Hacker News Reader

Well, now we're changing the definition of justice based on your income. If I have 0 income and 0 assets, may I do anything I please? Should Warren Buffett pay millions for jaywalking?

It's probably a good idea for the penalties to be the same in society regardless of wealth.

View on HN

It's an open question. In Scandinavia, they apparently scale fines based on wealth: https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/03/finland...

It is important to be able to sufficiently deter people from committing various crimes/infractions, and this is one way to do it. In the US, we have "points" that go on your record, which means that rich people can't get speeding tickets that frequently — you eventually lose your license. And if you're going 25 over the limit, you can be charged with reckless driving.

I'm aware of how scandinavia structures those penalties and I frankly prefer social economic status-blind policies.

It's reasonable to disagree.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com