents. It's bad enough to get hit at high speed from a car heading the same direction, but getting hit at the same speeds by something coming head-on or broadside will always lead to a more sever accident.
You clearly struggle with understanding basic automotive safety concepts (You SERIOUSLY think you don't have to stop at a red light unless there's a 'No right on red' sign? Wow), but then have the gall to suggest fines should be lessened? I disagree. It should cost and arm and a leg so you learn a basic lesson: YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG AND PUTTING PEOPLE IN DANGER. STOP DOING THAT!
The reason the fine for running a red light, or any traffic offence, is $500 rather than $10 dollars is to GET YOUR ATTENTION...! You pay $500 dollars and you will remember it next time.
I'm sure the municipalities loves the money, but most of all, they want you to obey the law... Scraping your remains off the asphalt ruins their day....!!
The reason the fine for running a red light, or any traffic offence, is $500 rather than $10 dollars is to GET YOUR ATTENTION...! You pay $500 dollars and you will remember it next time.
I'm sure the municipalities loves the money, but most of all, they want you to obey the law... Scraping your remains off the asphalt ruins their day....!!
OK, let's make the fine a million dollars then, for all traffic infractions, if it so crucially important to get your attention, and make sure people remember it next time. And then have traffic cams that automatically ticket every driver going 56 in a 55, which would be about 10-million a day in California alone. That's $3-quadrillion dollars a year.
Or, let's just keep right on screwing the poor who can't afford $500, and force them into bankruptcy to live with their kids under a freeway, while the people who order $500 bottles of wine just keep right on offending without getting the message.
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