PORSCHE #2 ?

[Porshagod]

ZURICH– A millionaire motorist racked up a record fine of 299,000 Swiss francs ($290,000) after Swiss police caught him racing through a village at 100 km per hour in his red Ferrari Testarossa, Swiss media reported on Thursday.

A court in the northeastern Swiss canton of St Gallen gave the millionaire the hefty penalty, which outstripped the previous record of 111,000 francs handed a Porsche driver in 2008 in Zurich, after a string of previous traffic offences.

"The accused ignored elementary traffic rules with a powerful vehicle out of a pure desire for speed," the court said in its judgment of the motorist.

My question- $290,000 for only 62 MPH???

[Darren]

Why shouldn't penalties be tied to income/wealth?  Honestly I wouldn't really care too much if I got a ticket going 100 mph here.  The points would piss me off, but the fine is just another tax.

[ccm911]

I have been saying the same thing all along.  How fair is it when the millionaire pays the same fine as does a single mother working for minimum wage?  I hate to sound like a socialist, but the poor in this country really do have the deck stacked against them.  Perhaps it is time for us to take a closer look at how things are done in Europe. 

But with that said, it is still fun to drive fast.

[APXD 30]

What if you are unemployed or just a bum and get caught speeding around in a borrowed car?   By that rational, the person cannot afford to pay any fine, does that mean they can just get away with it?

To Darren's point, I agree completely.   I remember when I was a teenager and fines actually meant something.    

Although taxes can get ridiculous when left unchecked.   I just got back from Hong Kong and saw '05 Carreras listed for the equivalent of $100k.   The reason is the 120% tax that the Reds are placing on luxury vehicles.

 

[bobt993]

That ticket will be reduced when he appeals, but the point is perfect.  Unless it hurts, why would someone care?   Think about getting a ticket for say a five dollars with no points.  We would have the entire club out on 202 every weekend. 
Ask Darren how fast one can drive on 202. hock:

[Darren]

ccm911 wrote:

I hate to sound like a socialist, but the poor in this country really do have the deck stacked against them.

The rich and the poor are always ok. A poor person just goes on a payment plan and pays $10/month for a year to pay off their fine. A rich person doesn't care how much things cost. It's the rest of us in the middle that get screwed in this country.

[Terry]

Since when do socialists or populists drive Porsches? Face it, you're in the upper crust, or at least that is the unavoidable perception of  most people. But on the point of the story, varying fines for the same conduct based on wealth, or any other exogenous factors, are inherently unfair. Do I put more people at risk, or harm the environment, if I'm better off?.  If one of us is unemployed and,in a drunken rage over his place in society, drives 120 mph through the neighborhood, should his penalty be less because he has less? Of course not  I guess there is a point where fines are meaningless (remember smoking dope on the street in Ann Arbor was like a $10. fine?) but traffic fines in this country are significant to all. And the threat of loss of license is as serious to the rich as the poor unless you think that they can just rely on their chauffeurs.

     If you're planning on sticking it to the rich (and that is the national plan), just be honest and call it that.

    

[AMoore]

ccm911 wrote:

I hate to sound like a socialist, but the poor in this country really do have the deck stacked against them.

As long as the librararies and schools are open and free, I cannot agree with this statement, except as to children.