5 ms·
Why?
by notyourwork 9y ago
Why?
- thaumaturgy 9y agoIt creates perverse incentives (ex. http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/investigates/exclusive-judge-says-he-quit-over-speeding-ticket-quota/148865111 http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/investigates/exclusive-judge-..., https://www.caranddriver.com/features/town-without-pity https://www.caranddriver.com/features/town-without-pity), even more so than taxes, which typically have multiple layers of oversight on spending. Unlike taxes, fines and fees in the US are not adjusted for income, so they hurt poorer people much more than wealthier people (ex. http://time.com/3182726/if-you-want-to-see-inequality-in-the-u-s-at-its-worst-visit-an-impound-lot/ http://time.com/3182726/if-you-want-to-see-inequality-in-the...). If you're already struggling financially, being forced to pony up 30% of this month's net revenue just to keep some public agency afloat so it can fine and fee more people later is the kind of bad break that kills people (https://www.thecut.com/2016/12/america-is-failing-the-bad-break-test-and-people-are-dying.html https://www.thecut.com/2016/12/america-is-failing-the-bad-br...). It's cruel and unjust and it has no place in America.
- ceejayoz 9y agoAn example of where it goes wrong: https://www.npr.org/2014/08/25/343143937/in-ferguson-court-fines-and-fees-fuel-anger https://www.npr.org/2014/08/25/343143937/in-ferguson-court-f... > To understand some of the distrust of police that has fueled protests in Ferguson, Mo., consider this: In 2013, the municipal court in Ferguson — a city of 21,135 people — issued 32,975 arrest warrants for nonviolent offenses, mostly driving violations. > A new report released the week after 18-year old Michael Brown was shot and killed in Ferguson helps explain why. ArchCity Defenders, a St. Louis-area public defender group, says in its report that more than half the courts in St. Louis County engage in the "illegal and harmful practices" of charging high court fines and fees on nonviolent offenses like traffic violations — and then arresting people when they don't pay. The report singles out courts in three communities, including Ferguson.
- wolfram74 9y agoBecause it's a very plausible risk for incentive misalignment. If the department has a role outside of people doing finable activities but is only financed through catching finable activities, false positives are strongly incentivized.
- howard941 9y agoThe alternative would have been either no appropriation out of congress or an appropriation beholden to the evildoers, which is kind of where we are now anyway with Mulvaney running the wrecking crew.
- kevin_thibedeau 9y agoBecause it creates an organization that deviates from its purported mission, abusing the public trust instead of serving a common need. The self-funded USPTO has a bias toward approving bad patents to generate revenue and consequently enables the predatory behavior of NPEs. It becomes a net detriment to society.
- bduerst 9y agoDoes USPTO make more money if it approves patents? I thought you paid the submission fee whether it's approved or not.
- chris_wot 9y agoThe USPTO does not primarily deal with law enforcement.
- mrguyorama 9y agoI may be mistaken, but I believe patent renewal fees are a thing, and more expensive than the application
- derekp7 9y agoIf it gets a reputation for being stricter on granting patents, a lot of people won't waste their time or money in submissions that are likely to be rejected.
- MichaelBurge 9y agoIf it rejected 99.9% of patents, the expected value of the typical application drops to 1/1000 its current value. So fewer people would pay the application fee. Fewer patent clerks would be needed, so their operating costs would also decrease. But presumably not below 1/1000.
- Crontab 9y agoBecause enforcing the law to make money is obscene.