Municipal Violations: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
If you have money, committing a municipal violation may pose you a minor inconvenience. If you don’t, it can ruin your life.
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My aunt once told me when I was younger... "It costs money to be poor." I never really understood the gravity of that statement until I hit my 30's. The sad part is, not only was she correct, but it is getting progressively worse.
wow man that's powerful
Aaron Wantuck I've been living below the poverty line my entire adult life. Though in CA (the state I currently reside in) has a lot of social programs to help out the poor, what makes it makes it hard is that when you receive one service, it disqualify you to receive others. I wouldn't mind as much if it weren't for the fact that people continually moving here from out of state and driving up the cost of everything around me.
it is.
Sakanarai gaming there’s actually an economic concept called “the Sam Vimes Boot theory of socioeconomic unfairness” that states this. It’s originally from the discworld series by terry pratchett
@@janicemcintire-stearn7243 yeah the Mexicans say that about their land being stolen from CA and TX and the roughrider's barging in.
John Oliver is the greatest late night talk show host of all time
I agree that he's great, but let's not forget about Steven Colbert.
UndeadOtaku626 I hope he still manages to do the same thing on his new late night show, TBH all these similar talk show formats are getting on my nerves.
UndeadOtaku626 Steven was great, but I fear the sarcasm was lost to many in the target audience. John tells it like it is and makes you laugh while you are crying.
Doesn't talkshow host need to include actually interviewing people?
***** he has done this, although sparingly.
The prison industrial complex is why I left policing and became a flooring installer. Better money and I ruined exactly nobody's day.
More power to you sir
Good on you Brother!
👊🏾 more power to you!
You did ruin carpet's day
I'll never be able to trust carpenters now
I'm reminded of a town in Florida that the state caught tampering with its traffic lights, dialing down the yellows so that drivers only had one second to get through them - generating a ton of money for the city, but making intersections suicidally unsafe. This is what happens when tickets become more important as revenue than as law enforcement tools.
that's wild but I can top hat u can get a ticket n the mail...🤔
I've been all over the US and the shortest yellow lights I've seen are in the Denver area, but I don't doubt it
Damn, that is horrible. I can't believe a city government did that. I hope the officials responsible got punished or even fired.
joseph epps That is actually normal in other countries.
There's a Hoyt Axton song about that. It's called "Speed Trap" kzhead.info/sun/ebaniMubrKacrWg/bejne.html Enjoy.
Being poor is expensive in America.
not only that but it's a crime to be poor in America.
+marshmallowok If it was expensive it wouldn't be a problem, I would just not pay it, like everything else. The problem is its illegal.
I think it's we can all agree on the American system is full of shitheads and assholes
Press Start absolutely! Now where's the line to the new American revolution? ✊
+marshmallowok around 250 dollar for a speeding fine?!! you know, in my country; the currency from $ to RM is four times and we only get fine for speeding at average of RM 150 which is divided by four; equals to - $ 37.50; Yes our economy is shit. But seeing this show, my country doesnt look so bad anymore. [edit] I've just finish watching the video. Yep, America is worse on this subject.
Well if you can't pay the ticket at least you can get a quick Pay Day loan. Oh wait...
lol
Dat throwback reference.
It is a perfect circle that reminds you, you are screwed no matter what....
Yep, damned if you do and damned if you don't!! Big changes in the system need to happen!!
I really got one of those loans years ago... it had a 940%APR plus fees if you didn't make weekly or bi-weekly payments in cash. What a nightmare that was. It took months to pay them double the amount I borrowed and I still owed more. I finally stopped paying them. I told them I would contact the State Attorny General if they touched my credit or called me. It worked... well sort of... I still paid just over double what I borrowed.
Fines are just a replacement for the taxes that the rich should be paying.
Yes pennies on the millions
How dare you.... They give us jobs. 😭 😂
I think we need to adopt Germany's model for fines. Fines there are based on your income. So the wealthier you are the bigger the fine, make a violation hurt equally bad for anyone.
@@oengusfearghas9608 absolutely.
Global Warmhugs The proper vernacular is Revenue enhancements‼️
Isn't it interestin that whenever Jon Oliver asks "Could this be made any worse?" the anwser is "Yes, because now private companies have somehow managed to insert themselves into this state function." It's almost as if giving state functions into the hands of private companies is a BAD idea.
"could this be made any worse" The private sector: "allow us to introduce ourselves"
This article seems to take an unbiased look at the question... hbr.org/1991/11/does-privatization-serve-the-public-interest While I agree it's clearly bad policy to economically incentivize bleeding disadvantaged individulas dry, or putting people in prison, it's also foolish to ignore government inefficiency in all situations. The fact is, government lack of competition and lack of budgetary accountability often results in waste, whereas competition tends to promote efficiency, better customer service and innovation. The real determining factor would seem to be: does the private entity have the incentive to act in the public interest, in addition to more efficiently serving the people, while still serving their own economic interest?
@@DavidSmith-eh7rs I completly agree that it's foolish to ignore government ineffiency. However, i don't agree that the cause of government ineffiency neccesarily is lack of competition and budgetary accountability. Yes, competition tends to promote efficiency, better customer service and innovation. However, it also tends to promote cutting corners, bad work enviroments and overstating the ability to perform. Furthermore, privatising any public service has one unavoidable problem. Any private business wants to grow. In order for any private business to grow you need to increase the demand for your product. However, the demand for public services is pretty constant. Prisons are a good example here. If you want to earn money by imprisoning people you need people to be imprisoned. That puts a natural cap on the growth of your company. I mean, what are you gonna do? Increase the crime rate? Or maybe lower the bar for what is a jailable offence? Which by the way is exactly what the private prison lobby managed to do. As for your hypothetical, how exactly could an incentive to act in the public interest even look like? And evenly as important, who exactly determines what's in the public interest?
@@KingQwertzlbrmpf Thanks for your response. For the record, you are correct. Lack of competition and or budgetary accountability are hardly the only problems on the very long list of reasons why governments are inefficient. Sadly, there are plenty more to go along with them. That's exactly why it's worth considering the situations where privatization does makes sense. As I said earlier, economically incentivizing incarceration is clearly bad policy. About the only way private involvement with prisons might make sense would be if you could engage a private organization with the responsibility of rehabilitating prisoners with an incentive for successfully reforming them (skills training that results in employment, avoiding additional offenses upon release, etc.) Another example might be treating medicare/VA patients with incentives for wellness outcomes, especially statistically effective preventative measures, or a formula that considers successful outcomes and cost to the patient prioritizing successful outcomes but also favoring lower cost treatments. In terms of the argument about public services creating a natural cap on growth, yes businesses love growth and obviously a private company is going to want to know their going to get a decent return on their investment in terms of capital, time, risk, etc. and for some services (like utilities) public is definitely the way to go. That said, there are lots of companies and investors that are perfectly content with consistent profitabilty too. And yes, privatization could lead to cutting corners. When it comes to less essential services, I'd take that problem over the alternative. Meanwhile, while it might be true some private workplace environments are less than stellar I'm not convinced government workplaces are going to win the a higher percentage of prizes for happiest employees. As for overstating the ability to perform, see virtually every politician ever. When it comes to who chooses what's in the public interest, we as consumers get to vote with our wallets which private company we feel is providing the best service/not cutting corners or doing so in the way most consistent with our values. But when it comes to government agencies we quite often just have to accept what we're offered whether we like it or not because even voting in elections rarely has much effect on things due to the aforementioned litany of problems with the system.
