Justice

[Peer Lovell]

So, here's my gripe.
At our local "secret" trail riding area the cops have come down like a swat team.
There are no houses for miles, so I don't understand the big deal.
Anyhow, in Ontario there is now a minimum $4,000 fine for operating a motor vehicle withought insurance. On top of that, once your insurance company finds out about this they likely will double your car insurance for the next five years.
Sounds a little harsh?
Well in this a.m.'s paper some dude was given 10 years for shooting a woman point blank during a robbery and turning her into a cripple for life. Ten years is before time off for good behaviour.
So the dirt bike rider out for a little harmless fun on a Sunday get's around $14,000 in total "fines" and the other guy gets four years in jail.
What am I missing here?

 

[dante]

umm because your in canada a? sorry I could'nt resist :cool:

 

[Patman]

Is this a legal riding area?

 

[Peer Lovell]

umm because your in canada a? sorry I could'nt resist :cool:

Don't get me going! If you're thinking of committing serious crime come here. Home of the slap on the wrist.

 

[Peer Lovell]

Is this a legal riding area?

Of course not.

 

[robwbright]

Without going into the private property issues here, here are a few relevant quotes from the following page:

http://www.libertarianquotes.com/quotes1.html

A wise and frugal government which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government. – Thomas Jefferson (1801)

America needs fewer laws, not more prisons. – James Bovard

The more corrupt the state, the more it legislates. – Tacitus

Useless laws weaken the necessary laws. – Montesquieu

More laws, less justice. – Marcus Tullius Ciceroca (42 BC)

Virtually all reasonable laws are obeyed, not because they are the law, but because reasonable people would do that anyway. If you obey a law simply because it is the law, that's a pretty likely sign that it shouldn't be a law. – Unknown

 

[*KISSofDEATH*]

well if it's illegal then they must have a reason so what are you confused about?

 

[robwbright]

well if it's illegal then they must have a reason so what are you confused about?

Well . . .

Question one is why is it illegal? Maybe there's a good reason, maybe not.

If they hadn't been enforcing the law for a long time, that is a bit unreasonable to show up out of the blue and treat people like that.

Is the riding damaging anyone or their property? If so, there should be damages paid to the owner. However, why should the government get $4000 in fines and the owner not compensated?

It's technically illegal to ride at a lot of the places I rode as a kid. However, it was rarely enforced - I even had a policeman tell me it was ok to ride there.

I ride up and down along the highway to get the the local strip mine. It's illegal to do so. However, I ride right by a state trooper's house. He doesn't care as long as we're not on the highway and as long as we have helmets on.

There are laws and then there are laws.

There are reasonable laws and unreasonable laws.

Laws are reasonably applied and unreasonably applied.

We don't really know enough about this situation to say one way or the other.

 

[*KISSofDEATH*]

Well . . .

Question one is why is it illegal? Maybe there's a good reason, maybe not.

If they hadn't been enforcing the law for a long time, that is a bit unreasonable to show up out of the blue and treat people like that.

Is the riding damaging anyone or their property? If so, there should be damages paid to the owner. However, why should the government get $4000 in fines and the owner not compensated?

It's technically illegal to ride at a lot of the places I rode as a kid. However, it was rarely enforced - I even had a policeman tell me it was ok to ride there.

I ride up and down along the highway to get the the local strip mine. It's illegal to do so. However, I ride right by a state trooper's house. He doesn't care as long as we're not on the highway and as long as we have helmets on.

There are laws and then there are laws.

There are reasonable laws and unreasonable laws.

Laws are reasonably applied and unreasonably applied.

We don't really know enough about this situation to say one way or the other.

ya thats true

 

[Peer Lovell]

You guys are totally missing the point. I wasn't disputing the fact that it's likely not legal to ride there nor the fact that riding without insurance is illegal.
What I was questioning is the total cost of about $14,000 for getting caught vs. the guy getting four years for turning someone into a quadrapalegic.

 

[Chili]

Keep in mind that will be 4 years total time served before parole. It is pretty much accepted standard that time served while awaiting trial is awarded at double the time served ie if he was in custody for 18 months pre-trail he has now served the equivalent of 36 months so only 12 more to go before being parole elligible.

 

[Paul Van]

Hey Peer, I agree with you. its BS. But to top it all off, try finding offroad insurance (green plate). If you can find it, usually its not affordable. Forcing you to ride at "secret" riding spots, or mx tracks.
Because the police are just waitin for you at the legal places to give you a ticket(s).

 

[XRpredator]

You guys are totally missing the point. I wasn't disputing the fact that it's likely not legal to ride there nor the fact that riding without insurance is illegal.
What I was questioning is the total cost of about $14,000 for getting caught vs. the guy getting four years for turning someone into a quadrapalegic.

um, so someone should pay $14,000 (canadian, I imagine, which is what, eleven dollars US?) if they turn someone into a quadrapalegic, and someone should spend 4 years (Canadian, again, which with the conversion comes out to like seven days, 13 hours, eleven minutes US) in the hoose gow for riding in an illegal manner?

I'm starting to grasp the logic, I guess.