Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

A Billionaire and a Nurse Shouldn't Pay the Same Fine for Speeding

nytimes.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

101–106 of 106 posts

Re: A Billionaire and a Nurse Shouldn't Pay the Same Fine for Speeding

#101

Post by russelluresti »

commandlinefan wrote: post #86
Ro93 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

the point of a fine is to act as a deterrent... billionaire isn't going to care about $100. They aren't going to care about $1000 either, but at least it's doing more social good.

> care about $100 He will care if he loses his driver's license after a certain number of tickets, though, which is the law for everybody, equally applied.

In reality, even that isn't equal. A poor person who has moved out of the city because they can't afford housing inside of it losing their license would probably mean losing their job, as public transportation options may not even be available. A wealthy person could just hire an Uber everywhere and wouldn't even notice the cost.

While the punishment is equal, the impact it would have on different populations is unequal (which is the same issue with a fine of an absolute amount).

Re: A Billionaire and a Nurse Shouldn't Pay the Same Fine for Speeding

#102

Post by paulddraper »

simula67 wrote: post #8
dibbsonline wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's seeking equality of outcome which is basically communism and in no way equality as the nurse had every opportunity to also become successful in free society.

I wonder if these types of comments are designed to trash free market-ism and not communism ('Look, free marketists are so dumb. Ha ha ha')

Equality of outcome is a shared theme of communism and progressive prices, fees, etc.

IDK if I'd have framed it like dibbsonline did though.

Re: A Billionaire and a Nurse Shouldn't Pay the Same Fine for Speeding

#103

Post by paulddraper »

zaarn wrote: post #56
stmfreak wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is only actual damage if you are exceptionally unlucky. Almost everyone speeds to varying degrees, with wildly successful runs of luck. Ergo, speeding is not a crime, it is an easy revenue target for greedy municipalities with overpaid cops.

Speeding is a crime since it is illegal by law. That the money goes to municipalities is a problem of the US system, it should go to the state/government. The problem really isn't that you haven't caused damage, rather that you ignored the legal safety limits of the road just to get home a bit earlier while completely ignoring or dismissing that in case of bad luck you could have caused immense damage. Reckless behav…

> It doesn't matter if you say "but officer the road was completely empty"

To be fair, road usage does matter.

If there is construction you will be fined more. If students traveling to school, the speed limit is lowered.

Point being that not all "speeding" is the same.

Re: A Billionaire and a Nurse Shouldn't Pay the Same Fine for Speeding

#104

Post by beagle3 »

RhysU wrote: post #73

By what right should the officer be able to learn my net worth the moment he or she thinks I made a moving violation? Do you want possibly unscrupulous officers learning your net worth anywhere you travel?

In most of the world, the officer looks at your id and puts your details in the system; They do not collect any money on the spot, and you have the right to appeal said ticket before paying.

You get a copy of all the details (including how to appeal, how much to pay, etc.), and while there would be a need to cross this against the income tax database (the way it is done in Finland), it doesn't usually go through a person.

Re: A Billionaire and a Nurse Shouldn't Pay the Same Fine for Speeding

#105

Post by zaarn »

paulddraper wrote: post #103
zaarn wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Speeding is a crime since it is illegal by law. That the money goes to municipalities is a problem of the US system, it should go to the state/government. The problem really isn't that you haven't caused damage, rather that you ignored the legal safety limits of the road just to get home a bit earlier while completely ignoring or dismissing that in case of bad luck you could have caused immense damage. Reckless behav…

> It doesn't matter if you say "but officer the road was completely empty" To be fair, road usage does matter. If there is construction you will be fined more. If students traveling to school, the speed limit is lowered. Point being that not all "speeding" is the same.

Obviously yes, if you have a higher probability of endangering someone (ie, school kids, construction sites), the punishment will be worse.

Re: A Billionaire and a Nurse Shouldn't Pay the Same Fine for Speeding

#106

Post by devnull791101 »

the doctrine of equality of outcomes is evil which is what article is trying to achieve. being successful is not a crime or morally wrong as much as the likes of sanders/corbyn like to fantasise that it is. the fact that one person can handle a fine easier than another is no more consequential that the fact one can run faster than another.
Post reply on HN