@@DavidSmith-eh7rs While you are of course correct that lack of competition and budgetary oversight aren't the only issues for government inefficiencies, that in itself wasn't actually the point i was going after. The point was that lack of competition doesn't neccesarily entail inefficiency. It certainly can encourage lazyness and thus inefficiency, but it's not a necceary consequence. Furthermore, some public service outright require a state monopoly on them. The justice system to just name one obvious example. As for lack of budgetary oversight, while there certainly are pockets of government that do have that (in the US one such example would be special districts), this again is not a neccesary trait of government run services. Thus attributing government inefficiencies to these factors, while being possible explanations in specific cases, is not warranted as a generel notion. As for incentives for reforming prisoners, these incentives would neccesarily need to be HUGE since what you are essentially trying is to have the company activly work towards eliminating their own customer base. Same goes for your healthcare examples. And if you are giving out those neccesarily huge incentives it's at least worth considering wether it's actually cheaper and more efficient to just do the job yourself. The NHS (the nationalised british healthcare system) for example, while often demonized in US media, provides high quality healthcare for every british citizen regardless of income for a fraction of the cost of the US healthcare system (if you can call it that). The thing with public services is that they often simply can't be run profitably and at the same time provide a good service at reasonable cost for the consumer. Take as a good example railways. I'm not gonna dive too deep into this right now, instead i'm gonna provide you with a video link to somebody that did that deep dive. kzhead.info/sun/obRyZaqqmmKsZ6M/bejne.html
the story about the woman with the 41$ fine is just crazy. The people running those kind of companies should be erased from our planet.
I don't usually wish death on anyone but yes burn them with fire
Agreed, the story is ridiculous. However, how insane is it that someone even owns a car if they can't afford a $41 expense. Put it on a credit card if you absolutely have to!
@@michaelblasius7705 most people these days don't have credit cards. Alot of departments won't let you pay with one either
@@michaelblasius7705 i bought a car for $500. Infact, id never spend more then $1200 on a car
Michael Blasius it’s less of a matter of “how do they own a car if they can’t afford that” and more so a “she doesn’t have $41 left at the end of the month after living expenses.”
How does John Oliver's head not explode from frustration and anger as he researches these stories. I think I'd go postal!!
I agree. This story was so sad and I felt so bad for that grandmother. I hope this story gets enough attention to shut down all these predatory agencies.
+CanadianGirl I thinkthat's actually the reason Jon Stewart couldn't handle it anymore. Watching Fox news all day and covering the same insane shit day after day, month after month, year after year, starts to eat away at you. I'm surprised he made it 16 years.
+CanadianGirl I know, really. I just watched this right after having watched the Public Defenders episode. What the fuck is wrong with Florida?! I love John Oliver, but I almost always seem to end up pissed off by the end.
+CanadianGirl He's not human.
+Maarten Kok "Mining for turds" as he once so eloquently put it... I'm gonna miss that man.
Remember that fines are just a way of making crime legal for the rich. It's a pay to win system.
EA Spo-
They should be on a sliding scale based on the violator's income.
@@yohei72 that and instead of fines you have to do community service so ya can't just pay ya way out of it being at minimum a minor nuisance
@@nicholassager001 Also not a bad idea.
if the punishment for a crime is a fine then its only a crime for the poor
Fun story about License Suspension. Around 7 years ago, i got a speeding ticket. My first one ever. I was told by the county court to pay a fine (300 bucks or around about that) and attend a traffic safety course (which they referred me to several online options). I paid the money and took the course at the top of the list, and emailed in my completion certificate to the email i was directed to. Around a year or so later, i am told by my insurance provider they are dropping my coverage because my license is suspended. No notification or warning from the state or county. I call in and they cite the fact i never completed the safety course was the reason, to which i rebut, "But i emailed it to you all a year ago, here is the proof in the form of screenshots of my sent box". They responded, "Oh, yes, so you did, our mistake". I asked if they could unsuspend my license now and they told me, "No, you still have to surrender your tags, and pay to have your license and registration reinstated." Thank you Cook County Florida for ramming the Green Weenie home once more.
Oh hell no!!!!!!!! F- them
Thomas Greenia Why are all mistakes that the government makes somehow always OUR problem?!? You should have written a letter of complaint to someone high up in the municipal administration and then resent it until they started to care. We as citizens must fight that attitude, otherwise things will never change!
Did you ever speed again?
@@4philipp Nope. Now i drive like an old lady on sunday. Knowing that the system is made up of a bunch of incompetent boobs, i avoid getting entangled in it.
4philipp god, do you ever not make horrible comments? Every single comment chain I look at you’ve made the least empathic, least socially responsible comment on there.
I plan to use "Buckle Yourself or go Fuckle Yourself" more often in my life.
What I get from this show is that America really, really likes capitalism. So much in fact that they give over things that should definitely be government run like prisons and law enforcement to private companies which in turn fuck it all up because their bottom line is profit.
Your aptitude tests show you are now prepared for Advanced American Economics, congratulations! You'll receive your tuition bill in two days time, and if you don't pay within another two, we'll be tacking on a fine and using the money from someone else's fine to send mercenaries to your home!
The problem in this story is not capitalism, it's the corrupt government and it's cops that take advantage of the weak by forcing them to pay high fines and threatening them with physical force and jail time. The private blood sucking companies come in only after the government has given them the opportunity to profit off the poor.
When i first heard that the US government has to buy military equipment from private companies I was shocked. It's almost like buying mercenary soldiers from private companies. This country is the worst self-proclaimed first world country on Earth
***** Not capitalism. Its the corporatization and militarization. It could easily be stopped. But until Americans get that they feed you a distraction with the left and run everything they want from the right.They choose who you are voting for, the Gov really does work for them now and not the people.I remember in the 80s and early 90s all those parents pushing their kids to become lawyers and Doctors etc.. Now look hardly any of them do anything they traditionally used to. OR give a hell about he law; only to exploit and WIN their cases and cleverly subvert the law. Being that greed/money was the whole reason they worked for the job in the first place. Everything this story covered and his other on how they seize property and cash and never return it plays right into the other angle of it all. They system they work for wants you in prison because prisons are one of the most profitable exploits in America now. You pay taxes to keep the building open; meanwhile from said building they make 100s of millions. (That's how everything is running now.)People complain about money going to NASA or this and that.. meanwhile 100s of millions go to the new war machine. Which in itself is not just profit but distraction.The pentagon comes out and says oops we lost 500mil in weapons in Yemen. Meanwhile they have (*cough; yeah right.) Billions a year now; practically gift wrapped that hardware ISIS is rolling around with.Americans are so distracted even trying to tell them they are only feeds the denial lol; they really have been assimilated and just don't get it. Willing or not your playing the part they want you to.Endless charades in past 4 years alone that would even in the slightest version 10 years ago landed you in prison and they just get away with it. They don't even bother to cover things up anymore. They just use media to pas it over.High profile corporate COs are given head of Gov body positions and Gov officials go right to being heads in corp offices. Its sickening.
"Moving toward socialism." I love idiots like you.
I'm impressed with how much this show has been able to address and achieve.
I'm disappointed in how much he hasn't. He could do a show like this every night of the week the world has so many injustices. Fuck, he could probably run it 24/7 and STILL not run out of material.
@@mdemers767 A lot of work goes on in the background. Many of these shows had been in the works for a month before showtime. They dig through a lot of local coverage for their stories. His research team is one of the best. And yes, I really wish he could do more.
