tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1054910627465846465.post7574697290026223647..comments2024-03-28T15:30:35.153-07:00Comments on The Hitchhiker's Guide to National Affairs: The Lonely Death of George BellUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1054910627465846465.post-80374672213637371122015-10-24T10:49:16.008-07:002015-10-24T10:49:16.008-07:00I think one example of the contracting out certain...I think one example of the contracting out certain tasks is best seen with our friend the traffic camera. More specifically, the payment plans that low income individuals often have to pay are resulting from the state adding on a great number of surcharges to low level fines (another John Oliver video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UjpmT5noto). According to John Oliver, in California, running a stop sign costs 35$ initially. After surcharges, that bumps up to 238$. Now justifications aside, a 680% increase in cost is absurd. Moreover, 238$ to a minimum wage worker in California is 26.5 hours of work. For. Running. A. Stop. Sign. That "California rolling stop" quickly becomes quite an expensive habit. That's one example of state bureaucracy and how it affects our everyday lives (especially lower income individuals). Then, as it turns out, some state have begun to contract out probation services that are for-profit institutions. This often leads to absurd payment plans that extort the poor for ridiculous sums of money over time because the payment plan starts with paying the probation company and not the ticket. This highlights some of the dangers that can be associated with privatizing certain government functions, as the same high level of scrutiny is not applicable to most for-profit institutions.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00055831811919473345noreply@blogger.com