WTF? Houston Voters Ban Red Light Cameras, City Counsel Says Not So Fast

Demoracy vs. Business, lets see who wins.

The only problem is the moron who thought the day after the vote the cameras would stop. If you vote to build a bridge do they put a shovel in the ground the next day?

While true, the cameras can be easily turned off and uninstalled later.

LMAO

I guess you CAN'T fight City Hall...

The gov is broke, democracy doesn't exist any more.

Were you out of town Tuesday?

lol, You think that will change things? The corporations are so entrenched in your gov. it would take a revolution to change things, the tea party is funded by some oil company, IE private corporation...It sounds like it had a good start, but to make a better country you have to educate all of your people, especially the poorer class, and that will be money well spent. Although it would take years to see the positive results.

truckman

I couldn't agree with you more. With Idiotic ruling by the Supreme Court that "corperations are people too"(read my constitution couldn't fine the word company in it), we may be doomed to special intrest. I still believe in democracy, it's the optimist in me.

truckman...the word your looking for is Plutocracy.

And we are indeed very close to being one.

Actually, since we have an electoral college we are more of a Plutarchy.

Legally this is very simple. All that is required of the city of Houston is to provide 120 day notice of cancellation to the operators prior to termination of the cameras.

What this means is that the cameras are still active and will not be removed for 120 days after recipt of a letter of termination. After which time the cameras will be removed.

The point of contention falls during the days since this LAW was passed and the notice being sent to the operator as well as the 120 day window. A business does not have the right to charge a person with a crime/misdemeanor or traffic violation and impose a fine related to said charge.

That being an undeniable truth, then any person whose vehicle has had a picture taken by the traffic cameras since the law was passed, will not be considered in violation of any law and therefore not subject to a fine.

This however does not mean that the city does not have to maintain its obligations via their contract agreement. They still have to make payments to the operator until the cameras are removed, however the people will not be charged (in theory, but I'm betting taxes will be raised to offset the revenue loss).

If the operator claims that some of the revenue comes directly from the tickets...well that is a whole other issue in itself. In which case if they court states that they would support the operators claim...well then it would mean that business contracts supercede the will of the people and we might as well all pack up our bags.

However any way you look at this...the City Council of Houston is in laymans terms...SCREWED.

I did get a kick out of the quote from the mayor--
"Parker asked citizens for patience. "We don't want to enter a situation where we have to litigate," she said. "We want a peaceful resolution. We understand what we have to do. We ask all the parties to give us a little space as we work through this."

And how long would a little space be hmmm? I'm betting somewhere around 118 days now. ;-)