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I will never forget the afternoon I spent in traffic court. I was just about last. I was absolutely appalled at the situations people were in and the fined bein

I will never forget the afternoon I spent in traffic court. I was just about last. I was absolutely appalled at the situations people were in and the fined being they were charged with. Every single person seemed to end up with a fine I’m 99% sure they couldn’t afford to pay. When my turn came up I agreed to my comparative measly $125 fine and got the whole ordeal over with. When I went to pay the total cost was some $300+ dollars. Fees for every single thing you could imagine had been tacked on. It was a complete scam. I can’t believe this exists. It’s tragic and terrible.

nine_zeros 4y ago
The addition of fees is an American virus, that is started to affect the rest of the world. There should be a law which says that the total amount an individual is obligated to pay for fines/services will only be equal to the displayed price. No fees/taxes/charges can be added once the price is accepted by both parties.
- ryandrake 4y ago
  Not knowing what you are going to pay until you are committed to paying is the most American sickness that exists. It’s infected every purchase we make. Every purchase has sales tax added on non-transparently at the check out counter. Restaurant bills have tips. Your cable and telephone bills have hidden fees tacked onto the advertised price. Hotel stays have resort fees and an amenity charge that gets applied if you so much as brush up against one of the sodas they leave out for you. Hospitals don’t even have prices. You just go and preemptively agree to pay whatever they ask for later. Insanity. You never actually end up paying what it says on the label in America. So much business relies on this deception, that if you forced companies to advertise exact prices, everyone would go out of business.
  - bacchusracine 4y ago
    > if you forced companies to advertise exact prices, everyone would go out of business Sounds like many companies do not deserve to be in business then, if they cannot honestly charge what it costs to provide the goods or services they advertise and need to commit fraud to stay in business.
tracker1 4y ago
Get involved in local politics... Start a petition to change the law. It is a lot of work, but it's not nearly as difficult as you might think.
thephyber 4y ago
The DOJ already did a scathing report about this happening in Ferguson, MO. One of the best Reddit threads I’ve ever read about the context of that town (when a police officer shot an unarmed black man circa 2016) was about the police and local government acting as parasites on the citizens / travelers. It describe how taking a day off of hourly work to get to court to pay a fine could mean you get fired. Anyone who could afford a lawyer didn’t have to show up personally. Old NPR story about the same topic: 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... I have tried to think about how to write a product/service to help people deal with / fight this sort of parasitic government process.
Am4TIfIsER0ppos 4y ago
You could just go down the euro route where you are automatically fined for traffic violations without a court needing to get involved. No fees but the police also don't need to prove jack shit.

nine_zeros 4y ago

The addition of fees is an American virus, that is started to affect the rest of the world. There should be a law which says that the total amount an individual is obligated to pay for fines/services will only be equal to the displayed price. No fees/taxes/charges can be added once the price is accepted by both parties.

ryandrake 4y ago
Not knowing what you are going to pay until you are committed to paying is the most American sickness that exists. It’s infected every purchase we make. Every purchase has sales tax added on non-transparently at the check out counter. Restaurant bills have tips. Your cable and telephone bills have hidden fees tacked onto the advertised price. Hotel stays have resort fees and an amenity charge that gets applied if you so much as brush up against one of the sodas they leave out for you. Hospitals don’t even have prices. You just go and preemptively agree to pay whatever they ask for later. Insanity. You never actually end up paying what it says on the label in America. So much business relies on this deception, that if you forced companies to advertise exact prices, everyone would go out of business.
- bacchusracine 4y ago
  > if you forced companies to advertise exact prices, everyone would go out of business Sounds like many companies do not deserve to be in business then, if they cannot honestly charge what it costs to provide the goods or services they advertise and need to commit fraud to stay in business.

tracker1 4y ago

Get involved in local politics... Start a petition to change the law. It is a lot of work, but it's not nearly as difficult as you might think.

thephyber 4y ago

The DOJ already did a scathing report about this happening in Ferguson, MO. One of the best Reddit threads I’ve ever read about the context of that town (when a police officer shot an unarmed black man circa 2016) was about the police and local government acting as parasites on the citizens / travelers. It describe how taking a day off of hourly work to get to court to pay a fine could mean you get fired. Anyone who could afford a lawyer didn’t have to show up personally. Old NPR story about the same topic: 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... I have tried to think about how to write a product/service to help people deal with / fight this sort of parasitic government process.

Am4TIfIsER0ppos 4y ago

You could just go down the euro route where you are automatically fined for traffic violations without a court needing to get involved. No fees but the police also don't need to prove jack shit.