Another Point of Comparison for Washington State
Earlier I posted about the possibility of using or selling fake vax cards in Washington becoming a felony, and compared that with treatment of people using fake documents to work on the farms.
I just stumbled upon another example:
On March 18, 2018, three Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies boarded a bus in Everett and asked Zachery Meredith to prove he’d paid for his ride. That act of fare enforcement violated his civil rights under the state constitution, Meredith’s lawyer argues.
After being rejected by lower courts, the argument has now found its way to the Washington state Supreme Court, where the justices will weigh whether fare enforcement represents an unconstitutional incursion into passengers’ right to privacy.
If Meredith’s case is successful, transit agencies could be stripped of the authority, granted by the state, to pace the aisles of trains and buses, querying riders for evidence they’d tapped their ORCA cards or bought a ticket.
Soon, it may be ILLEGAL to ask people if they paid for the bus they are currently riding, but if that vax card you flash is fake, well, that’s a felony!
I think what's important when legislating these situations is that we focus on our emotions and don't allow our decisions to be driven by logic.
I lived in Washington for 2 years in the early 80s and loved it, had fond memories until the Scamdemic. Will never go back now.