Fair point, but ineptitude on the part of the city and their vendor is not necessarily an excuse. By that rationale the government shouldn't be involved in almost anything. The solution there is due diligence and more accountability, not taking down those cameras.

I mean, why the hell does that stretch of road have a limited time frame in which speed limits are enforced? In countries I've been where they have speed cameras they're on 24 hours a day.

Why would that ever happen?

Countries around the world have been successfully using speed cameras for decades. They're so effective that they've expanded their usage. I don't get why the US is so backwards on this stuff.

Cops are good as a deterrent and for emergency responses. For catching speeders they're expensive and impractical. Plus, chasing them down is risky and overly disruptive, especially in construction zones. This is the sort of thing that's perfect for automation and I'd argue that these cameras should be implemented everywhere.

I don't know what the time limit is on that. I assume you have some time, but I'd call to confirm.

I don't know currently, but as of 10 years ago Bridgeport was a 90 day wait. State law requires a response within 30 days, so they'd play games to drag out the process. The first set of fingerprints, which they take themselves, are automatically rejected. As a result, people recommend taking digital prints up at state police headquarters. Not that it helps much because that city will still find ways to drag out the process.

Now that you've taken your class, you need to visit your local police station. They'll guide you through next steps. The process is supposed to be identical across the entire state, but some towns and cities will make you jump through hoops and drag their feet on approvals.

It's not uncommon to have the first set of fingerprints rejected out of hand. Or for you to show up with completed paperwork and be told you're missing some heretofore unmentioned document. I'm convinced the intent is to discourage, so don't give up.

I haven't checked in ages, but there CT gun forums where people keep a list of average wait times by town. Some people also detail their experiences which can be helpful in letting you know what to expect.

I get what you're saying, but schools have full control over the cost of tuition. Athletic programs and associated scholarships are part of massive marketing strategies to entice prospective students. They're not doing it because they're trying to alleviate financial burdens; it's all about revenue.

Plus, it's the upper middle class who most consistently take advantage of those scholarships. They're the only ones who can consistently afford the youth programs that typically unlock those opportunities.

Everyone seems to overlook the fact that corporate and political leaders serve on the boards of all these schools. It results in universities being corporate America's wet dream. Massive tax breaks and significant financial backing by the government.

I'm not sure what you mean. Tuition is massively overpriced because you're paying for schools to squander money on fancy new buildings and frivolous athletic programs. Even finance companies don't build such lavishly furnished facilities as your average university.

Personally, I think college sports should be decoupled from universities. Go with a European model where soccer academies are backed by pro teams instead of schools.

I'm not surprised at all. Conditions already sucked a decades ago, but it's gradually gotten worse. At least back then there were seasonal lulls; nowadays it's bad all the time.

State government is at least partially to blame for this mess. Over the years they've wasted money on lightly populated corners of the state instead of focusing resources where the congestion is heaviest. What projects they did undertakehave always been too small in scope and in some cases ultimately made things worse; exit 27 in Bridgeport comes to mind.

MetroNorth isn't helping matters either. It's better than it used to be, but it's still not ideal. Too slow and there are a lot of annoyances.

There are exemptions to those bans, but it's not like the US where any random asshole can just go buy whatever dog they want. There are a ton of bureaucratic hoops, the dog must be registered and they could reject ownership anyway. That said, I've been told that they have a thriving black market.

Germany would disagree with you. They consider certain breeds dangerous enough that they’re heavily regulated if not banned outright. They also require every dog to be registered and taxed. They’re a bit crazy with this stuff but the idea is to encourage responsible ownership.

A friend told me that they can even do welfare checks to ensure an owner can adequately care for their pet.

I might have disagreed with this stuff in the past, but given how irresponsible so many people are I’ve changed my mind on these kinds of policies.

I hope you realize that $308 million is gross, not net profit. They posted a $27 million profit in 2021 and that's only because of cuts. The past decade every other year has seen net profit struggle to break a half percent and that's when they didn't lose money outright.

I hate ad banners and pay walls with a passion; I always run ad blockers and use 12ft.io where possible. The internet killed newspapers and we're all complicit. Consumers expect everything on the internet to be free.