4 ms·

So, let me get this straight. A byzantine, monetarily burdensome system is so overwhelming that we should institute and pay yet another system to "solve" the pr

• twoodfin 12y ago
  The point is that it shifts the incentives: Previously, only a few cranks would contest parking tickets—everyone else would either pay them or ignore them—so issuing them had essentially no bureaucratic cost. Now, if every citizen with a smartphone can make work for someone behind a desk at City Hall, there's a substantially greater impulse to set parking enforcement policy in a way that's fair and likely to survive scrutiny.
  • Meekro 12y ago
    I hope that's what happens! The alternative is, they'll just raise taxes and hire more people to sit behind desks at City Hall.
  • derobert 12y ago
    That's not the only incentive, unfortunately. The folks fixing tickets would like there to be more invalid tickets issued; that's how they make money. Worry about winding up with something line how Intuit (TurboTax) lobbies against the IRS making tax filing easier. http://www.propublica.org/article/turbotax-maker-linked-to-grassroots-campaign-against-free-simple-tax-filing http://www.propublica.org/article/turbotax-maker-linked-to-g...
• icelancer 12y ago
  Well, yes. Unfortunately. I mean it's definitely "wrong" that the government sucks. As a fellow libertarian-sympathizer, I totally understand. But instead of beating our heads against the wall, we probably have to just suck it up on certain issues. This is definitely one of them.
• lumpypua 12y ago
  To paraphrase, all problems can be solved by another level of indirection.