Hope, Change, Drive 55
One of the things about having Obama as president and all the wacky people he has surrounded himself with is that there is always something to write about. Sometimes way too much. It becomes all Obama all the time, at least for my part, as he and his admin are stuck on stupid, and countries and groups around the world test him. Unfortunately, while there are fun stories out there, like grandpa beating up some hoodlums who were on his lawn, and Britain’s first Jedi police officer, let’s see what the nutball Obama has picked to be the NHTSA head is up to
President Obama’s pick to head the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration raises a few red flags. If confirmed by the Senate, Chuck Hurley, CEO of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, will drive motorists over the cliff with regulation.
The nation’s traffic-safety czar has broad powers to control the roads and road-going habits of Americans. Mr. Hurley has a history of pushing laws that harass millions of law-abiding citizens to ensnare a few lawbreakers. He supports returning the 55 mph speed limit to our highways as well as roadblocks and random pullovers to make sure drivers aren’t doing anything wrong. This methodology is based on a presumption of guilt – not innocence – of the average driver who is doing nothing wrong.
So, all you folks on the Right who throw around that fascism label, including me, you might kinda……..be right.
Mr. Hurley has promoted a mania of overregulation at MADD. Absent from his advocacy’s is the principle that a punishment should fit the crime, or that a crime even needs to be committed to incur a penalty. Under this influence, MADD has been lobbying to lower the allowable blood-alcohol content (BAC) for drivers to .04 – which means one glass of Pinot can land anyone behind bars. The constant lowering of BAC limits has separated what is punishable from what is actually dangerous.
As a result of MADD-fueled binges for tougher laws, extreme drunken driving punishments – such as loss of driving privileges, jail time, fines and legal fees beyond $10,000 – often apply to individuals who were not drunk and in some cases were not even driving.
Hey, I am all for punishment being punishing, but, MADD has gone well over the line the past few years. They have moved from being a group that was interested in reducing drunk driving through slightly stronger laws, and, more importantly, education, too one which abuses its power and works heavily with companies such as ones that push the use of red light cameras. Again, I am all for stopping red light runners, and, unlike many Conservatives here in NC I have had convo’s with, I am all for their use. Driving is a privilege, not a right, and people should drive within the law. I also do not mind them because my car got a massive dent years ago from a red light runner.
At least Hurley isn’t pushing these regulations because he is a anthropogenic global warming zealot. That’ll probably come next.
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Posted by William Teach on April 24, 2009 9:19 am
» Filed Under Barack Obama, News
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6 Responses to “Hope, Change, Drive 55”
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Syndicate Me
Your observations regarding MADD match with mine which is why I stopped supporting them with a donation a year ago. They lost sight of their purpose and brought an all inclusive anti-alcohol mantra which went far beyond drunk driving. Their pushing police policy toward the old road block checks, which were thrown out as being unconstitutional, have returned to the forefront, probably because we have a bunch in office who could care less about the constitutionality of laws and policies they are putting into play.
Great! Another czar weasel to harass the citizenry.
When Duhbama’s 4 are up we can only hope enough voters are fed up and send the south Chicago thug home.
By the way, Geraldo said on Fox and Friends this morning that he thinks Duhbama has done a good job so far.
Of course we all know Geraldo is Geraldo’s biggest fan and loves to hear him talk.
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In the Southwest areas 75 mph. works very well. At 55 mph. I tend to want to fall asleep. Try a 800 mile drive from El Paso to Los Angeles in one day–55 is deadly.
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Rocketman
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I read an article in a car magazine a few years back that said accidents actually increase at intersections where cameras are used. A driver notices the camera and slams his brakes on with a yellow light and the guy behind him who was planning on running the yellow slams into him. Also the timing on the cameras can be adjusted to catch more people on yellow if the town needs more revenue. And then the next thing you know there are cameras on streets like in the UK. Just say no to more cameras.
Danny, I’m going to have to disagree with you here. I’ve read many of the same articles, as they were forwarded to me by many NC Conservatives as we were having a debate on North Carolina approving their usage. Here’s the thing: it is a sham claim. If the driver was paying attention and driving responsibly, including going near the speed limit, there would be no need to slam on the brakes. The guy behind him should have been paying attention and driving responsibly, as well.
Driving is a priviledge, not a right. People are supposed to be in control of vehicles that weigh in in the thousands of pounds. They are supposed to follow the law.
As far as catching people on yellow, nope, sorry. The cameras are monitored per law, and provide a large amount of information to document the ocurrance, which can be proven in court.
Furthermore, the cameras are actually money losers. They are not designed to be revenue makers, but safety enforcement.
They should be used at intersections that are problems, to free up police for more serious crime. Raleigh is very cautious about where they put theirs up, and, actually, they do not have all of them actually on. They turn some off to save money. If cities start going to far, yeah, I am with you. But, for around town, cameras to make us safer at intersections is a great thing.
“[Hurley] supports returning the 55 mph speed limit to our highways as well as roadblocks and random pullovers to make sure drivers aren’t doing anything wrong.”
That’s nice, but what happens if citizens start road-blocking and doing random pullovers of the POLICE? Do ya think Herr Hurley has ever considered that possibility?
I didn’t think so either.