rant: police departments
From /r/elpaso:
When there is something important they’re nowhere to be found. When it’s time to write tickets for expired tags look to the motorcycle cop camping out pebble hills because suddenly we can spare an officer.
the legal racket
Auto insurance is one of those rackets where you are compelled to buy the service but the service provider is not compelled to actually provide the service. Local PD departments are the same: you are compelled to pay for the service (under penalty of imprisonment or fines) but they owe no particular service to the citizen. Wouldn’t we all like a job where the pay is mandatory but showing up to work is not?
Social Security is in the same ballpark; you are required to pay but there’s no account with “your” money in it and Congress can decide it doesn’t have to pay you squat. It’s not your money and you have no right to it. The argument that it’s not a Ponzi scheme because they tell you it’s a Ponzi scheme is unintentionally hilarious.
so what actually gets done?
In a racket situation what actually gets done?
- things that the racket bosses want done. In the case of PDs this is revenue generation and real or apparent response to complaints from politicians and homevoters.
- things that the individual racket enforcers like to do. Chasing “bad guys”, bullying citizens, viewing crime scenes.