Illegally parking in a red zone causes the exact same disruption regardless of how much the car is worth or how much the driver makes. I don't see how it is more fair to fine a poor person less for committing the exact same violation of the code. I don't disagree that the fees are outrageous. I just don't think they should be scaled based on income.
> I don't see how it is more fair to fine a poor person less for committing the exact same violation of the code.
You're familiar with the expression "let the punishment fit the crime"? For a poor person, the fine should reflect an awareness of how much he has, just as it does for the rich person.
> I just don't think they should be scaled based on income.
In a world where everything else is? What incentive would a judge have to levy a single fine that would annoy a rich person but bankrupt a poor one?
Taken to its logical conclusion, the same crime committed by a 15-year-old should be prosecuted the same way as though the offender were 40. But the world isn't arranged that way, for excellent reasons.
Once a girlfriend got ticketed for not wearing her seat belt, the fine was $250. She absolutely couldn't afford it, it would undermine everything she was trying to accomplish. She was in anguish. It never occurred to her that the judge didn't understand her position. I told her to write the judge, acknowledge that she was in the wrong, then explain that the fine was way too high, given her circumstances. The judge immediately lowered the fine to $25.
> You're familiar with the expression "let the punishment fit the crime"?
I am. For the "crime" of parking your car in a spot that it gets towed, the "punishment" is (according to the article) $472. Was the "crime" less for a poor person? no. Same crime. Same punishment.
Taken to its (inverse) logical conclusion, a person that steals $100 from a poor person should do a lot more time than a person that steals $100 from a rich person. But the world isn't arranged that way either, for excellent reasons.
You're overlooking something. Many court judgments specify a fine or jail time. If a person can't afford the fine, he goes to jail. This discriminates against poor people, and it's unconstitutional as well -- it's unequal application of the law.
We can both find examples that support our outlooks, but the fact is that, absent unintended injustices, punishments are tuned to fit the crimes and the criminals as well.
