Safety First? Part II

Way back in April I wrote "Safety First", which dealt with the many City Governments across our Nation that have installed cameras atop traffic lights under the guise of safety, when in reality, they were meant for profit. As it turns out, there is evidence to support that the traffic cameras have improved safety at those intersections where they have been installed, but some Cities have removed them anyway. Why, because they were working too well and cutting into the Cities profits from traffic tickets. So the hell with safety when the "bottom line" is on the line. I will not even get into the "Big Brother" privacy issues surrounding these traffic cameras. Now Los Angeles' red light camera income is falling short of expectations, possibly by tens of thousands of dollars a month, according to the city budget office. Oh Boo-Hoo. As I pointed out before, City officials are not shy about the fact that these traffic cameras are driven solely by a profit motive. When safety is up and profit is down, they simply pull the traffic cameras. A story like this should draw the ire of Americans. It does not, so our elected officials will continue to operate without consequences until we hold them accountable.