AG: Aunt Granny's Advice, or How to become an elderly cyclist:

On Tue, 16 Dec 2014 00:12:41 -0500, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 12/11/2014 8:14 PM, John B. Slocomb wrote:


You need to implement the "free enterprise" system that we have here.

You do something wrong; the cop stops you; you pay him the fine and go
your way; or you do something wrong; you surrender your drivers
license and must report to the Police Officer's home office in 3 days
time to pay the fine and have your license returned.

Of course, if you pay on the spot the fine goes into the "Police
Benevolence" fund and is used to improve the life of the police
officers, which provides a certain amount of enthusiasm, in the Police
ranks, for law enforcement.

So, the free market philosophy applied to policing! I think that would
be approved by roughly half the American public.

Until the first time they were pulled over, that is.

Foreigners complain loudly about the "corruption", but I always
wondered. The purpose of a fine is to impress on the evildoer that
this is not a good thing to do. Does it matter who, in the end,
receives the money?

As paying the fine is the punishment, whether this money goes into the
government coffers to be spent on the minister's upcoming trip to
London (with wife and family) or goes into the pockets of the poor
policeman would seem immaterial.

And, it does make for very industrious policemen, eager to enforce the
law.

--
Cheers,

John B.