John Oliver you are the best thing to happen to America. I'll keep watching what you do until my time is up.
Sure this sounds awful, but how else will we pay for all those tax breaks for the rich?
***** Got it in one - the money has to come from somewhere...
Class Warfare! Class Warfare! You just don't get how hard the "job producers" work to get where they are! I mean, they have a legion of tax lawyers and lobbyists to support. What are you, a commie?
***** And pork spending, pet projects, fancier furniture and digs for taxpayer funded jobs. There is more waste going on than just breaks for the rich.
Desmond Akkari Honestly, with our current system, unless your independent has a history of votes or at least more then ~25%. If you vote for anything then a R or D, you are doing more then just wasting your vote. Let's say I disagree with R on 60% of issues, and I disagree with D on 40% of issues. If nobody else is running, it makes sense to vote for D. Now let's say C starts running and I only disagree with C on 30% of issues. If C has a decent shot at winning, it makes sense to vote for C. However, if C has almost no chance of winning. Voting for C doesn't really increase the likely hood of C winning, but it does increase the likely hood of R winning. In which my vote for a 10% improvement is actually just a vote for a 20% lost. So until C shows any promise of winning, voting for C means you are actually only hurting your second more favorable candidate and helping your least favorable candidates. Unfortunately, the only way for C to gain ground is slowly winning votes over election cycle. Possibly for decades even in the most favorable cases. Though they can hardly gain ground at all because of these problems. It is actually easier and more effective to use primaries to change the path of the party you find most agreeable then trying to support a weaker party.
Hayley Rodgers typically it is the rich who lobby for a lot of these things because they increase their personal profits. Or grow their sector of the economy. In truth, all of these things happen because people with money want them to happen. Very few government programs are there to benefit the majority of the citizens. And the ones that do exist, get horrible backlash.
If people cant afford to pay a ticket on time, then why the fuck would you make it harder and harder for them to pay it back?
So you can suck smaller amounts of money out of them, for longer amounts of time, all the while scaring them into doing so with the looming threat of incarceration, or worse. Ultimately, it means more money for the middle man business.
Its like how Im charged $30 for not keeping more than 2 grand in my account. If I dont have 2 grand, what makes them think I can afford the $30 every month lmfao. Being a poor student sucks xD
Because then they pay much much more over the long term. Inverse scaling of fines: The less money you have, the more you have to pay.
in other words...slavery rebranded.
So they can keep milking the person for more money
It's exactly like debtors prison, they and their relatives had to pay for everything. Even being released carried a fee, and if you didn't had the money for that YOU WEREN'T RELEASED! If you hadn't worked enough or you're relatives could pay for your prison guard, food and lodgings it was added to a tab, if the tab wasn't squared up...YOU weren't released. ITS EXACTLY like a debtors prison.
Isn't cash bail like debtors prison too? If you can't afford bail, you're stuck in jail because you're poor.
@@emilyb.8219 Well...I wouldn't take the the comparison there. Cash bail are pointless and yes. very unfair. But that is jail not prison and while you would be economiocally fucked by going to jail, you are not forced to pay. In a debtors prison you would as it is a sentence. Also, cash bail is more like a security deposit, if you could pay you would get your money back even if you're guilty, its basically just to make sure you show up in court. (Unless you use a bail bondsman, then you pay a fee for them to front the rest of the money so they will get the bail refund) But that is nothing comparred to being stuck with compounting debts.
Charles Dickens wrote stories about these same practices.
Wow a self proclaimed Greatest Country in the World
Work hard, play hard Be lazy and suffer. Sounds about right to me.
@@4philipp Yeah, that would be pretty nice. Wish it worked more like that.
America is buggy, broken, and generally unplayable. Plz patch.
Well said
Police are too OP please nerf or ban
don't worry there will be DLC in the form of either Trump or Hilary
Worse than a game released by Electronic Arts (EA). Haaayooooo!!!!
+fantage20012 No wonder so many people stop playing.
I think you are adressing a symptom of another problem. How can people who work not afford a 25$ fine? I think the whole income/cost of life balance is not right in the us.
People should absolutely be paid more. Wages have been stagnant for over 30 years. But our "criminal justice system" is a whole separate problem. Police corruption, the involvement of for profit companies, and fines and fees are not ok even if everyone could afford to pay them.
DaGucka other debts probably medical bills etc which should be covered
Kristen Price America needs a really reformist, European left style political movement to pop up to actually start fixing things. The Democratic Party is literally just a center right movement while the republicans are a mid to far right movement. No matter who we elect, we are screwed, just sometimes a little less than other times
NOYFB FOAD yeah for thinking medical bills should be payed now you sound like an ass the whole point of capitalism is encourage innovation how do medical bills do that exactly
@@sovietmuffin501 So if the Democrat party is center right, what would a true European left style of government look like? How are their policies different from American Democrats?
Tax is based off of income so should fines, the rich can get away with so many crimes while the poor go to jail and end up paying more than the rich do.
well you still need to have a minimum threshold, otherwise people with no income would get no fines, but overall yeah, this really needs to happen
@@plazasta sure, lets fine people with NO income. Ever heard of community service?
@@GeneralAblon that is the alternative I had in mine
@@plazasta so long as that is an alternative for people who cannot possibly pay, I can agree. Just might be hard for people with 2 fulltime jobs to pay rent, but that is a completely different problem that a minimum wage might be able to fix.
@@GeneralAblon no as in an alternative that would be eliminating monetary fines. Everyone gets community service as a punishment. No more prison, those people just waste society's resources
yt keeps recommending john’s relevant more than ever videos. can’t wait to see what he puts out tonight.
I think in Finland that the ticket you get reflects your income, so a person making millions a year might get a speeding ticket of $10 000 while someone on minimum wage would get a $20-30 ticket.
Sliding scale, precisely.
that is how it should be. here in the US the rich don't give a shit because they always have enough money to pay any tickets or fines while the poor get fucked.
You are pretty much right about finland but there is a minimum amount to pay so everyone has to pay at least about 50e if memory serves me correctly.
The Sungamer That makes sense.
And they call USA a developed country...
The US Constitution bans cruel and unusual punishment. This huge overinflation of fines for petty crimes is both.
They even specifically mention fines in the same amendment! "Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted." -Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution
Well, the Constitution was scrapped after 9/11. Only 2 amendment is still in play
megabigblur The COPs and the Courts trash the America’s Constitution as routine‼️
Steal from the poor to feed the rich. Alabama, you suck.
that constitution was written when you allowed slavery as well so u can see how much its wording was worth!
2:33 travelling a week back in time gives you an additional week. Losing a week would be going forward in time. *flies away
As a social worker in the United States, it’s crazy how many people struggle to get by everyday. I truly hope we can work together to help each other all around the world, to actually enjoy the life we get.
I do believe that in Finland, speeding tickets are calculated based on your income. So, if you live on minimum wage, your ticket is probably just a few dollars (but would be still painful for them, however not life-shattering).... while the rich (like what happened to hockey star Teemu Selanne in 2000) ended up with a $39,000 fine. It makes it just as painful for everyone ;)
I'm guessing that cop did a little happy dance when he realized he'd just pulled over an NHL star, the... ;-)
That’s actually kind of brilliant.
Yeah same here in Sweden, we have something called "daily ticket" when you a special percentage of your wage each day for an amount of time until you've paid off the ticket
That's the sort of logical solution that should be implemented globally but of course we know here in the US the wealthy will fight it with everything they have there for in our bought and paid for government the chances of a logical law like this passing are essentially zero.
