Local City Government Passes Ordinance to Install Red Light Cameras

The past few days have been enormously distressing in our Country. But to add insult to injury while running errands the other day, I saw the headline in the local newspaper that the you on the city council have passed an ordinance to allow cameras at intersections in town. This is regretful and I requested that the council repeal this ordinance for these reasons:
- Their use is an invasion of privacy.
- They do not target drivers but rather vehicle owners.
- Private companies should not be generating profit and revenue directly, as a percentage, from enforcing City Code.
- Last month Circuit Judge Bagley in South Florida determined the devices are unconstitutional.
- Two years ago the Minnesota Supreme Court struck down red light cameras in their State.
- The National Motorists Association cite 5 studies that show accidents are not reduced at intersections with cameras and may increase accidents.
- Some of their studies concluded that the only benefit was increasing revenues to local governments. Such use is an abuse of governmental power.
- The AAA recommends increased enforcement and traffic engineering improvements as preferred over red light cameras.
- Not too long ago, FoxNews reported that the AAA announced that municipalities are abusing the use of red light cameras to increase revenue.
Perhaps rather than installing the cameras, the City should just install signs that photo enforcement is used for red light running without actually installing them and then issue cameras to City police officers.
Too many elected leaders at too many levels of government are overreaching their just authority. Please refrain from doing so as well.

Health Care Reform and a Constitutional Crisis

Here is a letter to Senator Bill Nelson of Florida, up for reelection in 2012, on March 20, 2010. He is the Senator that engineered one of the special deals for his State, but only for part of his State. Dubbed "Gator-aid" he has reduced cuts to Medicare Advantage only for a few counties in the State that vote Democratic. The rest of the State, that votes Republican, won't be eligible for reduced cuts to Medicare Advantage. Apparently he is unfamiliar with the 14the amendment, providing equal protection of the laws.

"Dear Senator Nelson:
I am thoroughly disappointed in the process that this Congress is using to force a health care bill onto the American people who do not want this change. The bribes, blackmail, and extortion are abhorrent. The unequal ‘protection’ of this law is unconstitutional that citizens of some States or parts of States are treated differently under this proposed law than of other States. For example, my retired father has Medicare Advantage but by living in Central Florida rather than South Florida, by your doing, he won't get to keep his plan. This is so un-American it's appalling to know that you, of all people, are behind it.

Please take some time to reflect on what you and your colleagues are doing and why you're doing it. I have always thought of you, Senator Nelson, to be a reasonable person. But I think reason has escaped the Democratic leadership in both houses of Congress and the members following that leadership, too.

Please do not move forward with this bad bill which lacks bipartisan support nor even support of enough Democrats in the House to agree with the Senate's version. Furthermore 37 States are planning to sue to block this awful bill because Congress is overreaching its Constitutional authority, because the process is not Constitutional, and because it will raise $1 trillion in new taxes that the People cannot afford. The lack of enough support and the lawsuits should be a clear sign to you that our Union is on the brink of a Constitutional crisis because of this bill. Please ask yourself whether the Union is more important than Obama's health care bill. Hopefully, the Union is more important.