Just Sayin’: Contesting red-light ticket a waste of time

Contesting red-light ticket a waste of time

Against the advice of almost everyone I know, I decided to contest a red-light camera ticket at Suffolk County traffic court in Hauppauge. I was told that my case would be heard by an arbitrator, but for some reason I was assigned to a judge in a courtroom setting.

Once I was given an appearance number, the process moved pretty quickly until the judge came in and began explaining the traffic laws to us, which ran more than 35 minutes.

When my case was heard, I respectfully presented what I thought was an intelligent explanation. My ability to see the traffic signal was impaired by the presence of a large truck right in front of me.

Much to my surprise, the judge indicated his disapproval that I brought “a bag full of excuses into this courtroom.” Realizing that I would never be found not guilty, I asked to change my plea to guilty, but the judge just slammed his gavel.

I paid the fine to close the matter, and regret that I wasted my time.

Ralph Brady, Mount Sinai

Let’s address issues with civil discourse

At the beginning of the year, it’s a tradition to assess the past year and make our resolutions. Because of the divisiveness of 2017, perhaps we should resolve to build a stronger sense of civility in 2018.

The impersonal nature of social media has desensitized many of us to the tone of our discourse, leading us to often communicate in ways we never would when speaking in person. This has brought us to a place where it’s more difficult to shape consensus or promote a deeper understanding with those whom we disagree.

We should take steps to effect change. We can do this by thinking before we tweet or post on Facebook, and consider whether these are things that we would say to someone if they were in front of us.

In 2018 let’s discuss the issues in ways that produce consensus and understanding rather than hostility.

Peter Fishkind, Roslyn Heights

Urgent care visit was shockingly expensive

On New Year’s Day of 2017 I went to a nearby urgent care center to treat what seems to be an annual head cold. There was no doctor on duty at the site, so I was treated by a physician’s assistant. The result was being prescribed a course of antibiotic.

I was shocked to see that the charge for this was $495, of which $470 was covered by Medicare. It’s no wonder the cost of health care is so high.

Mark Friedman, Syosset