Shout-outs and huzzahs to Finland and Sweden! Leave it to the Scandanavians (and Fins, I know that's a delicate topic) to see a problem and fuckin' SORT IT OUT! PS Thanks for all the hockey greats. Please continue to send more! :) (Pro-tip: the goalie crops are taller every year. Sweden, I'm looking at you!) And GL at the Winter Olympics :)
Just start calling it debtors prison. Keep telling friends and family what it really is to the point where more and more people start to realize that things like debtors prison and slavery still exist in the US but in a much more sneaky and disgusting way.
Should be called debt slavery.
Derp People stand for it because the people who know don't matter, and the people who matter don't wanna know.
Capitalism is cheaper than slavery. you spend the same amount on raising an employee as you would buying a slave, but you dont have to pay for feeding him and keeping him healthy and you can just disgard him when he gets injured and get a new one.
Strazdas Slavers don't really pay to keep their slaves fed and healthy anymore. There are so many damn people in the world that they can literally throw you away if you break your arm, and replace you with two more people. Capitalism and slavery are now the same.
keepdancingmaria or do know and don't give a shit because they're the ones profiting.
Wait, public drinking is illegal in the US?
Lol glad to see someone else surprised by this! I still can't believe it!
if u use a brown bag then is ok
As one of the 12yr old lobbyists in Nevada who successfully decriminalized traffic tickets, I can say that this episode is positively amazing
When EA makes a country
Underrated at 46 likes
Tickets. The "surprise mechanics" of government
This comment is gold
Will O'Riley don’t say that or EA will try to take it and sell it
hahahahhaha, best comment ever.
In sweden, amount you must pay, for example burning a red light, is based on your income
+Rock Golem in that case, I don't see how you could get a speeding ticket)
+icoborg There is very likely a minimum amount, and if there is not, your social service payments is counted as your salary. Same here in Finland.
that's too much common sense for 'Murica'. How else would they be able to give tax cuts to corporations and investment bankers
there’s such a thing as social security, so you cannot make nothing.
burning a read light?
In Orange County Florida I was out in jail for 12 hour for the DMV getting one letter on my car registration, wrong. They even knew it was a mess up and still put me in jail because they were on a "No Tolerance Week" and needed the "Revenue Stream" to find next season. Luckily I had local family and friend to help, as there was someone in there for 5 months, at that point, for the same violation but was from PR and could not recall or reach anyone. The system is not Justice is Just for the Rich.
This is the best episode of John Oliver show. Fines destroyed my life. And sent me to jail
John Oliver's valley girl accent is flawless.
Thats the reason that fines are based on your income in germany
Thats not true ... For speeding tickets and such
+Ulim151 I think you're thinking of Finland here. In Germany it's based on what you do (how fast you drive, where you do it etc.)
+ftlouim +Ulim151 It depends on whether you're paying a fine or a penalty order. Fines are fixed, i.e. using your phone whilst driving is a fixed 60€ fine, regardless of your income. If whatever you have done leads to you going to court over it (i.e. getting caught speeding several times and driving without a license -> Reus), you'll receive a penalty order. The latter is based on your daily income. I.e. in case of Reus, he had to pay 90 daily rates, which in his case ended up being 500k€.
www.t-online.de/sport/fussball/bundesliga/id_73720090/marco-reus-ohne-fuehrerschein-staatsanwaltschaft-ermittelt-wieder.html 540000€
+Ulim151 And they should be. Fines are supposed to deter ppl from commiting an act. And a 50 € fine won't stop some rich cunt from doing whatever he wants whenever he wants. A 100€ find for someone with a 1.3k income is not the same as a 100€ fine for someone with a 50k income. Only one of those is being punished, the other one won't even notice it on his bank account, nor will it deter him from commiting the same act again.
This show makes me so happy I live in Canada.
Thank you for speaking about justice Mr Oliver! I am truly a fan!
jail time for a $2 beer?... that is insane.
A can of beer is such a minor violation that the court might as well have given him the order to pay for the beer and perhaps give him a fine of a extra buck
He didn't get jailed for stealing beer. He got jailed for being broke, which is way fucking worse. His sentence for the beer was probably just a fine and maybe community service.
Esteban Garita steeling is steeling ! I’m proud and I’ve made my way in life I didn’t have a silver spoon ! I do not support law enforcement here though A.C.A.B.
Wow. Who could have thought that a person who needs to steal beer does not have the money to pay for his fees?
@@Mister_Clipster That's not the point; it's how the US handles that situation....stealing a can of beer or being too broke to pay a fine should not lead to jail time. Putting him in jail also costs the gov't thousands of dollars. This completely lacks common sense.
they take you to jail for unpaid parking tickets, yet debtors prisons were outlawed in the u.s. along time ago
Thank Ronald Reagan for that BS. He might as well have undid everything you guys have achieved up until he got elected.
@@DoctorWhoKage We achieved things? I thought we just got slightly more decent in little bumps and then slide back down the sh*t hole around every other area.
@@haruhirogrimgar6047 actually...no, yeah. That's a better way to put it.
If you owe money to the government then you get to go to debtors prison in The US every time!
And when in jail it keeps piling up and you owe 1 Billion when you get out, then you get back in for life instantly
Thank you John for bringing to light all of this bullsh** that happens in America.
Look at the “policy agenda” of a municipal association, and it’s basically a plea not to pass any law that might cut the city’s revenue.
John has an amazing singing voice. He needs to do that more often. Who's with me?
Umm... Ya! I totally agree!
+ackbarfan5556 Agreed. Seriously, someone needs to make a compilation of all the times John has sang on set.
I've watched my roommate get thrown around the fuck-barrel for years. A fine of a couple thousand dollars has been compounded into several thousand, payments which he can't afford to make on welfare have kept him hungry and broke, and just a month or two ago they were just like "Meh, your not paying this off fast enough, reset the whole thing, and 1000s of dollars on his payment have been completely erased. He's 29, and his future is gravely fucked because of the fuck-barrel.
Welcome to massive government and bureaucracy.
I posted a related comment about how banks love to charge people who either don't make enough or don't get paid often enough or even just don't keep enough in their accounts. But interestingly, around the same time as chase charged me for stupid things like that after losing my job, I took a waitress position just to keep some money coming in. My child support advocate (a state paid agent to ensure you get child support) in my state recommended I get food stamps, which I did for 4 months while looking for a new job in my industry. Once I got that higher paying job again, I immediately notified social services so they wouldn't send me benefits, However, the agent screwed up and sent the benfits to my card foe the next 6 months still. I didn't use them. Then, I get a letter six months after continually telling them they keep sending benefits to the card, and they stopped them. However, they indicated I had to pay back the benfits they sent to the card for those 6 months, even though I never used them! I was able to pay it back fairly quickly, however I still feel like they've totally screwed me out of money just because they screwed up. Why is it on my shoulders to pay for their screw ups???
It's not on your shoulders to pay for their screw-ups, if you didn't use the benefits on the state-funded card they shouldn't have you pay anything "back". I would certainly consult a local attorney with that one. I'm fairly confident you could get your money back, provided your not in some horribly jaded state like Florida or Texas.
