I am so puzzled on this topic that I realize I must be mostly alone.

There is a study drumbeat of hatred for red light cameras. The notion of government setting up cameras to catch people running red lights and speeding is like red meat for all kinds of people. I suspect the hatred cuts across all political spectrums.

I don’t get it.

I actually like the idea of someone getting a ticket for making a turn in front of me on a red light.

You hear about government using these as moneymakers and speed traps. I don’t mind the moneymaker part at all, as long as government doesn’t nail you for going two miles over the limit or sets yellow lights for a blink before turning red.

What bugs the hell out of me are more and more drivers taking advantage of the fact that police in many cities don’t setup live speed traps, and certainly don’t lay in wait to get people breaking the law.

Without a camera, there is no fear of any kind of backlash for running red light after red light, unless there is an actual accident.

It gets worse all the time. My wife and I play a game at intersections counting the cars in the turn lane who go on red, making us wait while we have a green light to go until they finish breaking the law. Sometimes three or four cars do it.

If camera’s are banned, and police don’t actually ticket people at these intersections, we’ll begin to resemble driving a third world country. And we ain’t far off.

By the way. My family used to love a red light ticket I got for speeding. The camera captures me in a goofy pose like Chevy Chase at Wally World.

I still like the cameras.