This cartoon was sent to me by someone who wishes to remain anonymous.
From the “author”:
It’s called “Christmas Future”
and she’s (College Station Mayor Nancy Berry) Scrooge mcQuack or whatever
and the image being presented to her is that of “Christmas Future”
and she is asking “Um…is that how it’s really gonna be? Or can we change it?”
We hate to say it, but you can’t believe everything you read on the Internet – especially when it comes to comments supporting traffic photo enforcement cameras.
Fewer people dig traffic cameras than we may think/Thinkstock image
Although the red light and speed cameras are despised for a number of reasons, with one of the best likening them to crack cocaine and cities getting addicted to the money they bring in, batches of comments always seem to crop up in support of them.
These supportive comments, seemingly written by real-life citizens with real-life concerns, pop up like buffelgrass on traffic camera articles throughout cyberspace.
Love them or hate them red light cameras work and the more they are debated the more people are aware of them. They should be at every intersection.
“Jane Smith,” who may or may not be related to John Doe, left that particular comment on the TucsonCitizen.com article entitled “Two more photo enforcement cameras mean two more Tucson traffic nightmares.”
Her exact belief is shared so exactly by others that they just happen to use her exact wording in their own comments supporting the cameras.
Love them or hate them red light cameras work and the more they are debated the more people are aware of them. They should be at every intersection.
The same comment also appears on traffic camera articles at:
SunSentinel.com in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., comment from “dq1153” (which is part of Jane Smith’s e-mail address, by the way)
WHEC.com in Rochester, NY, comment from “giggley”
SignOnSanDiego.com, comment from giggley
LynnwoodToday.com in Lynnwood, Wash., there goes giggley again
A commenter called “yogilives,” has been as busy as giggley leaving supportive comments about the cameras around cyberspace.
Yogilives’ comment on the Citizen article reads:
What a bunch of baloney, somehow drivers being overly cautious about going through an intersection is more dangerous than some reckless driver blowing through a red light into traffic? I think not. Enforcing our traffic laws deters reckless driving and the more coverage the more deterrence. No number of street cops can match the 24/7 coverage red light cameras provide so let’s use them, the life they save might be your own!
Yogilives’ comment at HuffingtonPost.com, on the article “LA’s Arizona Boycott Makes Exception For Red-Light Camera Operator,” reads:
That anyone would be surprised that LA officials hadn’t thought through the implications of their boneheaded political grandstanding is ridiculous. How exactly would the endangering the lives of Californian’s by refusing to properly and fully enforce our traffic laws benefit ANYONE, Arizonans, Californians Mexicans or Martians? Stay in your lane people, you’re barely qualified to represent the people of LA, let’s not have you muddle things up by getting into Arizona’s business.
In an attempt to perhaps keep spam suspicions at bay, yogilives throws in some local references, colloquial language and even personal details. In one of 18 comments left on sites affiliated with OregonLive.com, yogilives claims to be the father of two school age girls who, of course, will be kept safe for the rest of their lives if only more photo enforcement cameras would be installed at every single intersection across the nation.
What is this, a conspiracy?
You bet – or at least a movement known as “Astroturf lobbying,” which creates “fake grass roots” campaigns full of phony supporters with an ulterior motive in mind.
Money. Money. Money.
While the traffic camera comments may seem silly at best and annoying at worst, they sometimes morph into larger concerns in areas where traffic cameras are still up for discussion – and persuasion.
A November ballot initiative in Mukilteo, Wash., will let voters weigh in on its local traffic camera issues, a Washington State Wire article says.
The initiative lets folks decide if the city should reverse the City Council’s decision to install traffic cameras around town, have public votes on future traffic camera installations, and limit traffic camera fines to $20.
There goes the money, money, money.
A loud, yet mysterious organization, called the Mukilteo Citizens for Simple Government, filed a lawsuit to keep the initiative off the ballot.
“Backers of the initiative say it sure looks like the Arizona company that supplies the town with traffic cameras is behind the whole thing,” the article noted.
In making the charge, the red-light opponents have put Google to work, uncovering a motherlode of websites tailored for every city where a red-light camera initiative has made the ballot, or where automated cameras have come in for serious public scrutiny. In Mukilteo and 17 other cities, each website appears to be sponsored by a citizens’ group; each one uses identical wording on its content pages; each web domain name is owned by the same company, Advarion, Inc., of Houston, TX.
In other states, campaign disclosure documents reveal that Advarion is one of the contractors providing services to pro-camera campaigns financed by American Traffic Solutions of Scottsdale, Ariz. And the main reason these facts must be mentioned in such a roundabout way is that Mukilteo Citizens for Simple Government still hasn’t gotten around to filing campaign disclosure documents with the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission, which presumably would make its backing clear.
