The Almighty stepped down from his perch on the 11th floor to inform the drivers of Albuquerque that they're safe from the scam-eras... for now (ABQ Journal - Subscription). Apparently the Legislature passed legislation that would take at least part of the recently reduced scam-era fines. So, the mayor - claiming that he can't afford to run the scam without taking in all or most of the loot without a state subsidy - has ordered the scam-eras shuttered.
Remember folks, this was all about public safety not about the profit... uh, "excess revenue" that the scam-eras generated. So, now that the city doesn't benefit from the misdeeds of your motor vehicle it's time for the scam to end.
Wait a second... Wasn't the city contractually obligated to continue scamming motorists through 2009? Now that the legislature has taken Marty's largess there's suddenly a way out of the contract? Something is not adding up here.
Don't get the wrong idea, we're thrilled that the scam-eras won't continue to prosecute malicious motor vehicles, but we suspect that Marty's announcement has more to do with manipulation. The mayor seems to be attempting to put pressure on Big Bill almost daring him not to veto the legislation.
Think about it... Governor Richardson indicates his willingness to sign legislation stripping the City of Albuquerque's largess, so the Almighty Alcalde calls a news conference to announce that there's no way the program can continue without the ill-gotten gain or at the very least a state subsidy.
Those who are foolish enough to give up their due process rights in the name of the illusion of additional safety are going to be emailing and calling the governor telling him their very lives depend on the continuation of Marty's red light scam. Never mind that they very well may be facing one of the fictitious violations with absolutely no way to prove their innocence. They need these scam-eras to feel save.
This has never been about public safety. It has always been about the money that these electronic eyes bring in and your inability to effectively defend yourself against their charges. It would be more honest to simply charge every driver $150 every year because they might run a red light, stop sign, or exceed a speed limit at some time during the year. Think of it as a kind of traffic indulgence.
Make no mistake... Marty is trying to out maneuver the legislature and the governor. Marty can win by forcing the governor to veto the state takeover, or by getting the state to subsidize his scam. He only loses if the governor calls his bluff by signing the bill ending the program and proving once and for all that the scam-eras have always been about the money.
28 comments:
Only 1.5 million to operate, Well, if it was about public Safety, as Mayor Chavez indicates it is, 1.5 million is a small price to pay for safety.
Also, what about that 12 million in fines the camera's have generated. It's suppose to be used for public safety, so use the previous fine money to operate the redlight cameras. There should be enough money to run the cameras for the next 10 YEARS.
Oh wait, unless Mayor Chavez has used that fine money to balance his budget!
The Mayor bluffed his way out last year. I don't think it will work for him this year.
Mayor Chavez is no way as smart as Big Bill, not even in the same league. The Governor won't let the Mayor fool him. He knows what a little punk the Mayor is.
However if Marty
Darn...and I just moved away from the daily avoid the scam-era commute too...
ROTFLMAO!!!!! I LOVE it! And Bill is in favor of it, I saw on tv this am, if he hasn't already signed he's going to.....it's about time someone stepped on the little bug that is Chavez. I can hear the squish from here! LOL, it's just too good.
ITS ALL ABOUT THE SAFETY!!!!
Until it's about the money that is.
To all the old biddies supporting these scameras,remember these words.
THIEVES, LYERS, CORRUPTION, GRAFT.
I would like to have Gov Richardson's email if anyone has it ,so I can type him and tell him what a scam the redlight camera's are and how the Mayor is trying to scam him, the Gov.
I will tell the Gov to read this site to get more info.
Awesome Idea! Daskalos has worked the system, why can't we institutionalize paying for our sins, like in the old days.
We each pay $150 a year. If we get a ticket, the reciept is our bit of John the Baptist's ankle bone chip that protects us from a further fines or criminal scrutiny.
Then, if you are a GOOD Catholic, uh, I mean Citizen, then you can build up "free" tickets, one per year. Maybe rich people can pay more if they want to make up for lots of offenses, buy the whole skull of John the Baptist from the State or City instead of just a chip of his ankle bone?
It worked for Imperial Spain! Oh wait, they no longer even have a decent military. Chaucer wrote about buying your way out of sins and crimes in england and France, ..oh wait that was during the Dark Ages, damn.
I guess I am wrong, I will shut up now.