Christopher Salustro Unfortunately, the costs of trying to fight it were close to the amount it would cost to just pay it. If only I didn't need a lawyer, I might have been better off, but it really wasn't a big deal once I was at a regular paying job again. I lived in Colorado, and usually they are awesome here. I just have seen too many things that definitely seem to point to charging those with the least money the most, while those who have more seem to have everything catered to their benefits. It makes no sense logically, but in the end it has made me see a side of capitalism I don't like. For those at the top, its more and more and take until it hurts. For the middle class and especially the poor, everything seems geared towards keeping them from ever getting out of that hole. From bank fees just to have an account (because you don't have enough or make enough money) to the things John discussed, it is really backwards. Why are banks, the government, car lenders, etc taking everything they can from the poorest? There are some people I know who had to make excruciating desicions like whether to pay the heat bill or buy food. And then we prey on them for any penny they might have...
Gordon Petten Thank god I live in Europe
10:00 that is EXACTLY like student loans! I had a car payment, student loans, and a traffic ticket. And when I couldn't pay the traffic ticket, the court over drafted my debit card, giving me a $35 overdraft fee that increased to $70because I was making $5.75 an hour part time while going to school (2001 year) with no additional financial help.
“Shut down the fuck barrel, please.” That guy who said please at the end was priceless. He had to mind his manners in case mom or grandma is watching.
I'm an alligator meth dealer and I find this video offensive.
***** what makes you think he is black..YOU RACIST PIECE OF TRASH
***** not black m8 dumbass
How much for a gator?
***** oh no not brain canser i hope i dont get brain canser
***** nice job editing
Id like to add my story to this: I had my car break down a mile down the road from a friend's house in North-Eastern PA. This was July 2nd, 2013. I had to park my car overnight in the lot of a state park because I couldn't get a tow truck out that late in the evening. While I was putting my car on a jack to see if I could get under it to reconnect the shifter (had gone loose while driving), a cop car pulls up and I explain the situation. They told me it was fine to keep my car there a few days if I needed to, since it was a public lot, as long as they knew about it. The following day when I walked down to where my car should have been, it had been impounded by the same officer I spoke to the previous day, about 2 hours after I had spoke to him. He stated in the report that the "happened upon the vehicle" and "due to an incoming holiday, knew the space in the lot would be needed." My car was impounded, but could not be released to me without a copy of my registration, which they would not allow me to retrieve from my car. I lived in NJ, so I had to find a way back to NJ, get to a DMV, and get a copy of my registration. When I returned 3 days later to retrieve my car, the cost for the impound was $150/day. After the initial tow cost was added to that amount, it cost me about 700 dollars in all. I started a payment plan, which luckily did not have extra fees as many in this video did, but the small town which I had to pay them to did not have an online service for their plans, so I had to make monthly trips out to heir offices. I skipped one month about 4 months into the payments because I was busy working extra hours through the holidays, and I assumed I could just pay it up the following month. They notified NJ about my non-payment, had my license suspended. In NJ, they sent a notification to my father's address (where I had not lived in years), about my suspension and requested I turn in my plates on my car (a suspended license also means a suspended registration in NJ). I completed the remainder of my payments without an issue, but was unaware of the suspension. About a year later, I was visiting my mother in Bethlehem PA, and a cop pulls me over. He said that my plates had been recalled, and my license suspended due to refusal to turn in my plates to the state. My car was once again impounded, but I had the money to get the car out that day. I had it towed to my mother's, where I started the process to get a new plate for my vehicle, and straighten out the mess. At the DMV the following day, I was notified that my license had been suspended for a year by NJ for not turning in my plates, and in PA for a year for driving on a suspended license, starting that day. (There was a paper I had to sign stating I turned in my plates for my suspension to start) None of my violations were for putting anyone else in danger, or driving recklessly in any way. Ive never been pulled over prior to that incident. Im now 24 years old, and am unable to keep a job because I don't have a reliable form of transportation as there are no buses that run near my house. This issue has made my life a complete mess for the last year, and I still have about 6 months left to go. I went from having my own place, to renting a room in my mother's boyfriend's house. When I actually get my car back, I will have to explain why I had a gap in work history to any future employers. I was very surprised to find out through this video that this if far more common for people than I imagined. I wish everyone who is in these issues now, or who ever will be, good luck.
Tanner Cleffi Fucking racketeering, man...
Tanner Cleffi So now that you have seen a big flaw in the system, you must be all over the police department and the local government trying to get that problem fixed so that you, or no one else gets caught up like that again, right? Like, you contact the representative of the people (you) and told them your story, and tried to figure out how you can make a change? Or did you just complain on youtube and hope the "system" fixes itself?
I actually did call my state representative, but due the the fact that its 2 different state's laws that Im dealing with, its a lot more difficult to get help. (Even though the space between where I live, and where I was is only about 30 mins.) This problem has pretty much forced me to waste the last year and a half of my life, if you dont think Id try any possible way I could fix it, youd be insane. Btw. If you are not sure I tried anything else, and you'd like to suggest what I could do... do that. You dont have to be condescending and rude about it. I appreciate your comment, and I took it the way I hope it was meant. Not everybody who watches videos on youtube complains, and does nothing.
I really hope that things have taken an upturn for you since this 🙏🏻
I got an underage drinking ticket when I was 17 and because I was literally still a kid living at my parents house and going to highschool I didn't have a job to pay it so a cop showed up and took me to jail for 10 days and again I was just 17 in a adult jail. It was insane and after I got home I was informed that I still had to pay the ticket.
🤯u n f u c k i n g b e l i e v a b l e (but, but, why did your parents not pay the fine; if one is underaged the parents are responsible for such things. No?)
Idk how john does it knowing just how absolutely aweful this entire world is, but we are ALL indebted to him for doing what he does.
I cri everi tim for my brothers in Australia who can't watch this... So I will watch it 23 Million times for all you Aussies #PrayForAustralia #LoveFromCanada #SteveIrwin
lol
Peter Orsome Nope. I blame Abbot.
J Lal what's wrong with the song?
Thank god for fucking proxies haha
Thank you for watching this millions of times. You can take one off from that since I got around it with a proxy. Fight the injustice!
it was never about reforming you or teaching you a lesson. it's only about MONEY.
John Oliver, who can take a serious social issue and make the presentation of it entertaining and compelling at the same time.
Fines should based on some metric that's individualized, like monthly salary or hourly rate. For instance, speeding could be 1/10th your monthly salary or 10x your hourly rate. So, if you make minimum wage, you owe $75. If you're a lawyer who charges clients $600/hour, then you owe $6000. And so on. Payments should be automatic from a person's bank account. They should be able to specify: all at once or a payment plan of up to 12 months, with no extra fees or a cap on maximum fees. And these private companies should be illegal.
it's funny how not getting your ferret vaccinated is illegal, but with your kids it's totally ok.
I know this is an old comment, but for context; this is for all animals that can carry rabies, as it is easily transmitted and is nearly always fatal in humans, but is rarely, transmitted between humans without an intermediate animal host. Thus the mandate. It is not a special law specifically for ferrets. Also, there are vaccination laws for humans, but they vary from state to state.
Tay h we shouldn’t further the myth that vaccines cause autism. People carry mumps and measles, which can be just as dangerous.
Nothing about either of the comments in this thread suggest that vaccines cause autism.
It's not actually about the Ferret's well-being. Ferrets carry human illnesses and it is very VERY easy to get very sick from one.
Not in Italy anymore.
Aren't laws... supposed to protect people?
***** But who ARE the people.
Anon Amous those who have money - yes
Anon Amous they are supposed to protect the RIGHT people.. which they do. Its disgusting i know, welcome to capitalism at another broken angle =/
***** Was it one ever to begin with?
Anon Amous No, they're protect the government and their pockets.
