Both the New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, and the state's governor George Pataki are discussing red light cameras. For the mayor, going from 50 to 100 cameras means an additional $13 million in revenue. Every penny counts as he closes a $3 billion deficit "without raising taxes, laying off employees or crippling city services." That's the secret. Anything that raises revenue without being called a tax is fair game, such as increasing the fee to park at Yankee stadium by $2.

The NY Daily News article does not distort the mayor's perspective. In recent testimony the mayor explains the program in simple terms: revenue enhancement. "Many elements in it will have no cost to State taxpayers but will provide significant relief to the City. These include, for example, tort reform, expansion of the red light camera program, and repeal of the State Wicks Law."

Governor Pataki is looking to expand NYC's camera program to the rest of the state.

The plan also raises extra cash by: Increasing the number of red-light cameras to 100 from 50, raising $13 million in summons revenue.