The problem with red-light cameras is they aren’t profitable forever. People learn to stop running red lights and the cameras eventually cost more to operate than they bring in. The solution, of course, is to shave half a second off the yellow light and WALLAH! MONEY! For a while.
But there is really no need for red-light cameras at all. If there is an intersection with lots of red-light runners, it means the yellow isn’t long enough. Add a second or two, and the red-light runners disappear.
But as Ayn Rand said, the only power government has is the power to punish criminals, and when there aren’t enough criminals you pass more laws to manufacture more criminals.
That's really a silly argument. That's like saying that the best way to eliminate red-light runners is to remove traffic lights entirely.
Yellow intervals for traffic signals aren't just pulled out of thin air. The yellow interval is computed based on engineering principles, with the travel speed of the roadway as the main factor in determining the minimum yellow time for safe stopping.