Albo Creates An Angry Horde & Pads His Pocket

Today's Washington Post hits most of the important points in its take on the Albo & Oblon PLLC Abuser Fee Plan.

The new fees will go into effect July 1, and defense attorneys, prosecutors and judges expect chaos. Court clerks fear having to deal with angry hordes learning about the fees for the first time at the payment window. Hefty Fees In Store for Misbehaving Va. Drivers, Washington Post, A1 (June 23, 2007).

The Post correctly points out that this is really just more moving deck chairs around on the Titanic:

• When Judges cut traffic fines in lieu of the abuser fees, it'll cut into General Fund reimbursements to counties.
• It's potentially unconstitutional.
• There will be a potential "huge increase in trials" for people looking to avoid the fees.
• Losing a license might leave to more people losing their job and their income.
• It's basically the "Lawyer Full Employment Act."

So what did the Post miss?

• Um.... HOW ABOUT DAVE ALBO IS A TRAFFIC LAWYER!?!? HELLO?????
• How about the additional costs from the new bureaucrats need to administer these fees?
• How about the fact that the poor (already being charged with driving on a suspended license because they CANT' PAY THEIR FINES will just get charged with more driving on a suspended charges and just get into a debt spiral with the Commonwealth of Virginia just to be able to drive?
• How about lots of new trials = lots of new judges?
• How about the costs of incarcerating all of the new people that will be charge for driving on a suspended license - repeatedly?
• How about lots of new driving on suspended charges = lots of new court appointed attorneys?

So what's the true NET revenue going to be delegate? It's just like this blogger said on Blacknell.net:

WTF? Yes, Albo the legislator ginned up business for Albo the traffic lawyer. I guess we should be thankful that he's not a firefighter.

A bunch of money in DELEGATE ALBO'S pocket, and $2,000,00 Anyone ever seen this before?
Oh yeah, and a bunch of money in Republican cronies' pockets as well?

But the hefty penalties could be a bonanza for the politically connected law firms that chase own unpaid court fines. In all but one city in South Hampton Roads, these firms have exclusive contracts that pay them as much as 30 percent of the amount collected. One of them, Huff, Poole & Mahoney of Virginia Beach, earned more than $2 million in collection fees in fiscal 2006. The contracts are awarded by local commonwealth’s attorneys, who get campaign contributions from the lawyers they hire.

Huff, Poole & Mahoney, [REPUBLICAN] Attorney General Bob McDonnell’s old firm, handles more of the work than any other firm in the state. It has the collection contracts in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake, which brought in more than $1.6 million in fees in fiscal year. Additional contracts in Chesterfield and Essex counties pushed the firm’s total collection revenue to more than $2 million. Huff, Poole & Mahoney has a staff of two lawyers and 26 non-lawyers devoted to court collection work, according to David Zobel, the attorney who runs the unit. The firm compiled a collection rate of 58.9 percent and charged 29.2 percent in fees last year. The firm has given $6,000 in campaign contributions to [REPUBLICAN] Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney Harvey Bryant since 2001.

Bad driver fines a potential gold mine for connected law firms, The Virginia-Pilot, (June 23 ,2007).

Gee, Republicans screwing the poor? Since when?????????