I was moved to tears by the social relevancy of this video. Defund And Demilitarize Our Police! Protect And Serve, Not Beat And Kill 🙏🏻✌🏻
F**k off...
Don’t forget to pay your ticket on the way out and don’t be a repeat offender. Good luck
@@4philipp???
Re-visiting a year later and still got emotional!!! Thank you, again, John Oliver!! KZhead will put me in an endless loop of LWTWJO...I watch constantly and agree so much with your unique sway with social pluckiness. I wish there were more follow-ups to shows like this one...it would be nice to know if we have made progress toward resolution of the many relevant issues raised. ❤️
Thank you Mr. John Oliver , ❗️❗️❗️
in Australia, I got a fine, I went to court and I told them "I can't pay..." you know what they done? they took off 20% of the fine and told me to do community service or else I will serve jail time for contempt of court. You know what I done, I ran through those hours like they were nothing, I worked from the time the place opened until the place closed, I made sure that I paid every hour back that I owed because in the end I feel that this can also reduce crime! community engagement and inclusion along with social aspects with people that just want to do their "time" and move on. I didn't even cost the government money, I actually saved them money by doing it at a rate that is less than minimum wage, but I didn't care, I enjoyed myself I had fun and I sure had nothing but a smile because I was given a change to be debt free without putting myself into hardship, it's not slave work because I could have called in sick any of the days and they would have understood.
Indeed, this is end of times, if Americans need to be taught lessons of financial common sense...
The illusion and arrogance of the mentality that America is the greatest, prevents the country from learning from other systems of how to be better. Sadly.
I mean that was kinda the whole point of Australia sending criminals to do manual labor for low wages
Nicholas Obviouslyfakelastnamebecauseprivacy good lesson that. Also the same was true for america.
No no no, the whole point of America was letting puritanicals go somewhere they could be uptight & zealotrous without being subject to secular persecution by state-favored religions. The whole thing of importing cheap labor in large numbers (by slavery or indentured servitude) developed somewhat later.
face the real problem......there are people in the US who can't afford 41 Dollars right away......fucking hell
Cause they stupid, get a job
For Christmas this year, give them the Means of Production.
As someone that is in the Fuck Barrel thank you so much for doing this story. This stuff is important and it needs to be talked about and worked on because no one should be penalized for being poor! J
Government sponsored debtor's prison.
Every week I watch this show and it gives me another reason to be happy I don't live in America.
There is greedy money hungry people in all countries though..
Chris S. Yes but not getting fucked in the ass 3 times for a speeding ticket.
Chris S. True but thank god I don't have to worry about civil forfeiture, doctors trying to sell me pharmaceuticals, a neglected dam flooding my town, campaigning judges, and lost nuclear warheads.
Chris S. Yes there are but in some other countries the law actually serves the people rather than serving the greedy money hungry people first.
Fr0gSplashh and in some countries there is no law.
"Oh u don't got 50 dollars? Well then we are gonna charge u an extra 5000. I can pay that right?
Essentially it's no different from adding 'punitive interest' when you miss a couple payment dates on your credit card.
^ exactly this.
@@thomasthedoubter6813 Or overdraft fees. "Hey we at the bank saw you overdrew your checking account, so clearly you have no money, but we're gonna charge you some more money for doing that, even though it's clear you can't pay. Cool, now pay us!"
@@emilyb.8219 NSF fees are where its at. "oh, a $35 loan payment came out that put you $4 over your overdraft limit? that'll be $48, AND WE'RE GOING TO BOUNCE IT SO THEY CHARGE YOU $25 FOR THAT TOO" every fucking time. i could understand the retarded fees if they covered my ass, but they literally just fuck me harder every time.
What the lawyer said makes complete sense. Fines and taxes both should be based on what that person *can* afford to pay, and alternate punishments should be given. Also, with computers: how is it we can't easily track installment payments made on fines without a third party's involvement? If the private company is putting all the payments towards their fees and none is going toward the fine, what is even the point of involving them? The entire system is broken and in need of an overhaul
i completely understand that first woman's attitude towards the ticket. tell me why i'm getting the ticket and give it to me, don't stand there and lecture me.
I learned less in high school than I have watching this guy for a week or more.
lol thats so true
If that's true you're not paying enough attention loool
Ozil Rox US schools are forced to prepare us for a test to maintain funds, therefore schools have little freedom to teach us anything aside from math, english, and science.
It’s because court is just another company to take your money or lock you up and take tax payer money. There is no loss there your just screwed. I hope more people go to jail so they will understand it’s not justice and end this free money for jails and courts.
Magenta Spikes that is immensely unfortunate
I had a minor traffic ticket, and because I couldn't pay the already ridiculous fine on time, it escalated to $3,600. I was in one of those small ass municipalities when I got it. The big city cops don't give two fucks about minor offences. The ticket was for running a stop sign. Here's the thing; the sign had zero lighting around it and trees around it, so it was impossible to see unless you had spectacular headlamps and I didn't know the neighborhood because I was a new delivery driver. The cops knew damn well, because there was a cop just sitting there waiting for someone to not see it. Also, if you lose your license, he mentioned losing your job for not having a car. The kicker is, you can't even get a job without ID, which is utter horseshit.
Get rekt.
Well, I don't know how it is where you live, but in NY you can get a non-driver ID issued by the state.
Sounds like you got caught in one of those ticket traps.
Indeed I did.
Cryptonymicus In my state, driver's licences and IDs are issued at the same place, and they scan for outstanding offences when you get either.
In Finland, traffic tickets have been proportional to your wealth or salary (can't remember which). A wealthy truck driver got one speeding ticket for about 150.000€ if I remember correctly.
14:39 when he said that it really hit me on how bullshit that system can be to people
i got one speeding ticket in my whole life when i was 20. It was for $150 and i lived paycheck to paycheck and type one Diabetic. I was told by the court if i tried to fight the ticket and lost i would be put in jail till i paid the ticket. So i was forced to pay leaving my account balance at $25. My insulin prescriptions for that month with insurance cost me... Guess what? $150 and some change. i had to eat one small meal a day for a month to minimize my insulin use. All this for 10miles over the speed limit while merging into traffic. Im 33 now and still Diabetic and still alive. But imagine if i hadn't paid it. I would be in jail today because i would not have been able to pay it. Would have lost my job, probably my license and probably dies from not having any way to get insulin. But hey, justice would have been served right?
IM SRYY TO HEAR THAT, i got a ticket for not wearing a seat belt, while wearing a seat belt, running a yellow light, cop say i ran a red light, got a ticket for dim tag light, checked it next day, bright as can bee
Why the fuck does insulin cost you money? Don't you need that shit to live?
Sera Raymond Welcome to America, where not being rich is a crime.
Chris B They will swallow the camel and choke on the gnat Jesus said beware of this
Don't speed, wah. Big whiny story...it's your fault, shut up. Maybe if you had learned to do as your told earlier in life, paying a $150 ticket wouldn't be such a big deal.
Ticket for public drunkeness? For spitting on the floor? For petty loitering? WTF? Was this filmed in the 19th century?
+Jan Sten Adámek Just the century where scumbag politicians will do anything to avoid raising taxes so they can continue to be re-elected.
One time, someone threatened to call the police on me because I was taking a walk in my own damn neighborhood late at night . I'm lucky it was just my jacket that was black.
I got this kind of shit as a middleschooler once. was walking from my friend's house at night and some white guy who i think was patrolling for minorities or anyone who'd dare come 10 feet from his driveway's sidewalk came out shouting and threatened to let his dog out on me cuz 'merica! It wasn't even that late...
