Reading the Times this morning, I was saddened to see that the state of Florida, in its own economic crisis, has stepped up efforts to collect fines . . . sometimes years old, and unbeknownst to the people they are going after.

Did you know there are conferences on collecting money, and state executives are attending them . . . and they are really interested in Florida’s success with their  “exceptionally aggressive” approach to collecting fines.

Real estate related fees are down everywhere, just another ripple in the trickle down from the mortgage money crises, and states and local governments are trying to hold on to their people and maintain their services, with a greatly reduced budget.

Thankfully, there are people with a voice who decry Judges as debt collectors, and realize that they are probably penalizing the people who are in the worst shape.  We’re not talking about Wall Street bonuses, we’re talking about people who were so broke they bounced a check for food and then paid ten times the amount of the check for fines to their banks and the court.

Municipalities aren’t going to maintain gracious standards of living by beating down poor people even more.

Eveyone isn’t out for blood, Rhode Island has gone so far as to pass a law allowing leniency of  fines for poor defendants in contrast to some Florida counties who are actually using collection agencies!

If debtor prisons are next, they need to figure out how they’ll ever pay for them.