After watching the clip here's my thoughts:

 

1.) He starts off with an example of Alabama where a speeding ticket is $225 and then plays on the heart strings about minimum wage that takes 35 hours to pay off. Never mentions that's the maximum fine for going 25 MPH OVER the posted limit, that's 50 MPH in a 25 MPH zone or 80 MPH in a 55 MPH zone, nope just it takes 35 hours for poor people to pay off speeding tickets in Alabama! 

 

2.) Harriet Cleveland she says she didn't pay the fines, what does anyone expect? It wasn't even the private companies that are an issue here, she just simply didn't pay the tickets, of course they will arrest you. 

 

3.) Eric Holder gives a Ferguson [BLEEP] story, but if you listen he talks about how in 2007 ( 8 YEARS ago) an unnamed women had two tickets for $152 in the last 8 years she's paid $550 and still owes $541. Now wait a minute, her fines are 8 years old at this point, If her total balance between what's been paid what is still owed is $1091 then subtract the initial fine of $152 that means the additional fines for 8 years is $939. That means she's being charged $9.71 a MONTH in interest for NOT paying her fines, that's not unreasonable. She owes that much because she didn't pay her fines. Once again the problem is individual irresponsibility.

 

4.) Hallie Woods, has a seat belt ticket for $41 we don't get much info here other than she's being managed by JNC probation, apparently she's paid multiple checks but the balance isn't going down. It's hard to tell why, is she months behind and now has fee's on top of that? Is she only making payments sporadically? I find it hard to believe she didn't have $41 to pay a fine, how was she putting gas in her car, paying for insurance, hell if you can't pay a $41 fine in a 30 day period you SHOULDN'T be driving a car. 

 

5.) Tom Barret - the stolen beer guy, you get next to no details other than a story of how he's so broke he's had to sell his plasma the fee is $12 a day and he couldn't pay. He has the $12 fee mind you because he's already defaulted on his court ordered fine. And of COURSE his Lawyer believes his client is a victim of an unfair system, it's his lawyer!

 

Look some of his report I can agree with, the municipal fines are ridiculous. In California a $38 inflating to a $238 ticket but you guys are not complaining about that, you don't consider that for profit? Why because government is doing it? 

 

We have to many laws, to many regulations, I agree with Oliver. I however do not subscribe to the theory of scaling penalties. Every single one of those people in the interview are in the situation they are in because they made conscious decisions to not only break the law but then ignore the consequences. In real life problems don't go away. 

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