A Not So ‘Just’ Government
By: Stephen Carter
It just doesn’t seem like you get much justice when it comes to dealing with the government, especially when you’re defending yourself from it.
Most have experienced this before, whether they realized it at the time or not, and it is remarkable that we have not conceived of something better, at the very least cried out against the injustice. When the government gets you in its sights, often the easiest thing to do at the time is comply and hope it goes away. What exactly are we talking about here you ask?
Let’s start with a basic example. As many have either heard of, or have seen them set up in their own local area, red light cameras have become all the rave with local governments. They collect ticket money without having to deploy an officer to do the job, the camera company gets a nice slice of the profits, and the average citizen gets the shaft on the deal.
There are times when going through the light is necessary to avoid other problems, something that an officer would take into consideration. Sometimes someone else was driving your car and ran a light. There are other times when people have simply rolled too close to the intersection. Even cases where legal right-hand turns were made at an intersection. Others have done absolutely nothing at all to warrant a red light ticket being mailed to them but it happens anyways.
When these things happen, people have a choice to make. They can either pay the unjust ticket, or take it to traffic court. Many will simply pay the ticket to avoid wasting more time. Others will opt for traffic court, which doesn’t guarantee that they will win their case, which will result in losing even more money through additional court fees. Even if you do manage to win your case and get the ticket dismissed, what about the lost time and lost revenue because you had to miss work? Potentially, you could lose more if you go to court and win your case than if you had just payed the ticket in the first place. Where is the justice in that?
The red light tickets could be substituted with any number of other tickets and the argument is the same, and depending on what kind of ticket it is, it could be even more costly. Let’s move on from tickets though.
Take for example that you have been detained by the police in some manner and they end up arresting you on a warrant for something that was taken care of a long time ago. Yes, this happens, and it happens quite frequently. Some government bureaucrat fails to do their job properly and you end up paying for their mistake. If you’re lucky they realize the mistake and just let you out of jail, sometimes after a day, sometimes after a week or two. Other times you must pay a bond to get out and possibly a lawyer. You have missed income from not being at work, and could have possibly even lost your job due to this mistake. Then when the government realizes that they have made a mistake they simply say “oops” and tell you that you’re free to go. No apology, no compensation, tough luck.
What’s worse than being arrested for a warrant that shouldn’t exist though? Being arrested for a crime you did not commit, which happens pretty often as well. Sometimes you sit in jail for a day, sometimes you sit in jail for up to two years. Never-mind the loss of income, your job, and your social dignity; what about your loss of freedom? To lose all of this and then simply have charges dismissed or found not-guilty, you’re just expected to move on and suck it up. No compensation of any kind. You’re expected to just be grateful that you’re free. How is there ANY justice in this? There isn’t.
None of this even touches on when the government commits a crime and fails to compensate adequately, if at all for it; or when you’ve been wronged by some corporation and these courts make them pay pennies on the dollars they made. Also, every time you have to tangle with the government over something like this, it not only affects you, but your family and friends, and the economy itself as the productivity is sucked right out of it as resources are diverted to dealing with the government.
The way government operates must be reformed for the better. When it has to start ponying up money and other compensation for their mistakes, we’ll begin to see a lot less mistakes made. We’ll especially see this when those employed by the government pay personally for their mistakes that wreak havoc on the lives of others. Without accountability, there is no justice.
