It's "crunch time," gentle Weber County Forum readers. Our "lame-duck" " Ogden Gang of Six, aware that the last of the "visionary and probably hallicinatory(?) sand" is now draining from the neocon-statist hourglass, is rushing as many big borrowing/big spending "bills" to the city council front-burner as possible.
The latest is this: Kangaroo Courts.
The following is from the pen of the most excellent John Wright, whose article of this morning has mysteriously and stingily failed to appear in today's online Standard-Examiner edition. Here's more WCF red meat on the whole Kangaroo Court Concept, which actually "sucks," I think.
How nice it is for Ogden city to have its own revenue-raising police force to write citations, along with its own Kangaroo Kourt to bleed us all dry by enforcing them. What a perfect business model for the perfect business enterprise.
Sheesh.
How dumb are Ogden City citizens? NOT THAT dumb, I suspect.
Is a justice court a "cash cow" or not? The dopes at city hall can't seem to keep their stories straight.
My guess? It'll be a cash cow; and the underprivileged will pay for it.
This Ogden City Kangaroo Kourt Koncept is just another thing that now needs to be ethically "put off." The fewer burdens the Gang-of-Six lay on the new 2006 council -- the better.
Amongst the Gang of six, Lame Duck Jorgenson, was originally elected on a campaign lie.
Lame Duck Filiaga, who seemed to have had a functioning brain in his head as recently as January, 2000, (when he voted against reducing the city's options by tearing down the Old Mall,) seems to have had a "health lapse" of some kind. Gee whiz. A "stroke?" How many brain cells were wiped-out with that event?
Lame Duck Burdett, of course, who was appointed as a councilperson, at the suggestion of the "little mayor," -- and was NEVER even elected by the people -- has thus privately expressed her "fealty" to the "people" who appointed her, who are NOT the "people" she's supposed to represent.
Yet this pack of morally and physically-corrupt morons will be legally entitled to bind us financially for the next 20-25 years.
America -- what a country!
John Wright's excellent Standard-Examiner (Std-Ex motto: All the news that's fit to sell) story warns about the latest money-grubbing scheme. Yes, gentle readers. Tomorrow night's City Council session will consider... Kangaroo Courts as an infinitely-profitable city revenue source.
"Read all about it," as street newspaperboys used to say on the Ogden city streets back in my daddy's day...
And get ready for NEW Kangaroo Court "user fees."
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17 comments:
A question: are convictions in Justice Courts appealable and if so, in what judicial venue?
My understanding is that criminal convictions in justice courts are appealble through the Utah appellate court system, just like convictions from the state district courts.
The next level of appeal is the District Court -- where the trial action would otherwise occur in the first place, absent the intereference of justice courts.
The exception is small-claims actions.
The problem with misdemeanor criminal appeals, of course, is that they are very expensive; and VERY few convicted defendants have the means to adequately pursue them.
Thus, the fairness of the lower trial court is extremely important.
Justice courts are notorious for their high conviction rates, unlike State District Courts.
The appeals process means nothing to most misdemeanor defendants, unless they have the means to pursue them.
Think of justice courts as judicial "star chambers."
They contribute little to the judicial process, except for revenue they contribute to the local governments who run them.
Utah Justice Courts have a very poor record on judicial fairness.
Ogden's "justice court" is just another Godfrey scheme to rake in the dough, in my NOT so humble opinion.
This is one more example of Mayor Godfrey's terrific investment ideas.
Ogden taxpayers borrow $2.4 million to get no return for two years and a possible $41,000. the third and a maybe $150,000. a year at some point five years from now.
He should fire the financial geniuses he surrounds himself with.
But more importantly-
The court will be presided over by judges who are not attorneys with all of 30 hours of legal education.
And it is a tax free deal because we are only pledging sales tax revenue that needs to be spent on critical needs.
Want to bet?
The low requirement of education is definately a concern. Personally, as a councilman I would not vote to confirm someone without a legal background.
I do agree that there are problems with the justice court system but I wonder about the difference between conviction rates for A and B misdemeanors for District Courts vs. Justice courts. Are the statistics that people throw out really comparing apples to apples?
And if this takes pressure off the District Court so they can concentrate on the real bad guys, is that not a good thing?
I am not saying that your criticisms are not valid. But do you think that conviction rates for the 18,368 traffic, 5,097 criminal and 3,500 small claims cases a year that currently go to the District Court will be going up that much?
Do traffic and misdemeanor cases get dismissed more often at the District Court because District Judges consider them nuisances? Maybe we should simply get rid of the laws that make these things illegal to begin with that would definately help those less fortunate people you say are going to be hurt the most.
