Comments on: Morning Links

By: JS

JS — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 19:42:34 +0000

People go tp jail all the time for fishing fines in Texas. Wait till Obamcare kicks in and they’ll start taking the poor to jail for not paying the no insurance fine.

By: Bergman

Bergman — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 23:31:27 +0000

If the ACLU triumphs in this, I foresee the elimination of the option of paying a fine for minor offenses.

Poaching can result in a fine or a jail sentence. If offering someone the option to pay a fine instead of going to jail makes it illegal to send them to jail if they don’t pay the fine, then either the government will have to stop punishing people for breaking the law, or will have to start using only jail sentences as punishments, and our jails are crowded enough as it is.

Of course, once the legislators get involved, they’ll over-reach as is typical, and odds are they’ll eliminate not just the fine option, but the community service option as well.

By: steve

steve — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 22:10:21 +0000

I have heard that the jail house hierarchy puts murderers at the top (cop killers at the tippy top) with sexuall predators at the bottom (pedophiles at the very bottom.) I wonder where “fishing without a license” fits in this hierarchy?

By: Highway

Highway — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 19:02:44 +0000

Or maybe bananas and cantaloupes…

Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

By: Maggie McNeill

Maggie McNeill — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 18:42:43 +0000

Regarding the last paragraph of the autofellatio story: Actually, I know more than a couple of well-endowed girls who can suck on their own nipples; that’s apples and oranges. Or maybe I should say grapefruit and cantaloupes?

By: Highway

Highway — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 17:32:12 +0000

davidst, the issue isn’t about whether or not people like or don’t like the calorie counts being posted. It doesn’t matter whether it helps you or not. The problem is the law says it has to be up there. And putting something stupid like “Whole Pizza – 1800 to 3500 calories” is just stupid. That doesn’t tell you anything at all about what you’re eating, but it’s still a law, and that law will be used to punish people who don’t do it.

I also say in these threads that if you know what you’re eating, then it’s likely that the calorie counts aren’t as helpful as you think, because you already know that the more stuff you pile on a pizza the more calories it has.

But mainly, it’s a stupid law that says “This information has to be on the sign next to the menu item”. It can’t be on the tray liner, or a poster at the entry, or even something like a QR code that people could scan with their smartphones if they’re so inclined. It makes menus look stupid, and provides meaningless, and sometimes misleading, ‘information’. And it costs companies money that could better be used doing other stuff.

(Note that this is especially stupid for Dominos in particular, because who actually goes to the restaurant to see the menu board for a delivery pizza chain?)

By: boomshanka

boomshanka — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 16:07:27 +0000

#1 Difster

So anyone should be able to coopt public property for a commercial purpose, even where space is extremely limited and costly like in NYC? Current regulations suck, but I don’t thinking that subsidizing street vendors with free land is fair to rent-paying restaurant owners.

Maybe cities could stop giving away free parking and charge market rates, or auction off public spaces to the highest bidding vendor, but the state shouldn’t subsidize vendors over restaurants.

By: ClubMedSux

ClubMedSux — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:18:09 +0000

Well played, Mr./Ms. Rearden.

By: davidst

davidst — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:17:09 +0000

I still like calorie postings. With any luck, the visible postings will create market pressure for tasty lower calorie options and ultimately result in more tasty menu options with lower calorie counts (and maybe even middle of the road options). Make that stuff as easy to get hold of as possible. I don’t care if most people don’t know how to (or care to) responsibly use them. I know about what my daily metabolism averages to and I keep track of what I eat so I know how much weight I’m gaining or losing in a day or a week.

By: H. Rearden

H. Rearden — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:08:12 +0000

ClubMedSux – Exactly what is it that you, sir, are doing at Club Med?

By: Johnny Clamboat

Johnny Clamboat — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:00:29 +0000

State crime lab malfeasance/incompetence screams out for privatization.

By: ClubMedSux

ClubMedSux — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:37:03 +0000

Hmmm… A post about limericks and a link about auto-fellatio all in the same morning? Is the Man from Nantucket guest-blogging today?

By: EH

EH — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:33:59 +0000

Yizmo: I’d like to see a CSI-type show about an internal affairs department.

By: Yizmo Gizmo

Yizmo Gizmo — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:05:31 +0000

“Yet another state forensics lab is under fire, this time in Connecticut.”

Virginia, Maryland, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Nebraska, California, Michigan, Texas, now Connecticut…
I propose we open up Crime Lab Crime Labs to investigate all the
malfeasance perpetrated by these phony scientists
who are really patsies for the Prosecution.

By: Difster

Difster — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 13:14:09 +0000

Street vending. Just open it up and let people sell what they want. If it fits in a cart, let them sell it. Public property is public property. As long as they’re not blocking cross walks, etc. I don’t see the problem. There would be a lot less unemployment if it was allowed. Of course if a massive amount of people simply ignored the law, the police couldn’t do a danged thing about it.

In reference to the fishing story.. remind me again why it’s called the “Justice System.”