I don't know if the cameras are fair or not- I don't drive, I walk and bus.
I DO know this, I used to have way more close calls with cars in the crosswalk (San Mateo and Montgomery) before the cameras went in than after.
I still keep my eyes peeled, but I haven't had to play dodge the Dodge in a quite a while.
Before anyone asks- I cross with the signal. (When cars are SUPPOSED to be stopped for the red.)
How much is the fine for squishing a pedestrian?
I literally can't stop laughing. "its all about keeping the public safe". Napoleon did not think twice about stopping them once Bill signed it over. I think it is sooo hilarious, what a hypocrite
Kind of reminds me of Bush, he takes our freedoms and wipes his but with the Constitution because the big bad terrorists will get us. Then he says he will veto a bill that allows the spying to continue because his corporate buddies might end up in court. Bush tells us he needs to spy on us, without a warrant, to protect us. Bush was willing to let the terrorists communicate if his corporate buddies did not get retroactive immunity. Fear sells and everyone is buying.
Who is worse, the Mayor or the President?
Can someone PLEEZZZ keep joseph lopez off this blog. He keeps talking about issues that aren't even mentioned! JOE step away from the crack!!!
Does this mean that Mart and company won't have a van on the freeway in that school zone on I-25? He said he would pull all the vans out of the school zones. Tomorrow drive through a few school zone and see just how many officers are really running laser or radar. As soon as Smarty makes his point they will be gone, if they are really there to start with. Ray Boy must be taking a beaten these days. Sell your soul see what happens!!
They don't have enough officers to put on patrol who is the midget kidding. Now they are trying to hire retired officers for the academy and the schools. Only losers who can't find a job or are lazy come back here, just look around! Can you imagine anyone who retires with any rank coming back? LOSERS!!!
Yes, Joe Lopez needs a "reality check" but this is free speech at it's best. No censorship is why we all love this blog--the freedom to speak our minds freely comes at the price of having to read the unconnected thought processes of others. Maybe we can urge Mr. Lopez to keep his rants within the confines of the topic at hand.
Oops my bad, I'm off topic here...the camera's are unplugged for now while Marty and Bill slug it out over the money. Typical New Mexico politics as usual...no surprises there!
Aaaah ! No more skimming money to go drinking, whore chasing, bribery, and casino money for your biatches.
Here this.
"No MORE soup for you"
I said I was gonna shut up, mea culpa, I am taking responsibility, sorry!
I'll go back to my own blog now, sorry to have disturbed all the busy cops with my security guard rants, really!
But I still love this blog, and when I am near the edge again, I hope no one tries to kick my ass for speaking my cracked little mind. Wrong channel, sorry, the knob is all screwed up.
(Putting on tin foil hat now, studying Justice League Comics for emergency mangement tips...)
Did you see Chief Schultz on the Mayor's press conf last night, it looked as if little Ray boy was going to cry when the Mayor shut down the cameras!
So what now we sit and wait? How long will it take them to fight over who gets a cut where? I like Bill but then again I have to lump him in there with all the other blood suckers. How do we know that he wont be bought, selling us all into the cluthes of Marty! I pray that he reads this blog (let me have my hope) and that he sees that we need help here and that Albuquerque is not Albuquerque anymore its Martyville and we are all his victims.
That is the pot calling the kettle black.
Is it true that Ray is finally ahering to the contract and not allowing any future retirees to come back outside of Field Services?
Ray and Marty should learn something from the red light disaster. That you should not have a program that you do not fully control. The retired rehires are the same type program, they were created by action of the legislature and governor and during any session they can be taken away. They should not base their staffing on anything they do not directly control.
What will they do if in January 2009 the legislature acts to repeal the retiree return to work act? They should start preparing now.
above, well said. I am a retired guy who meets the criteria mentioned. I probably would come back if I really felt I could do some good, but there is really nothing more any of us, either retired, rehired or active duty, can do. It is all in the hands of politicians and the electorate and I have about as much faith in them as I do in juries in this state -- i.e. damn little. This city and its public safety is about to go the way of N. Orleans, Detroit, Trenton etc.... The only thing city hall can do is sever any thought that because they give public safety a raise that the other unions (solid waste, Blue collar, ad.infinitum) will also get one. Priorities are such that perhaps a few 100K$ a year department heads ought to get pay cuts and cops/fire get the $$ to recruit with. There are way too many folks recruiting from the same pool across the country and we are not competitive. ALso it is time for everyone of them to stop lying about the camera program, if there is enough left to run out the contract then use them, it is not a for profit deal. It is hugely disengeuous to turn them off because the state wants to use the money to pay for (among other things) OUR own courthouse... the one that a former mayor and Manny (related to the mayor via his ex-wife) seemed to (allegedly) make ill gotten gain from.
