Reckless
From the online legal reference dictionary.
Reckless:
“Characterized by the creation of a substantial and unjustifiable risk to the lives, safety or rights of others and by a conscious and sometimes wanton and willful disregard for or indifference to that risk that is a gross deviation from the standard of care a reasonable person would exercise in like circumstances.”
Could it be that politicians in Washington State are creating substantial and unjustifiable risk to the lives, safety and the rights of their constituents by a conscious and sometimes with a wanton and willful disregard and indifference to that risk?
Let’s apply the standard to the political class here in Washington State to see for ourselves if they’re acting recklessly.
We all know that Automated Ticketing Machines aren’t about safety, they are about money. Click here to find to study after study showing how Automated Ticketing Machines increase accidents at intersections.
Very recently Peoria, Arizona released their year-over-year accident data showing massive increases in accidents at intersections were Automated Ticketing Machines were installed.
And this from the City of Redmond Police Department for the months of March and April 2011:
- 90% of all violations are for turning right on red.
- Over $500,000 in citations were issued for rolling rights on red.
- The city issued $560,000 in tickets for those two months with the city accepting 9 out of 10 of the vendor’s recommendations for tickets.
- That $560,000 bought essentially no decrease in accidents.
From KIRO Radio’s MyNorthwest.com:
- “Rear-end accidents up at Redmond red light camera intersections”
- “They stopped short of the light because they indicated they didn’t want to get a ticket,” Redmond Police Commander Shari Shovlin told MyNorthwest.com. “It’s not a shock to us. We did expect that might occur.”
They actually expected an increase in accidents!
Is expecting more accidents a justifiable risk to the lives, safety or rights of anyone who drives in Redmond? Is putting you and your loved-ones at a greater risk of being in an accident, all to make a buck, the standard of care a reasonable person would exercise?
It appears that politicians – from the state legislature in Olympia down to the city councils – don’t care if they put you and your family at risk as long as they can feed their insatiable appetite for money. In fact, State Representative Cindy Ryu of the 32nd Legislative District said to me that she didn’t care how much money the camera companies made, or their friends at Goldman Sachs, as long as the cities got their money.
Politicians have all seen the same studies showing accidents increase. They know that Automated Ticketing Machines create hyper-responsive drivers that put you and your family at risk of serious accidents. It seems they care more about money than they do about the safety of you and your loved-ones.
Washington State Campaign for Liberty has been working hard to fight these Automated Ticketing Machines.
Last year we took the fight to the Mukilteo City Council by filing an initiative, gathering the necessary signatures and getting the measure on the ballot. The citizens of the city of Mukilteo voted down the cameras by 71%. Since that time the Mayor, City Council and their friends from Arizona have pressed forward with a lawsuit taking us all the way to the Washington Supreme Court where we are still battling!
This year Washington State campaign for liberty got HB 1823 introduced in the House of Representatives to repeal traffic cameras in the state. Thanks to transportation committee chairman Rep. Judy Clibborn of Mercer Island, we didn’t even get a hearing on the bill that had almost a full one third of the Washington House of Representatives as cosponsors!
But don’t worry – Campaign for Liberty isn’t going to stop until we repeal Automated Ticketing Machines!
Help us continue our statewide fight – sign the online petition here and then forward it to your friends.
This year we also helped launch initiatives in five cities.
In Bellingham, Campaign for Liberty members worked with Young Americans for Liberty leader Johnny Weaver and other groups gathering the necessary signatures to put the measure on the ballot this November.
In the city of Monroe, Campaign for Liberty partnered with Voters Want More Choices, Ban Cams, and The Seeds of Liberty to gather enough signatures to put the measure on the ballot. Rather than face the voters, the money-hungry Mayor and City Council unanimously decided by a conscious and willful vote to ignore their citizens and sue them. Does that kind of blatant abuse of power strike you as something that a reasonable person would do in a like circumstance?
In the city of Longview, Campaign for Liberty member Tim Sutinen partnered with other local citizens and went to work gathering enough signatures to qualify their initiative to be on the ballot. How did the greedy politicians react? They first tried to ignore us but a pending court order made them change their minds. Then they too filed a lawsuit against the very citizens they are there to represent! The Mayor and City Council continue to show their indifference to the risk they are placing on the citizens of Longview by willfully disregarding the voters.
In the city of Wenatchee Campaign for Liberty partnered with Voters Want More Choices, Ban Cams, and Wenatchee We the People. The City council immediately found an activist judge who issued the order for us to stop collecting petitions. Apparently the Wenatchee City Council doesn’t care if they put you or you or loved ones at risk so long as the money rolls in.
And the battle in Redmond continues – it appears that the necessary signatures will be gathered. How will the Redmond City Council respond? Only time will tell.
Help us continue the fight sign the online petition here and then forward it to your friends.
I leave it up to you to decide whether the politicians are acting recklessly or not. It appears to me that they are willing to put you and your family a greater risk of accident, all in the name of money. When they don’t get their way, they resort to bullying tactics dragging citizens into court.
This summer, when you see your State Senators or Representatives at parades, town halls or picnics let them know you want a repeal of Automated Ticketing Machines.
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