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From: cramer@kontron.UUCP (Clayton Cramer)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Air bears, fighting tickets... etc..
Message-ID: <121@kontron.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 25-Apr-85 11:50:42 EST
Article-I.D.: kontron.121
Posted: Thu Apr 25 11:50:42 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 27-Apr-85 04:05:31 EST
References: <65@tekig5.UUCP> <1340021@acf4.UUCP> <2435@randvax.UUCP>
Organization: Kontron Electronics, Irvine, CA
Lines: 37

> > >/* braman@dataio.UUCP (Rick Braman) / 10:47 am  Apr 15, 1985 */
> > 
> > >> My conviction is that it is a moral obligation and a social responsibility
> > >> to fight traffic tickets with all the resources at one's disposal, since
> > >> traffic law enforcement is basically chickenshit legalized highway robbery
> > >> and allows cops to prey on people with burned-out taillights instead
> > >> of chasing burglars and rapists who, of course, might (shudder,quake)
> > >> fight BACK.
> > >> 
> > 
> > >Yeah, and your conviction is exactly what costs those of us who are willing
> > >to obey the laws alot of extra tax money, paying for your wasted time in court!
> > 
> > Nonsense!  Taxes are at the level they are because legislators are unwilling
> > to raise them for political reasons.  You're paying the amount of taxes
> > you do because that's all the parasites have managed to squeeze out of you
> > so far.
> > 
> > 						Michael Sykora
> 
> I never cease to wonder at Libertarian cynicism.  Do you really feel that
> your elected officials have *no* other motive than to acquire money to
> spend at their whim (within the bounds of political reality, of course)?
> And that the government never does anything useful?  Or that increasing
> demands on its services somehow has no effect on its need for revenue?
> 
> 		-Ed Hall
> 		decvax!randvax!edhall

It isn't that government is *trying* to be wasteful.  There are two problems:
first, government is intrinsically a monopoly, and so lacks the normal 
competitive pressures that keep other businesses efficient; second, elected
officials are interested in getting re-elected.  If they *know* something is
stupid or wrong, I suspect most of them would oppose it, but since most of 
them aren't too bright, if they are ambivalent about an issue, or ignorant,
they will do that which pleases the most vocal special interest groups, or
their campaign contributors, or cronies.