Corruption in my home town , page 2

So let me get this straight. You fight at home to the point the police need to be called, you're involved in drugs, and you violate traffic laws. When the cops catch you doing these things, they enforce the law and punish you. I'm all for changing some of the penalties but you're not exactly doing much to help yourself here.

The first thing: You represented yourself in court. I've been in college for a long time, part of what I had to take was several law classes. Even having about 8 law classes, all of which I got A's in I wouldn't dream of representing myself in court. If you're as broke as you say you can get a public defender. Public defenders aren't going to do much for you, but they will get you a better deal. Basically the way the legal system works, is that the prosecutor and the judge consider you an incompetent buffoon they can screw with, and for the most part they're right. A lawyer on the other hand knows how things work and they'll deal with the lawyer. It also helps to add a layer of insulation in the communication, remember that the DA makes his living by getting you convicted. He will not treat you with respect, and likely doesn't even see you as a person, just a number on the conviction record.

Next, take a look at the drugs. Forget for a moment if mj should be legalized or if it's harmful and instead look at the consequences. Getting convicted of possession is going to cost you money, it might put you in jail, and if it puts you in jail you're going to lose your job. If you want to smoke, then smoke but before you start buying it put enough money into savings so that when (not if) you're caught you can keep your job. The legal system loves people with money. If you have no money you goto jail, but if you do have money they take that instead on the theory that removing your spending money is a greater punishment... and it funds their budgets at the same time rather than adds to them.

Now for the traffic violations. You make a living from delivering pizza and you're breaking traffic laws? Do you not see where this is going to hurt you in the future? What happens when you break one too many and lose your license? Then you have to commit a crime every day, just so you can continue to get a paycheck. You really should be more careful, you'll find you have more spending money too. Putting aside the harm for a minute (traffic laws exist to minimize accidents), maybe you like being free and not being told what to do. Society has imposed rules though, and being free in some ways costs a lot of money. It's better to just obey those rules and keep your money so that you can do what you want to do that's actually important.

Now, here's the last thing. If you actually want to address the issue of disproportionate fines, start getting involved in local politics and bring it up to the appropriate legislatures. Many areas of Europe have sliding fines that are relative to a persons income. Here's the thing though, you need numbers, you need research, and you need to be presentable, you also need to present an opening so that making the change makes political sense and you're going to have to write these proposals out so keep working on that writing. Above all it means not having a bunch of drug convictions on your record because your opposition to the changes will look into that, and will use it to discredit you.

Now for the rest of it, I'm very familiar with police corruption. My favorite is the time I was pulled over for "driving suspiciously", taken out of my vehicle because the cop "smelled alcohol" (keep in mind that I don't drink... ever, even blew a 0.0), and was then beaten on the side of the road, behind the dashcam while the cop told me to stop resisting. The resisting in question was covering my face was I was on the ground getting kicked over and over. In the end the cop left without giving me a ticket, or anything else other than a bunch of bruises.

edit on 2-1-2015 by Aazadan because: (no reason given)