Maybe we should simply get rid of the laws that make these things illegal to begin with that would definately help those less fortunate people you say are going to be hurt the most.
Are you serious?
Maybe we should simply get rid of the laws
Maybe we should just get rid of the arrogant NeoCons that think all this crap up?
Look at all the other regresive BS they have heaped upon the backs of the poor and middle class of Ogden in their never ending pursuit of glory in the big time development game.
The Lord mayor loudly and oftenly proclaims that he reduced taxes! True in a very narrow sense. However, he raised the hell out of, and created a whole slew of new "fees" "user fees" "landlord fees"
and "long grass fees"! I even heard a rumor he was trying to figure out how to impliment a "fartin fee" for the good bean eating population of Ogden. If this comes to pass, it will certainly be the most fair tax or "fee" of them all.
This Justice Court thing could be a good source of revenue for the city - IF justice could also be re-injected into the system. With the JP serving at the pleasure of the mayor and council it precludes real justice in favor of revenue generation.
Can Justice courts be brought into the regular system of justice and still financially benefit the community that they are in? If people are going to drive around drunk or speeding or blowing through red lights, then the citizens who are transgressed upon by these actions should benefit from the penalties. There is a good argument that this "fine" money, that is going to be extracted anyway, should go to the general fund.
There also is a very good argument that these kangaroo courts are just another way to extract the pound of flesh from the poor amongst us. The poor apparently pay a dispraportionate share of the penalties. That may be because they can't afford radar detectors like the fat cats above Harrison.
So the obvious solution is to provide radar detectors to all of the class of people that traditionally pay the most fines. We will then have a level playing field for all classes of society and thus justice in the justice court.
Who cares about the poor. What the hell are you guys whining about. It is time for the poor to take care of themselves. I have a great idea lets keep ogden the armpit of the wasatch so the poor don't get their feelings hurt.
Anybody think maybe - and this is just a suggestion - we should obey the law.
Just a thought.
Be nice if we could discuss the usefulness/advisablity of a Justice Court for Ogden without sinking into the kind of juvenile nonsense that, sadly, it seems we are sinking into yet again. [e.g. "fat cats" above Harrison all having radar detectors which po' folk can't afford, so only the po' folk get speeding tickets.]
That's a crock. I live above Harrison, I've never owned a radar detector, and I've never had a speeding ticket in 47 years of driving. I really don't care if the stupid bastard who ran a red light last week and damn near hit me is rich, poor or middle class, or if he lives above, below or on Harrison. I want the son of a bitch ticketed, and fined. A lot.
Now about the Justice Court: it does not seem to me to be entirely without merit, if it expedites court proceding and clears the docket of the courts that deal with more serious criminal offenses so trials can be held more expeditiously. And if those found guilty of misdemeanors end up paying for the court with their fines, that's OK with me too.
Some national publication... US News and World Report, maybe, I don't recall... did a report some weeks ago on best places in the US to retire. They also set up an on-line site so folks could check out many cities as possible retirment destinations. Since I chose to retire to Ogden [low housing costs, mountains within walking distance of my front door, a University in town and a major city and its cultural assets forty minutes down the road and seasons that come in fours], I checked Ogden on their website. It came off pretty well on many measures.... except one: crime rate. In that, Ogden was a problem, showing a much higher crime rate than competing mid-size cities.
If a Justice Court could in some way help with that by expediting trials in more serious cases, I think it might be a good idea. Not the whole solution, of course, but it could be part of one if properly arranged.
Rally monkey's an asshole. Wonder if he's looking in the mirror. An attitude like that is true bogus and uncalled for.
To john Q your an asshole. Are you poor, and that offends you. The bottom line is who gives a shit if your poor, rich, white or black I don't want decisions made at city hall based on that shit. The poor can start taking care of themselves. Now the disabled or elderly I will help all day long. We need Ogden to turn into a ski town, and the poor can move to Brigham city or something so we can quit talking about this shit.
Rally monkey, you have absolutely no idea who your tyalking to. Anyone who comes across with a message about the poor, like you have, are looking in the mirror and don't like what you see. You show us a classless, sad individual who has nothing to offer anyone except undignified positions from a demeaning outlook on society. You are a freakin disgrace to character and I have no doubt about what you really are.
rally monkey and john q -
you guys are so funny - a good laugh for my morning
thanks!
With this disgrace named Rally Monkey living here, Ogden IS the armpit of the Wasatch.
it's awfully quiet here at the WCF!!!
Yeah it is....what gives?
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