“Saves lives” is now the reason to give up our rights, risk our safety and allow our government to create another level of taxation on its citizens. If saving lives were the purpose of Keep Houston Safe I would rather see them focus on drunk driving, or those drivers that use their cell phone to talk and or text while driving. We are asking you to reject this fake safety campaign and vote AGAINST Prop.3
If Intersections are to be the focus, a program concerned with safety would promote the lengthening of the yellow lights, which has been proven to reduce accidents. Also if it were about safety these cameras would have initially been placed at the intersections that had the highest occurrence of accidents instead of the intersections that would result in the most revenue.
The simple, undeniable fact is that the City’s red light camera program is was designed to create revenue and they do so at the cost of public safety. Independent reports from around the nation have shown this time and time again. Los Angeles, Chicago, Virginia, and Florida all showed an increase in rear end accidents and mixed results on T-bone collisions. Even here in Houston the FIRST most comprehensive report showed an increase in accidents. Despite the effort of HPD to pressure RICE University’s Dr Stein into tweaking the numbers (we have the email, obtained through open records the city tried to hide this fact from you the voter in the past), Dr Stein concluded that only the studies done with the most relaxed standards could show a overall decrease. And now there is rumor of another report, self reported, and even TxDot’s official web site warns the reader that the numbers collected by the state are NOT verified. They’re asking up just to take their word for it, “trust me, I’m with the government”.
And now when the city faces an budget shortfall created in the perfect storm of the Obama economy and the Bill While legacy, the current administration is scrambling to save what little funds they have. It’s no surprise that the union leadership for the police and fire are on board; they’re looking to salvage political relationships and ensure that money will keep flowing in. But it’s not their money, it’s yours.
Any government program that violates the law is by definition illegal. The city does not even follow state law in the way the program has been implemented and the program risks public safety in the way it operates; yet KHS is selling the lie that they are the side of law and order and public safety.
In a season of ghosts and goblins there is nothing scarier than a government that tells you they know better than you do what’s best for you.
Here are a few facts.
The red light camera program violates your Constitutional rights
Putting the burden on the accused, no longer are you innocent until proven guilty. Now you must prove your innocence in a courtroom managed by the folks who stand to profit from your “fee”. A court where you are unable to confront your accuser, a camera. And even if you can prove the yellow light was shortened by the city, you still have to pay. The whole notion of using electronic photographic devices to watch citizens is a slippery slope.
It’s about the money
Even City leadership recently asked for support for the red light camera program because the city was in financial difficulty. Using fear and hinting that police and fire would be cut, I suggest they just do a better job of spending what money the have just like the rest of us have been asked to do.
Remember they work for us, we are not obligated to give up our safety and freedom so city government can pays its bills.
The cameras increase accidents
Time and time again as someone slams on their brakes, startled by the flash of the red light cameras, there are accidents.
The program is designed to catch violators which generates revenue , meaning those running the program have a vested reason to shorten the yellows so that more of your fellow citizens are caught in that dilemma zone and even if its just a bumper in the intersection, they get a ticket. The more violations, the higher the risk of accidents.
Don’t give into the fear, VOTE AGAINST prop. 3
For more information, visit Citizens Against Red Light Cameras.