Jan 26, 2012

Traffic-cam extortion

The story lead is a warm fuzzy for the libertarian soul.

"The classic democratic tension between liberty and security was tested once again Wednesday in a debate on legislation to ban traffic-enforcement cameras on Iowa roads..."  

Even better, liberty won the first of the warmup bouts, 3-0, in subcommittee.

The report doesn't mention any great debate about raping the Constitution.* Irritated citizens sat on one side of the table and the usual authoritarians -- cops, city taxing authorities, etc. -- on the other. "It's for your own good, your safety," blatted the former. The citizens carried the day with a highly accurate response: "Boooll sheet, you greedy creeps."

It's early in the sausage-making process, but at least it's a hopeful development.

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*Amendments Five and Fourteen are clear enough in telling government it can not screw around with your "life, liberty, or property" without "due process of law."  It seems damned doubtful the Founders would have deemed a dun from a company of IT geeks in Snottsdale to constitute due process of law. Even if they are part of that sacred public/private partnership congregation.

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(Does this argument get us thinking about the general concept of "administrative forfeiture?" Ought to.)

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