Love them or hate them, scammers and spammers are everywhere.
When you talk to residents of College Station about the state of our city government, you rarely hear a positive comment. Our city council is criticized for over-spending, over-taxing, and over-regulating. Smoking bans, turning streets in business districts into massive sidewalks, red light cameras, tree ordinances, elaborate parks, poor planning for student neighborhoods, high utility rates, landlord registration, skate parks. The list goes on. It seems everyone has an idea of what needs to change. And who needs the boot. With all these opinionated folks, these facts might surprise you.
- 38,587 of College Station residents are registered to vote (less than half the population)
- 1,613 people voted during the 7 days of early voting
- 4% of the population is deciding who will fill the positions of Mayor and Councilman, Place 2
Election Day is Saturday, an odd day for an election in Texas. The Aggies are focused on leaving for the summer and likely have no idea that they could influence the regulations placed upon them. Most likely, five percent of the population will decide for the other 95%. At what point do people care? How do you destroy apathy? Typical to human nature, people will care when it’s too late. After the election, when some dreadful ordinance is passed preventing her from transporting her six labradors in the bed of her truck , she’ll care. Of course she can’t do anything about it then. When the young couple buys a smaller house to afford all the regulations like plastic wrap under the bricks and trees, they’ll understand that who sits on the council matters. The election, however, will be over.
Your vote is important. Go vote Saturday. Speak up.
How often do we look at our neighbors and think they are doing well? Nice house, two cars that are less than three years old each, kids in private school, yearly family vacation. And then you receive a phone call from a bill collector trying to reach your neighbor. Suddenly, your perspective changes. No longer are they your secret envy. . Your neighbors are in debt and it’s falling apart.
Most Americans have debt. It’s bad, and we know it, but we just can’t resist having everything we want. Maybe our parents didn’t tell us no enough. Or maybe it was too much. Either way, we are a consumer-driven economy. We consume more than we make, both on an industrial level and on an income level. What is an acceptable portion of your income to devote to debt? 10%? 20%? What about over 50%? Most households would be in serious trouble if they spent 50% of their income on debt interest. That’s when you put the house on the market, enroll the kids in public school, file for bankruptcy, and pray it all comes together before you lose everything. Depending on where you live, you may have already seen families go through financial crisis. We will continue to see it until we fix the root problem of material gluttony.
Spending more than we make is one of the biggest problems facing our nation, from individual households to every level of government. The City of College Station is no stranger to debt. Over 50% of the property tax revenue goes towards debt. The City of College Station is in a dangerous financial situation that needs swift and dramatic action. We need a City Council that will boldly empower the city staff to make tough decisions, cut spending, and cut projects. Unfortunately, College Station is on a business as usual path. We continue to spend. We continue with expensive parks and projects. The City of College Station is not taking drastic enough measures to ensure the financial stability of our city and reduce the burden on its residents.
Can you imagine a debt free College Station? Instead of paying interest on debt, the city could improve services, parks, or roads. We could reduce the city property tax by half! More money in your pocket means more to spend in the local economy. The next time there is a bond election, remember you are voting on adding more debt. You are voting for higher taxes and fewer services. You are voting for future instability.
The City Council is the first line of defense when it comes to debt and spending. We must demand that our council be frugal and make the tough cuts necessary to reduce our debt. They must put an end to unnecessary bond requests. We can’t afford everything we want. Risking our future on non-essentials that do not build our local economy is poor stewardship.
Jess Fields, candidate for Place 2, is concerned about our amount of debt. He understands that unpopular decisions must be made, and he’s willing to do that. Mr. Fields loves College Station and wants to see it grow and prosper. With an enormous debt burden, not only can College Station not reach its potential, it is at grave risk of financial turmoil. In May, citizens must elect someone who will take a strong stand on economics in College Station. We must elect Jess Fields.
On March 20, 2010 the Brazos County Republican Party had its county convention. The two main goals of this convention are to develop a platform to send to the Republican Party of Texas and to nominate delegates and alternate delegates to represent the county at the State Convention. The general mood of the convention was good. The hostility that many felt in 2008 had dissipated, as had the number of people in attendance. The convention was as quick as it could be and orderly.
My first concern was the attendance. All the county and SD conventions were held on the same day, so I will assume this was dictated at the state level. Perhaps, the state should realize that Spring Break occurs in March. Of course, there are still plenty in state and county leadership that are scared to death of those young people (ie anyone under 40). I hope that the choice of a Spring Break weekend was not an intentional ploy to exclude young people. If it was, it backfired. Yes, college students travel on Spring Break. So do parents and grandparents. Attendance was pitiful in our county. Spring Break certainly contributed to the low turnout. What I wonder is where are all these people who claim to be the grassroots? They get offended when they are called Astroturf, but they don’t bother to show up for the grassroots process of developing the platform for the Republican Party of Texas. The convention process isn’t entertaining or glamorous, but it is a necessary evil. Even if you’re against the two-party system, we still have it. If we ever do move out of the two-party system, it won’t be anytime soon. Those who are working within the party system best put some effort into fixing the system. It will never be perfect, but it could be better. To all these people complaining about Obama, the Democrats, or even the Republican Party: Show up or Shut up.
