We’ve pretty much finished — successfully — with the New York Family Court system after 54 months of
dragging ourselves, and being dragged, through it.
I’ll save THAT story for another time, but something I've always yapped about after every court appearance was the incredible amount
of money wasted by people who know how to get around “the system.”
Having nothing (yeah, right) to do one night, I took a case I was familiar with that wasn't ours.
I hit Newsday’s (an eastern New York newspaper) database of Suffolk County salaries (data.newsday.com/long-island/data/suffolk/payrolls2012/)
and put some stuff together.
This concerns a regular, everyday idiot who is a professional victim of the law.
Bottom line: the cost to you and me is INCREDIBLE.
This individual has had 14 appearances. Nothing done except
moved the hearing to yet another appearance.
Cost to YOU the Suffolk County tax payer? By my reckoning —
for this one stupid ass, bullshit, low-life case — $4,891,918, to date.
And that’s just ONE low level nothing of a drug bust. From someone who is going to keep getting busted and keep costing us this kind of money because...why? They can. It's allowed.
And if that doesn’t piss you off ….
Following is my math.
Obviously, the courts deal with more than one case per day, so feel free to amortize this. But at best, from what I've observed ... four cases a day? Which would mean divide my final number by four... and that would be what WE — you and I — pay for each low-level scumbag (we're not talking about high profile shit ...just normal everyday criminality) to circumvent the system in hopes that everyone involved will get bored and drop the case.
Obviously, the courts deal with more than one case per day, so feel free to amortize this. But at best, from what I've observed ... four cases a day? Which would mean divide my final number by four... and that would be what WE — you and I — pay for each low-level scumbag (we're not talking about high profile shit ...just normal everyday criminality) to circumvent the system in hopes that everyone involved will get bored and drop the case.
And after all the hearings, and all the money? They're right! The case will get dropped, and the dirtbag will walk.
If that doesn't make you shooting mad ....
MY MATH
Each date requires these individuals: per day is figured on the
highest salary and on 180 days/year … and there is no way in hell a court works for 180 days per annum. A court
day is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and then from 2 p.m. to — on the rarest of
occasions — 5 p.m., but generally until 3 p.m. at best.
This doesn't count all the other horseshit of keeping a courthouse open to deal with a zillion of these assholes.
This doesn’t count pensions, etc., Just salary.
A judge
(90,000-172,000) — 1000/day
A clerk — 52,000 – 75,000 — 416/day
A court reporter — 35,000 to 60,000 — 333/day
Two court officers —40,000 -80,000 each — 444/dayx2
A county district attorney (or ADA) — 42,000 to 380,000
(average between salaries) 211,000/day
An assistant for the county attorney (or ADA) —42,000 to
170,000 (average between salaries) — 106,000/day
DA Investigators — to 170,000 + — 944/day
A legal aid lawyer — couldn't find anything … figure 300/day
So, for an average day: $320,881 (not counting the legal aid
lawyer)
14 appearances (for one case) x 320,881 = $4,492,334
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