gdp's Comments

GazetteOnline.com : Cedar Rapids police fielding red light camera questions via e-mail

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 17:57:28 +0000

It looks as though Cedar Rapids is one of the safest cities for motorists in the entire United States. AllState has had Cedar Rapids in the top five safest citites for motorists list for the last three years... .http://www.allstatenewsroom.com/categories/6/releases/4425 Tell us again how it isn't about city revenue. I actually received a ticket in March, and I called the police because I was worried that I would have a backlog of other tickets coming in the mail. They actually told me NOT to pay it because the cameras were not live yet. Weeks later I received another notice- this time the ticket had doubled in price. I called the GATSO office in Latham (number provided on ticket) a dozen times a day for two weeks never was I able to speak with anyone- I'm not entirely sure they even have real people there. I then went to the police office and they said they couldn't do anything- it was out of their hands. For trying to be proactive they made my ticket double in price then they claimed they couldn't do anything. They took absolutely NO responsibility for their misinformation.

GazetteOnline.com : Cedar Rapids traffic cameras have generated over 4,300 citations

Sat, 22 May 2010 14:53:53 +0000

According to data from Allstate Insurance Company Cedar Rapids was rated as the fourth safest city for motorists in the entire U.S. Cedar Rapids has actually been in the top ten for a decade now, so it is clear that this is about city revenue. Additionally the cameras citations removed all the moral and legal consequences of the traditional tickets and replaced it with only a fine. Also there is no reporting to your insurer with camera tickets.

GazetteOnline.com : Grassley joins Democrats on financial reform bill

Sat, 22 May 2010 04:28:36 +0000

I don't know how else to tell you this: a realtor sat across a table from a person that they knew could never pay back their mortgage and watched them sign the contract.The mortgage originators and realtors were the ones directly selling the houses to these people. And for those people: A person making 20,30,40k was signing jumbo loans in excess of 500k with nothing down.Wall Street's word on the quality and the performance of the CDOs is only the Wall Street bank's word. The CDOs became investment grade when the rating agencies Moody's Fitch and others labeled them AAA investment grade. Wall Street was absolutely at fault- there is no debating that, but because they make a lot of money they are the only ones held liable. It's vacuous that they shoulder all of the blame for what happened.

GazetteOnline.com : Grassley joins Democrats on financial reform bill

Fri, 21 May 2010 16:50:51 +0000

I understand that there are problems on Wall Street, but I cannot understand why nearly two years later they are the only group blamed for the economic malaise. Wall Street banks do not originate home mortgages, and they never sold a house to anyone. There is a host of players that are responsible from realtors, rating agencies, and the people that purchased the houses with NINJA loans (no income, no job or assets). At least Wall Street has managed to pay back TARP funds- at a profit to taxpayers. Fannie Mae said last week it would need an additional $8.4 billion from the U.S. Treasury. Fannie and Freddie have now tapped $145 billion from the government. We have also given billions to the people that could not afford their homes for loan remodification programs, but 6-9 months later it's somehow a suprise that these people were still behind on their payments.

GazetteOnline.com : Rockwell Collins joint venture wins $80 million-plus in contracts

Mon, 10 May 2010 22:39:29 +0000

I have been trying to work for Rockwell for a while now. Genuine question, are there blatant discriminatroy hiring practices at Rockwell? I have heard on high authority that there is definite discrimination and it is only getting worse. I have also heard that there were internal documents and emails that specifically stated HR was looking for ONLY minorities and women to fill certain positions. After several years of applying with no luck I hope someone can shed some light on the matter.

GazetteOnline.com : Cedar Rapids mobile speed unit spotted on I-380

Mon, 3 May 2010 19:11:37 +0000

According to law enforcement and city politicians this is not a revenue grab. However, it seems as though they have removed all moral and legal aspects of a traditional speeding ticket and replaced it with only a fine as these camera tickets do not go on your record or influence insurance premiums. This system is, in fact, the exact definition of a revenue grab, and the literature and economic study on the ineffectiveness of removing social and moral norms and replacing them with only economic discipline is far too exhaustive to list in my comment. The parked vehicle along the shoulder of the interstate also opens the debate of driver safety. I can hardly wait until there are three fixed position cameras along the side of the interstate. I hope the city uses the funds well. Perhaps for things like a 400k refurbishment of a smokestack. How does legislation like this get passed?

GazetteOnline.com : Cedar Rapids red-light camera sites chosen by crash numbers, not citations

Sun, 28 Mar 2010 22:14:42 +0000

We don't want to drive 20 mph even if nobody ever dies, but we are willing to have a few people die for a speed limit of 50/60/70... There is no logic at all in that argument. Where do you begin to accept death for higher speed limits. At what point in your subjective reasoning should limits be placed? Either we have efficient transportation and death as a result of progress and prosperity in our transportation system and national infrastructure or we don't. Cedar Rapids is one of the safest cities for motorists in all of the U.S. I can't believe any of this actually got passed. Nobody that has any logic is in favor of these cameras.

GazetteOnline.com : Cedar Rapids red-light camera sites chosen by crash numbers, not citations

Sun, 28 Mar 2010 22:14:33 +0000

Explain how the cameras are not about city revenue... The camera's only purpose is to take a moral or legal violation and replace it with a fine. That is the EXACT definition of a revenue generator. If the cameras were actually about safety these "tickets" would appear on driving records and also affect insurance premiums. Also why do they never mention the location of the speed cameras that are placed throughout the city? Also I still struggle with the logic of the ability to save lives with cameras. We can easily never have a traffic fatality again- we could make the speed limit 20 mph.... I bet none of the self-righteous would agree to that would they? That would be ridiculous... Then where should speed limits be?

GazetteOnline.com : Can a spray outsmart red light cameras?

Tue, 9 Mar 2010 04:33:36 +0000

Irregardless of expectations of privacy, speedy motorists, or taxation the city of Cedar Rapids could have spent the money for traffic cameras in other critical areas. The downtown district (2nd and 3rd avenue) is now a gangland warzone, nearly all of the downtown area is still in complete ruins, and violent crimes and theft are on the rise. I remember an article from the Gazette only several months ago that reported for a city of its size Cedar Rapids is one of the safest cities for motorists in the entire United States. The list of programs that could have used these much needed funds is too long to mention. As an aside, I have never known a driver who does not speed. Let's be honest everyone speeds- it might be possible that you don't speed a lot, but everyone speeds. Is there honestly someone so self-righteous that will say they don't break 55 in a wide open desolate highway... anyone... anyone... I thought so. These cameras are asinine and I honestly cannot believe that they are being put throughout the city. I guess on the brightside they might break even in 10 years if people actually decide to drive on those roads... I won't.

GazetteOnline.com : Shields, Vernon stall red-light cameras temporarily

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:12:58 +0000

Over the last year Cedar Rapids has become a gangland warzone. Murders and violent crimes are growing at an alarming rate in both Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. The police are being beaten nearly to death in the streets. I'm glad the city government finds it prudent to spend money on traffic cameras to issue traffic citations to a city that the Gazette had reported earlier was one of the safest cities for motorists in the country. This idea is completly asinine.