you have to love the effeciency of our government how $30 can screw you BAD. sorry it happened to you, good luck.
I had several tickets. I was one away from getting my license suspended. Its not that Im a bad driver. I just considered myself unlucky. My bday was coming up, and I asked my friend who showed his car at car shows, "what is the best radar detector I can buy" www.valentine1.com I havent had a ticket since!!! Best investment EVER!!!
DWI law is silly. Yes, it's bad to drink and drive. Absolutely no doubt about it. Leads to lots of deaths and injuries. But the hypocritical thing about it is...75% of the people involved in nailing you for DWI...have probably been above the legal limit themselves at some point. Oh, not trashed. But most people have had one too many at an office party at some point. You don't want to leave your car anywhere because tomorrow's a work day...and you don't feel drunk. Betcha didn't know you're committing a Class A misdemeanor. Essentially, with the people who only do it once, or every now and then...it's a lottery. Almost everyone gets away with it on the very rare occasions. But a few people are unlucky enough to get busted. And their punished disproportionately to the offense. As nice as it sounds to be tough on it, it's still inconsistent with how most of us act. This is not to excuse the people who routinely drive drunk. They eventually mostly get caught...and they should.
What is with everyone on the bbs having to spend the night in jail all of a sudden? Is that the new "in thing"? Seriously, sorry about your bad luck...
To be honest, I've noticed a lot more traps, recently. I'm not sure who's trying to keep their job, or get re-elected, but tickets and arrests really seem up, recently.
To be fair, that happened over two years ago. I'm not following your point, unless you're being vindictive.
Fair enough. I remember the episode. The best was when Barney drank directly from the tap and said "Uh, oh, my heart stopped! Oh, there it goes!" Or when Homer got stopped for Drinking and Driving, and passed all of the tests, and Barney yells "Give him the Breathalyzer".
Originally posted by haven : DWI law is silly. Really? What is your proposed alternative? Yes, it's bad to drink and drive. Absolutely no doubt about it. Leads to lots of deaths and injuries. Ok, we agree here. Especially since I just tried an Intox Manslaughter case three weeks ago involving the death of a 28 year old mother of two. But the hypocritical thing about it is...75% of the people involved in nailing you for DWI...have probably been above the legal limit themselves at some point. Oh, so your saying that if it's "hypocritical" then it shouldn't be enforced. So extrapolating this a little, no police officer should ever be able to write speeding tickets if they've themselves have sped. Because that would be hypocritical, right? Haven, we all have to handle our own business. If we break the law, we're assuming the risk. And if we get caught, don't play the 'selective enforcement' or 'the cop's a hypocrite' card. Betcha didn't know you're committing a Class A misdemeanor. Umm, it's actually a Class "B" misdemeanor for a first offense but I wouldn't want to let the facts get in the way of such a well-reasoned rant based on sound public policy. Essentially, with the people who only do it once, or every now and then...it's a lottery. Almost everyone gets away with it on the very rare occasions. I agree with you on this. Unless there was some little spaceship that hovered over our public roads and had the technology to extrinsically indicate a person was operating a vehicle while intoxicated, then, yes, people can and will get away with it. But remember, it's assumption of the risk. Just because I do it 35 times without being caught doesn't make it okay when I'm caught on the 36th time. But a few people are unlucky enough to get busted. And their punished disproportionately to the offense. In your sound legal mind, how should a person be punished? The first conviction is a Class B. The SECOND conviction, as if the first time wasn't enough to wake a person up, is still only a Class A misdemeanor. And I think most would agree that if we're back in court for round number three, then we have what some might call a "pattern", thus putting us in felony court. As nice as it sounds to be tough on it, it's still inconsistent with how most of us act. Are you saying that since 'most of us' drive intoxicated, thus the law should conform to our behavior and not the other way around? If so, should there be absolutely NO speed limit since most of us speed? What do you mean the law is still inconsistent with how "most of us act"? This is not to excuse the people who routinely drive drunk. They eventually mostly get caught...and they should. So your glad that some people get caught, right? Because, as you just said, they should. How do we tell who "routinely" drives while intoxicated versus the person who gets caught doing it the first time? The bottom line is if we get caught we get caught. But if your argument is one of public policy in that the big bad legislatures across this country just have it wrong in making DWI against the law, then I hope you or your family is never affected by an injury or death caused by a drunk driver.
What about the family that is affected by a teenage driver? Or a driver on a Cell Phone? Or a driver that constantly drives like a bat out of hell? Personally, I feel if you injure or kill someone while drinking and driving, then you should pay for it. But your reasoning is a tad skewed.
All traffic laws are designed to generate revenue, to take your property without your consent, and reinvest it in community projects - community projects that usually involve contractor friends of city councilpeople. In short: They're using your mistakes to justify their theft of your property. If all these fines and municipal ass-rapes make the road safer, that's a side-effect and not the intention. Cases like this only prove that. Some fines are legitimate, as some traffic violations can reasonably be considered just cause for punishment, but what looks like inefficient bureaucracy is actually just another method for dipping their grubby hands as deep into your bank account as they possibly can - and jailing you if you don't have the cash to sate their greed. General traffic violations should require community service, so they don't inflict regressive punishments on the poor and grant limited immunity to the rich. All charges and fines should be clearly stated in a public forum. No fines should be imposed for administrative purposes, only for the actual offense. Of course, this will never happen because it would place fairness ahead of the revenue generated for city council sleazebags and their greedy buddies. D&D, where are you?
Fatty takes one for the team.... Karma is a b****. Sorry, dude, could not resist I truly sympathise with you on this and wish you the very best. That was an exceptionaly raw deal you were dealt by those who you might think would have something more important to do. Assholes!!!!!
