[Imc-web] Why was this comment hidden?

[Danielle Chynoweth]

ML - what was the reason for hiding the comment pasted below in
response to Brian's article?  It appears to be a perfectly legitimate
response - distinguishing between private debt and debt due to a crime
or violation of policy - even if I don't agree with his/her
conclusions.  It has no personal attacks and doesn't appear to violate
our policy.  There is little discussion  on this thread and this
comment might help get things going.

Enjoying the IMC website from WV,

- Danielle

------------
new This comment has been hidden.
I'm going to try to be polite here.
[trolling - ML]

What do you suggest we do with people who don't pay their fines, then?
Just ignore them? If we did that, then why would anyone EVER pay a
traffic ticket?

"The debtor's jail, once considered a relic of the 19th century, has
now been re-instituted in Champaign County."

This is not the same thing. Debtor's jails were used when someone owed
a debt to another private person or agency, and didn't pay them. This
case is because someone broke a traffic law and didn't pay the
penalty. We're not talking about a rent-to-own TV or something that he
missed a couple of payments on. This guy broke a law. There was a
penalty issued, and he didn't follow through with it. So they moved on
to the harder stuff.

"This kind of bill collecting had become common during previous
State's Attorney John Piland's administration. Champaign County Health
Care Consumers exposed the way Carle Hospital was using the court
system to collect on its debts, and Carle's tax exempt status was
revoked. The current State's Attorney Julia Rietz won her campaign in
2004 by promising she would put an end to this kind of legal
retaliation."

Do you not see the difference between a person who gets sick, through
no fault of his own, and then can't pay his medical bills, and a
person who willfully breaks laws and then just doesn't pay the
penalty? What am I saying, of course you don't. So, would a reasonable
person not see the difference between a person who gets sick, through
no fault of his own, and then can't pay his medical bills, and a
person who willfully breaks laws and then just doesn't pay the
penalty? And then KEEPS breaking traffic laws, for good measure?

I'll grant you that there are certainly better things the city could
be spending our tax dollars on. But don't make this guy out to be
another one of your martyrs, because it just doesn't fit.

X