Moral Hazard Creates Corruption. Corruption Disrupts Lives, Disrupted Lives Tear The Cluture To Shreds: Red Light Cameras and Moral Hazard

It will not be surprise to anyone with any experience with the city of Chicago that the red-light-camera operation begun there in 2003 was a corrupt enterprise from the outset.

It is surprising to learn that it was actually uncovered, and indictments have been issued--with the obligatory civil suits between the various parties filling dockets as well. Someone, obviously, was late on a payment to someone somewhere at city hall, would be OS's surmise.

What of the thousands of erroneously issued moving violations during that period? Undoubtedly drivers lost licenses, or insurance, or saw premiums skyrocket. They saw their lives disrupted due to this criminal enterprise.

To where do they go for redress? To get their reputations and fortunes restored?

The courts? Really?

OS and Mrs. OS drove the streets of Chicago from the south to the lakefront this summer, not wishing to risk the logjams of traffic on the freeways. Chicago used to be a wondrous place, and parts of it still are. So much of it now bears the marks of an unraveling society--the despair permeates block after block.

Back to local gossip, back down in the hometown...

1. A local restaurant is opening in OS's county, opening shop under the ownership of a Chicago citizen who woke up one morning deciding he had had Enough of Chicago.

The crime, the taxes, the corruption. He researched places to move, and wound up here.
Welcome, friend, glad to have you.

2. A husband and wife OS has known for three decades or so, long-time Chicago citizens, successful in their professions, respected...visiting next month, having arrived at the same conclusion. Those who can leave, one by one, are departing. No headlines, no muss, no fuss. They're just quietly slipping out the back door, these people with educations, skills, stable lives and marriages. It will be great to have them here, not worrying about their safety.

Now, to make certain our little county never installs the red-light-cameras, and gets rid of the snooping ticket issuing cameras in their squad cars.

They are the stuff of moral hazard, and set the citizenry and the peace officers at odds with one another.

Enough already...we're running out of places to move.