The world has gone insane

[Urza-DSF]

So some points for clarification or some assumptions...

1) City hall hands out fines without verifying an offense.
2) City hall equates children's chalk drawing to spray painted graffitti.
3) A person would not challenge a fine or law of this type (stupid laws are why we have courts). However, $300 is cheaper than an hour with any New York lawyer.
4) The law as drafted is so vague that it punishes unintended activities

Wait till they outlaw fast food restaurants, then we'll hear some real belly-aching.

Slightly off topic: I saw "The Pursuit of Happyness" last night with Will Smith and his real life son Jaden. It was very well done, and also revealed many problems with our society. There was Ms. Chu the day care provider who had the kids watching Bonanza and Love Boat because it was American and Naval history. There was the family under stress where the mom is more concerned about getting out of an oppressive situation than she is for maintaining a loving family for her husband and child. The IRS coldly seizes all his assets without consideration of his financial status. And, you had homeless shelters with severe restrictions on beds. I think you can be unhappy in wealth or happy in poverty, but adequate means certainly can remove sources of unhappiness. This movie really pointed at the lack caring exhibited in our society. For me the overall theme was this hardheartedness shown to him by his wife, his friends, his neighbors, his city, and the social systems in general. The uplifting part of this movie is that the dream of "rags to riches" when you apply yourself message of the story is true. (real biography)

Again, it's a movie (fiction, based on a true story), but it seemed that there was an absolute dearth of social services, when I know that is not the case. What is true in California from my observation is that it seems the entire (homeless or not) world moves there for the climate. So competition for resources even when you have means is fierce.

For point 2, it isn't that the city fines chalk, it's that they got a report of graffiti and sent out a blanket statement. I really doubt that the person calling it in would make it seem so minor, and more than likely "trumped up" the accusation.

Otherwise, one thing to mention about the story is that it wasn't a non-paid internship. I believe he said he was making 150-300 a week or so. So it was enough to make it nessicary to seek shelter, but I don't believe it was as grim as the movie depicted. Not to mention that the projector/Z-ray or whatever machine was already taken care of long before he tried to finish that internship, at least as far as I recall. Oh, and he wasn't turned away from the childrens and mothers hospice or whatever, dunno if it just didn't exsist but there was a change there as well.

So it was bad for him, espically considering the heights he has now reached, but the movie painted a far more grim picture.