New Tech Targets Tax Cheats [Govt confsicates cars of people with overdue library books]

cbsnews.com ^ | April 5, 2005

[Spok]

Justice John Marshal said the power to tax is the power to destroy.

[Fierce Allegiance]

We are merely tax slaves. Face it.

[Little Pig]

I would condone this if and only if the taxpayers can do the same thing to their elected representative's property when said representative is not voting in the public's interest.

[dware]

When are we, the American public, going to stop allowing our rights to be taken away, and instead exercise those rights?

[mlc9852]

So they just randomly scan license tags and hope for a hit? Seems illegal to me but I just can't figure out why.

[TheMightyQuinn]

I guess the moral of the story is take your plates off when you leave your car (assuming you're not on public property, where I think you must have plates on).

[caisson71]

We are redefining the meaning of private property. The slippery slope of a "living" constitution is getting steeper each day we allow these rulings.

[L98Fiero]

No worries, I'm sure the ACLU will come to these people's defense.

/notholdingbreath

[Conan the Librarian]

Seems to me the best solution to this is to not break the law in the first place. Problem solved!

I am all for Law Enforcement. If you are not, please be aware of the consequences of your own actions (Not You Grundle...this is a general 'You') I especially like the overdue library book thing B)

[thoughtomator]

Hello unconstitutional search without probable cause.

[thoughtomator]

4th and 5th Amendments - they can't search without probable cause, which is what these scanners are doing, and they can't force you to testify against yourself, which is what this amounts to in combination with mandatory license plates.

[thoughtomator]

There's not one person in the entire United States of America who knows the entirety of the law. Not one.

[KEVLAR]

"When are we, the American public, going to stop allowing our rights to be taken away, and instead exercise those rights?"

I'd like to know as well.
Perhaps when the total we pay in taxes and fees reaches 75% of what we earn?

[writmeister]

How about the plainview doctrine?

The license plates are in the plainview of the ticketing officers.

[mlc9852]

Makes sense - wonder what the courts will say?

[kingu]

Is the scanning of a plate and comparing it to a government database legal? Sure. There's no expectation of privacy. It is why we have vanity license plates and plate holders - we expect people to look.

The rich question is... Is it unlawful seizure of private property without due process? I think that is where the case is. Did you put your car up as collateral when you filled out that library card form?

[thoughtomator]

But a license plate in and of itself does not constitute probable cause. I can see the point that there's no actual search of private property involved other than what is in plain view, yet the process seems to be in direct contradiction to the intent of the Amendments referenced in that they were specifically meant to forbid the government from fishing for illegal activities where there is no prior cause to suspect one.

[DoughtyOne]

These government entities are becoming illegitimate. When a government entity decides that stealing a $20k to $100k piece of property is justified for a $37.00 overdue book fee, then it has ceased to be anything that remotey qualifies as reasoned governance.

[hosepipe]

Socialism = Slavery by government..