The resolutions that formed our county platform were very good for the most part. The Resolutions Committee seemed open to adding resolutions at the convention as well as making corrections. Many of our resolutions aimed at steering the Party back to its true conservative roots. The truth is the Republican Party was far more libertarian than it is today. The sad thing is that most Republicans today think libertarian means liberal. They don’t understand that libertarians simply want the government out of their lives, something most Republicans long for. As author and blogger Jason Mattera said in his speech to the CPAC convention, “Hey jackass, get your government off my freedom!” That sentiment is held by both Libertarians and Republicans. Many of our resolutions sought to remove the government from our daily lives, and I applaud that. The main complaint was that the precinct resolutions were not carefully read. The Committee steered the resolutions in the direction of their choosing instead of forming the platform based solely on the resolutions from the Precinct Conventions. I was not on the Resolutions Committee, so I cannot confirm this claim. If you don’t like the way the resolutions were selected or the resulting platform, now is the time to ask to be on the Resolutions Committee in 2012.
The Nominations Committee was the worst creature by far. The tradition of giving candidates, elected officials, and judges delegate spots as an honor defeats the purpose of the grassroots process. They already make decisions in their elected positions. Why let them co-opt the grassroots process as well? Many of our top delegates and alternates did not bother to show up to their Precinct Conventions or the County Convention. They will likely not attend the State Convention either. The convention process should be reserved for the grassroots to make their voices heard. Hardworking grassroots activists were pushed out due to these honorary positions. Brazos County has less of a voice in the RPT now because these “honored” people will likely not show up. If a candidate or elected official participates in the process and works hard for the Party, then give him the slot. But if they only show up when it’s time to campaign, they do not deserve the honor of being a delegate or alternate. The same goes for their spouses. A percentage of slots should be reserved for those new to the Party. There will always be people joining in who are eager to get to work. We need to plug them in immediately. Don’t tell them to go to luncheons and work their way up. If they’re ready to work now, put them to work. We need the energy, and we need the workers! The application process to be a delegate to the State Convention needs to change as well. Many people never received an application, and most received their applications after the slate of delegates and alternates were chosen. This lack of organization contributes to the belief that our Party is just another Good Ol’ Boy network. Nothing will change until the existing Party dies out (which will happen sooner than later considering how few young people are allowed to participate). Candidates should encourage their campaign teams to participate in their Precinct Conventions and hold election watch parties after the Conventions. Poll workers should be assigned to their own Precincts if possible, to allow their participation in the Precinct Conventions. Our Precinct Convention did not begin until all the poll workers were finished. Efforts must be made to allow these faithful volunteers to have a voice in the grassroots process. If we truly want change in our Party and our nation, we must work diligently to ensure maximum participation.
I’ll clarify something quickly. Kay-Marie Lyles is the best person on the CS City Council. She happens to be the only woman, but that’s not why she’s the best. She actually thinks through issues and doesn’t take on the attitude of “the nanny state knows best.” She truly has a servant’s heart. I don’t agree with some of her votes, but at least she’s thinking it through. She seeks outside input and advise. She listens to the public. She’s polite.
The six men on the city council have no clue what life in College Station should be. I’m sure in some alternate universe, they are lovely gentlemen and great neighbors. Personally, I don’t like anyone who desires to run every aspect of my life. Here’s a few of their recent accomplishments:
I could continue, but I’ll spare you the pain. I’ll publish more later. Small doses are more tolerable.
We have a little oligarchy here in College Station. This elite group thinks they know how best to live your life. Don’t smoke in the bars because that poor bartender never expected to be exposed to second-hand smoke. And let’s turn the streets in to giant sidewalks. That will help businesses grow and create jobs.
There are rumblings of recall. I’m glad to hear them. I think they will only get louder, and I look forward to watching these six in the next several months. They won’t worry about recalls. They seem to believe that Texans like people telling them what to do on their private property and how to live their lives.
http://www.civilviolation.com/?p=694.
My goal is to see this happen around the State of Texas. The red light camera interest should know that the State of Texas is full of people that long to be free. Enforcement without due process is not something that will stand in Texas. We will watch the court proceedings closely, but I believe that once the red light camera interest force the city to pay for the cost of election, some where between 70,000 and 80,000 they will all move on to oppress other people and other cities.
The End
The End Close Up
