a year is a year to a rich man and a poor man alike. but a $50,000 fine is several years to a poor man and only a moment to a rich man. fines that don’t scale with income are a sneaky way to make things only legal for the rich while pretending that there is equal protection under the law.
39 checking in. in 2010 I was super broke, and when they shut my power off, my landlord said he wasn’t gonna renew the lease next month. that meant I had no food, no lights, and 30 days to come up with 90 days’ rent (first, last and security at a new place). I was lucky that I had someone to let me crash and start rebuilding my life, but I also promised myself I’d never for the rest of my life let my survival be dictated by luck and someone else’s kindness.