Posted on 07/11/2011 3:30:55 PM PDT by The Magical Mischief Tour
Shocking, isn’t it?
But good on the Washington Times for exposing the money grab behind the “public safety” campaign to mandate the devices for first-time DUI offenders.
A bill that would withhold up to 5 percent of each state’s highway funding unless that state requires such as device in the cars of all convicted drunken drivers was introduced in the Senate in February by Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg, New Jersey Democrat, and last month in the House by Rep. Eliot L. Engel, New York Democrat.
For the past 18 months, lobbyists for “ignition interlocks,” as they are called, have jockeyed to inject a provision into the crevices of the transportation reauthorization bill, a tentative outline of which was released Friday by Rep. John L. Mica, Florida Republican.
The hospitality industry says a mandate could pave the way for a different type of sensor, other than a Breathalyzer, to be made standard in all cars within five years, in line with a separate House proposal introduced last month that would allocate $60 million over that period to develop the technology. Those devices would be set to detect blood alcohol content near the legal limit, likely through skin contact with the steering wheel.
The Coalition of Ignition Interlock Manufacturers hired lobbyist David Kelly, a former chief of staff and acting administrator at the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration. Mr. Lautenberg’s former chief of staff, Tim Yehl, now lobbies for Ignition Interlock Systems of Iowa . . .
The manufacturers are taking a page from a well-worn playbook: lobbying campaigns in which private companies advocate for government requirements that would make them rich by aligning with activist forces who provide moral pronouncements that are appealing to politicians and – once on the table – the public . . .
“The overwhelming majority of entities that want to regulate in some way are composed of Baptists and bootleggers,” said Peter Van Doren, editor of the quarterly journal Regulation, referring to the two groups that pressed for Prohibition 90 years ago: religious zealots who viewed alcohol as immoral and the gangsters who profited from its illegal status.
Manufacturers are “probably sincere and also making an alliance with Mothers Against Drunk Driving – the mothers would be the Baptists,” he said. “They’re going to them and saying if you mandate this thing, your version of the world will come along, and it just so happens we’ll get rich – but of course they don’t say that part.”
I’m fine with mandating these devices for repeat offenders. But first-time offenders is too much, especially for someone barely above the too-low legal limit. And I don’t think it’s unreasonable to worry about the possibility that this campaign will expand to demand the devices in all new cars.
I’d also add here that there may indeed be good public safety arguments for this policy. I just don’t think the anti-alcohol fanatics can be trusted when they try to make them. A few years ago, for example, I wrote about a MADD report that “evaluated” DWI fatality data in all 50 states. Somehow, MADD’s objective analysis determined that every state was in urgent need of an ignition interlock law, regardless of whether the state’s DWI stats were trending up, trending down, or unchanged.
A 5 year pilot program should be implemented where ALL elected officials, judges, celebrities, professional athletes, journalists, and their immediate familiy members, be mandated to use the devices.
Ivins did indeed own the anthrax vaccine patents. And yes, Federal contractors can patent their discoveries. It just depends on the nature of your employment contract. They wouldn’t get any researchers to work for them otherwise.
It doesn't happen that way. Uncle Sam makes sure you reassign them ~ and you can do that or your heirs can do it.
He was not a contract employee.
I’m surprised that Rick Perry hasn’t mandated these Interlocks on ALL cars here in Texas.
...but then again, perhaps he hasn’t been offered anything in return.
FROM WIKI: Ivins was a coinventor on two US patents for anthrax vaccine technology, U.S. Patent 6,316,006 and U.S. Patent 6,387,665. Both of these patents are owned by his employer at the time, the US Army.
I used to work for a major research university. We did Federal contract and grant research. Believe me, those researchers got every patent they could and would have disappeared overnight if anyone had told them they couldn't. It just depends on the terms of your agreement when you take the job. Ivins worked at a research institute. He patented two vaccines while he was there, and he received royalties from them.
I know contractors are corrupt.
I also know pretty much what the federal standards are for researchers who "get a patent" regarding stuff they worked on.
No, Ivins was not likely going to sell his patent rights ~ since it's just a perfunctory assignment of rights to meet the constitutional standard.
And he didn't mail the letters.
You really need to catch up on the last 10 years of discussion of this issue.
Just a matter of terminology. The inventor(s) has/have the right to the patent, but may assign it to the government, a company, or any person. An assignment works to transfer rights from one owner (in the case of a patent, the first owner is ALWAYS the inventor) to another.
When patents issue, they will be in the name of the inventor, and may include a naming of an assignee.
So Vaxgen just sent him royalty checks because they liked him?
Is that f***ing zombie EVER going to pass on?
“Does this imply that we are all going to have to blow before we drive?”
I’ll avoid it by never having a male passanger in my truck!
http://articles.latimes.com/2008/aug/02/nation/na-anthrax2 Check that piece ~ about 2 down ~ about Ivins. As a US government employee anything he might have gotten as a consequence of any of this depended on the contract SIGNED WITH THE SUCCESSFUL BIDDER for the contract to make the anthrax vaccine. You really need to read these articles very carefully to keep track of the who struck johns. Ivins was a government employee and we get jack sh*t from any of these deals. Our annual income is MAXED OUT at just under what a Congresscritter gets ~ you can’t get more government money than that.
Then you’re not going to learn how to stick shift,
In my 40 coupe in the early 50s I reversed the column shift so that I had my right hand free for the girls!
If it weren’t for sex, men wouldn’t be creative at all. :D
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.