The loitering thing is stupid but, as far as I know, those laws are rarely enforced... mostly if the cop suspects someone of being in a gang or something like that (and that's how race comes into the picture).
Evenst3vn Still the crime of "loitering" is archaic in a liberal society. You should not have to justify remaining in one place. And the usage to adress suspected gang activity is even worse, since you are misusing one criminal offense to adress an issue that is not a (or at least not as easy to prove) crime. Lastly, Im pretty sure that 99% of the cases of suspected petty loitering are based on racial profiling or "looking poor" (to scare off homeless people). And yet its hard to believe that jaywalking is bloody fineable as well.
There was a online lending company that got charged with fraud for this exact same thing!
In Sacramento running a stop sign is $975.00 - AND THAT WAS LIKE 15 YEARS AGO.
Some rich college kid gets way too drunk and rapes someone, "We can't let one stupid mistake ruin this young man's entre life!" Some poor black kid stands in a corner for a few too many minutes "You deserve the hell you've made for yourself, paid in several dozens of installments, with added interest you can never fully cover. Plus you now have a criminal record that will affect your credit score, not to mention your chances when applying for a job"
Yes!!! Welcome to Washing Heights in NYC during the Bloomberg n Giuliani era n still true till this day. Ur more than welcomed to come visit.(as long as ur super white)
It's baffling to me how convicted people are treated in this country. "Fuck criminals! They don't deserve a job, a place to live or applying for a credit!" Yeah. Great way to make them turn back to crime in order to not starve.
palmieres don't let color divide you real reason he got off is because he was rich.
@@SuperAmazinglover Race has always been a huge factor in things like this. If it wasn't, it would be 4 times as many poor people being put in jail instead of 4 times as many African Americans.
Seriously, petty loitering?! Is it the 1800:s?
"Camp Straight Arrow" 😂😂😂😂
+Ram Singh sign me up.
SIGN ME THE FUCK UP
Archery camp? Sounds like fun!
Yelp calls it best gay club around
the joke was funny but let no one ever think that ex-gay therapy is anything other than bullshit.
Lol, I worked in the US back in 2003 (just for summer). It was at Wendy's, and their chili was something I wouldn't touch with a stick. So it's funny to hear Wendy's chili mentioned specifically. For those who don't know - overcooked, burnt burgers are thrown into a special drawer throughout the day. At the end of the day they're soaked in water and chopped into small chunks. And that's the beef in the chili.
Man I miss being upset about this stuff instead of the stuff we have today
"Thats the most self-defeating idea since gay conversion camp" *Side eyes Mike Pence*
In some scandinavian country, I think it's in Sweden, speeding tickets are proportional to your income. That means that a minimum wage worker would only have to pay a couple of bucks, but a manager with a 6 figure income would have to pay a couple 100,000. Sounds a lot more fair when you think of it, now, doesn't it?
Looked it up, the thing I read was actually a Swedish driver in Switzerland: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1302161/Swedish-driver-gets-worlds-largest-speeding-fine-180mph-chase.html
All the Nordic countries have proportional tickets as far as I know.
Kopf Not Sweden at least.
***** Not Sweden (live there, have gotten tickets). From what I've heard it's Finland that have proportional. But yes, I agree, to me it seems like the only fair way to do it.
***** That's fucking ridiculous.
Ugh as much as I love Oliver his topics make me wanna move out of this country
This video was done seven years ago and it’s still happening!!
😭😡
You now Finland right? They use really good system where your fine is based you income and surprise.... it fucking works!
that is how it should be. here in the US the rich don't give a shit about fines and tickets because they can easily pay them while the poor get fucked and have to choose between eating or paying the fine.
Yeah but you live in finland.....fuck that!
No, it does not work. It taxes the rich higher than the poor - how is that fair? The rich are the born winners, why should they pay? If you’re poor, it’s your duty to pay the k̶i̶n̶g̶s̶ ̶b̶a̶n̶k̶ presidents donators! /sarcasm end
Seems like a nice system. I am curious about one thing. Can rich people exploit it by hiring a driver for a minimum wage, then letting the driver get the ticket and pay the fine which is based on minimum wage? Assuming the rich person earns so much money and have a tight schedule.
Quettesh Yeah Aparently, American politicians are not that bright. If we had more politicians like Obama and Bernie Sanders, we might to implement something like that.
On the next 'How Is This Still A Thing' segment, please cover the topic of region blocks on KZhead content. There's really no sensible reason why your videos should be blocked in Australia, and it's harming your viewership.
Freke Out It's neither because of John Oliver nor HBO. Whoever is showing Last Week Tonight there in Australia decided to block viewing until _they_ premiere it.
Fair point. I've noticed LWT's videos become available after 2 weeks. That's a shame.
I'd dare say you could expand the topic to region blocks on the internet in general. How is this still a thing?
Gardow How is "the internet" still a thing? What kind of question is that?
Jasper Zanovich No, how are region blocks still a thing.
My Dad thinks tickets should be related to how much money you make. So the more money you make the more your ticket is. In a way I see his point, when you make minimum wage a $100 ticket could really hurt but if your rich it’s pocket change. Good idea Dad! I don’t say that too often lol
Only poor people think that way
4philipp well you would be wrong on that one
On Couch Arrest exceptions to any rule
Look up civil forfeiture and what they do here in Tennessee
Its pretty hilarious that a comedic newcaster who targets major issues with honesty and fairness just for our entertainment would be a FAR better candidate for the Presidency than any other person currently running for president. I cant be the only one who feels this way.
+Kenneth Prichett Hey, I think Bernie Sanders is really talking about these issues too...
+Rock Golem if he actually wins then the fuck barrel will become a giant fuck ferris wheel
Rock Golem were talking about Trump here right?
Preaching to the choir dude because everyone's thinking the same thing
couldnt agree more
I live in Canada, and I'm sorry to say that America seems like a genuinely scary place to live
+Jessi Wood It truly is. I'd move to Canada in a quick second if I could. All I can say is, if you ever get frustrated with living in Canada - remember stuff like this is pretty much par for the course here. And it will only get worse. If i were you I would never leave Canada. One of the best places to live in the world.
+Kelly Fishbeck Much of Europe's pretty good too.
+Jessi Wood LOL compared to most of South America, USA is nice.
+Jackson Yeah, last time I called the cops around midnight, because I smelled gas. Two of them came by and checked the windows and vents. They then said; "Well, other people had been complaining about a funny smell too, and we're álmost sure it's from a factory nearby that had a leak of (non-toxic) fumes this evening. But we wanted to make sure that you didn't have a real gas-leak. Thank you for calling and goodnight." They travelled about half an hour to my house, júst to check for sure. Even if they could've easily said; 'Oh, that's probably the factory that the 11 people in your city, have also complained about. But no, they wanted to make sure everyone was safe and so they visited everyone that called. Mind you, these were not the cops that needed to 'catch bad guys', so they weren't leaving important jobs unattended. And when I went by the station, to alert the cops on someone that was bothering me, they sat down with 2 cops and filled in a form, continously saying that it was a good thing that I came by. They apologized for having such a long fill-in-form and said they felt I was handling the situation very maturely. Then the police officer left to get me a cup of hot coco and cracked a couple of jokes about their interior and explained they'd just had a course in drug-abuse and what new information they'd heard. Just talking a bit, smalltalk to end the conversation. I thanked them and 3 months later, I met the guy on the street. He said; 'Is that guy still bothering you, or have things been solved? Ah good to hear!' I wish for the Americans to have such cops as well.