Petty political BS need to end here and public safety needs to take center stage.
The ones with rank that came back, could not find jobs in the private sectors because they burned all their bridges, especially all those worthless ex-deputy chiefs.
They're big losers!!!!!!
How embarrassing for them to come back!
"What will they do if in January 2009 the legislature acts to repeal the retiree return to work act? They should start preparing now."
Anyone with a brain can figure out that that is not going to happen because PERA gets their contribution regardless. PERA has always allowed retiries to come back, except there use to be a cap, but now that PERA gets the 10percent contribution from the employer, it's a moot issue.
Wow, you guys sure diss the retirees that come back. I have always read that the police community is a brotherhood with a culture of its own. Separating from that is very difficult, hence why many come back. There are books out there about the difficulty cops have adjusting to civilian life once they retire. I don't know, just speculating.....much like you guys are doing.
hmmmmm "anyone with a brain" could figure out that you don't run an organization with employees whose status you don't control.
Keep dreaming sunshine, from 2004 through 2007 the legislature voted overwhelmingly to repeal the retiree return to work act. It was only because Richardson used his pocket veto that it was spared. Richardson only did this because most of his political cronies are double dipping. If Gary Johnson would have been governor the retired rehire would be dead already.
Yep the facts are that the retiree return to work act was supposed to help police agencies keep officers and retain waste water workers. In truth the PERA study that was done last year showed that of 3000 retirees who have returned to their old PERA affiliate jobs less than 10% were cops or waste water.
Who are the rest of these retired rehires? Look around at Albuquerque City Hall. Look at high paying state jobs. Just look at who contributes to Bill and Marty and you will see who gets to double dip on the backs of current workers who can't get ahead.
It seems you can't say a word about retired rehired cops without being accused of "dissing the retired guys". Come on, the real issue is the law is a sham to pad the wallets of fat cats in government. APD is foolish to allow any of their staff to be controlled outside of APD. Finally don't be as unbelieving as Ray and Marty were regarding the red light cameras. The legislature created this and they can take it away.
Not dissing anyone.
Well, my pension bettter be intact when I'm done. And a lot of white collar city retirees do come back, BUT they have to go thru a temp agency I guess'cuz they're not public safety.
The retiree return to work act harms younger workers who can't move up. Look at the top people in most city, state and county agencies and they are all double dipping retirees.
If it continues I see the day when the legislature asks the question why do we have 20 and 25 year retirements for people in PERA if all they are going to do is come back and double dip. Soon enough there will be legislation to attach an retirement age to years of service. Once again greed will ruin a good retirement system for younger workers.
Yep, couldn't have said it better....that's a good question, WHY DO they come back??? Can't adjust to life on the "outside" with "civilians" I guess. Can't they get something else? They're still relatively young-ish and have good experience. I guess life on the "outside" is cold and unfriendly for both ex-cons and cops.
"It seems you can't say a word about retired rehired cops without being accused of "dissing the retired guys". Come on, the real issue is the law is a sham to pad the wallets of fat cats in government. APD is foolish to allow any of their staff to be controlled outside of APD. Finally don't be as unbelieving as Ray and Marty were regarding the red light cameras. The legislature created this and they can take it away. "
Because you are blaming the rehires for the low wages, instead of blaming the real source. Sour grapes, that is what it is, but someday you too wiil retire and hopefully you don't get the animosity we see now.
Get you facts right, we have rehires that been employed by the city for many years, it has been allowed and it will always be allowed.
Devote more time trying to impress the decision makers and not trying to tear down your brothers and sisters.
Retired rehires refuse to face the fact that had they are going to cause younger workers to lose their 20 to 25 year retirements. Retired rehires create a ceiling that stops younger workers from rising.
Retired rehires need to stop crying about how hard they have it and start showing solidarity with younger workers.
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