+Jessi Wood Only if you're poor. If you're wealthy, it's great...or so I've heard.
This hurts my heart just hearing it
In Switzerland they base the traffic fine amounts on the income of the offender. I like that system.
2 years ago during the recession I got a seatbelt ticket that i couldn't afford to pay so they suspended my license. I got pulled over for driving with a suspended license and they took my car and charged me $400 to get it back which i couldn't afford so I lost my car. I had to borrow a friends bicycle to get to work. Just 3 days ago I was arrested during my lunch break because apparently i missed a payment on a fine associated with that incident and they threw me in jail. I had to sit in jail for 2 hours before they would let me pay it which i told them right away I was happy to do. They also charged me a $5 "convenience fee" just for paying it. If I couldn't afford to pay it I would still be in jail right now missing a lot more work than just 1/4 day. How is this justice? What problem are they trying to solve?
Why did you drive with a suspended license??? That's against the law; the rules are there for a reason. Pretty stupid decision if you ask me.
Stephen Malacaria Maybe because it was the only way he/she could commute from/to places?
Frisbetarian: THATS THE POINT. If your license gets suspended, you should not be on the road for safety reasons. Someone with a suspended license MUST follow the same laws as everybody else with a suspended license. People often get there license suspended because they cannot drive safely and face the consequences. He's not allowed to be on the road, there's a reason why he got his license suspended. He doesn't get a free pass just because that's his only means of transportation. If he did, then EVERYBODY who had a suspended license for reaaally important reasons such as being an unsafe driver could use the same excuse. License suspensions exist for a good reason, and not obeying them can lead to less safe roads for everyone else. The rules are simple: follow them.
My license was ONLY suspended because I couldn't afford to pay a fine which had nothing to do with my driving ability. It's that simple. Also yes I do work, I've always worked, and during that time it was shitty part time work that you needed a car in order to have a decent shot at work contracts. Also you need a car here to work during the winter, it gets well below freezing and buses don't go to the industrial park. These types of situations lend themselves to negative stereotypes about people which you should not fall into. This is the whole point that John was talking about. I told my story just so people could understand that these things happen to real people just trying to earn a living like me.
Stephen Malacaria Just because he got caught in a cycle that caused him to lose his license, doesn't mean he forgot how to drive in a relatively safe manner. Just because his license got suspended doesn't mean he had any other way of getting to work the next day. Your attitude indicates that he should not go to work, get fired, and live off unemployment...which I assume you'd bitch about as well... Guess what, man...people make dumb, simple mistakes, it happens all the time. That doesn't mean people should have to rip up their lives to atone for them, especially the one's that are in place for municipal income generation. I can't wait to hear your tone when you're the one getting raped by the system. Just don't throw your stones in my glass house...
I can relate to this. I was in jail for two weeks because I couldn't pay my traffic tickets, most of which were for driving to work without a license, which was suspended for not paying other traffic tickets... which were for not paying my mandatory car insurance. And this arrest came way AFTER I had already sold my car to pay the minimum on the fines. (I couldn't have driven it anyway, because I couldn't afford to get it out of the impound lot.) I had my utilities shut off, and eventually lost my apartment because I couldn't get any more unemployment, because I had to turn down work, because I had no way to get to work. (Stupid local buses only run a few hours a day. What kind of shit is that?) After getting out of jail, I spend a whole year on my mother's couch, doing basically nothing until my driving "privileges" were restored. (It's almost like adding insult to injury to call a necessity a "privilege," especially when you consider how much I actually hate driving. Tax forms used to charge an additional tax for the "privilege" of having a job, but now I digress.)
Ameeeerica, Ameeeerica, oh how we prey on the weeeeeak This is fucked up Shiiiit, that neeeeds to stop, From sea to shining seeeea.
Unfortunately, I have no sympathy for you. You didn't have car insurance and you drove anyway. If you hit someone, who's going to pay for the other person's medical bills? That's just irresponsible and there is no excuse for driving without insurance.
dllexport- So, what would your alternative suggestion have been? To stop going to work until I magically had enough money to buy insurance?
Shawn Ravenfire Take the bus, ask for a ride, carpool, use a bicycle, or walk. Having to go to work is not a valid excuse for driving without insurance. You're flinging a 3000+ lb hunk of metal down the road at 35mph. You could cause serious injury and property damage from 2 seconds of inattention. That's why insurance is mandatory to begin with. It's not the same as loitering or going 5mph over the speed limit.
dllexport- No buses where I was living at the time, walking time to work would have been about eight hours there and eight hours back (yes, I did the math), narrow streets have no room for bicycles, and no one to carpool with. Believe me, I did not just wake up and say, "I'll do this now," without examining all the data. Incidentally, I did try to walk home during a blizzard after my car broke down eight miles from where I lived on another occasion, and I got picked up by police for being in a "no pedestrian" zone, which mean that I was risking causing a traffic accident by not being in a car. There is literally no way to win.
It's incredibly stressful watching information about 'law enforcement' agencies in the USA. These agencies seem to be focused on making life awful for people, when they should be about making life more manageable for All!
is anyone just now discovering john oliver....because I am...i like it
Enjoy the binge watch.
We actually found a ferret in our backyard and kept him for five or six years before he died. Never took him to a vet, so no idea if he was ever vaccinated >_>
This is the FBI....we got you....so you havent vacinated you're ferret....well well well.....your going to the fuck barrel
Joe Mama The FBI needs to learn the difference between your and you're.
Quanze FBI say's you "kidnapped" a ferret !!! And now, you're going to the fuck barrel eh... Ü
You're so fk. WE just wrote you a ticket for $35 bucks, Please pay by tomorrow or you'll face a $120 late fees -- and if you want to hope on the payment plan that's another $100 bucks. I gotta feed my KIDS!!!!!
Alright boys, we got his confession, let's lock up this monster!
Debtors prison? Jailed for $2 this sounds like the 1,500’s
The Les Miserables comparison was really apt, lol. Jean Valjean was imprisoned for stealing bread for his impoverished family.
He’ll never. Steal a beer again. So the system does work.
@xr7fan No, not jailed for stealing. Jailed for not being able to pay a company $360 a month on top of other fees as someone who is so low on cash they steal a beer. Do you get it?
@@4philipp Yeah. And the taxpayers pays thousands of dollars to put someone in jail on behalf of a company that a veteran cannot afford to pay as someone who can't afford to pay for a beer. Works real well. Do you think at this point either the business or the vendor cares about the beer being stolen? Do you think they would want this? Also, no, not necessarily? Put an alcoholic in his position. Do you think not being able to afford neither rehabilitation nor alcoholic beverages will make you less likely to commit petty theft to sate withdrawal?
@xr7fan Right. And how does getting jailed, not being able to afford transportation, etc. play into that getting of jobs? Mind you, in his case it wasn't benefitting anyone but the private company. In what world is it sound logic to allow a private company to charge someone $12 a day over petty theft less than that amount in the first place and get them jailed because they cannot pay their original fine due to it being locked behind a growing debt to a private company who is there only to make money off of this? Do you think this is an offense worthwhile to imprisonment, anyway? You realize that the taxpayer is going to pay for that, right? Taxpayers have paid far more than this person over his petty theft itself.
When a video on government policy reminds you of the video on payday loans...
Conversion Camps. What a horrifying thought... Unless one GENUINELY wants to be there for their own reasons, I guess.