Posted on 08/16/2005 5:58:08 PM PDT by elkfersupper
The "SAFETEA-LU" federal transportation funding measure signed into law last Wednesday provides millions of dollars for controversial enforcement measures including sobriety checkpoint roadblocks and now automobile seizures.
The law adds automobile impoundment and seizure to the list of acceptable "alcohol-impaired driving countermeasures" eligible for federal grant money, which amounted to $40 million in 2003. This allows states to fund driving under the influence (DUI)-related confiscation efforts entirely with federal tax dollars.
The DUI grant program began in 1988 as a result of lobbying by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). The money is used to entice states to enact tough laws and conduct high-profile education campaigns against alcohol-impaired driving. In 1991, for example, the grants were used to compel states to reduce their legal intoxication standard from a blood alcohol level of 0.10 to 0.08.
Despite approval from the US Supreme Court, several state supreme courts including Michigan and Rhode Island have found drunk-driving roadblocks unconstitutional. An Albuquerque, New Mexico court recently found a DUI car seizure ordinance unconstitutional.
(Excerpt) Read more at thenewspaper.com ...
Not sure what you mean by ripe.
There is always a possibility of being boarded, although in 20 tears of boat ownership I have yet to have it happen. Taking the boat does however pretty much eliminate the "roadblock/checkpoint" factor.
oops. tears....make that years!
Just to clarify, if you are driving a boat, or rowing a boat or paddling a canoe, you are subject to the same DUI laws as anyone driving a car. All your state needs to do is realize the revenue that can be generated and the "inspections" will begin.
I hope that doesn't occure where you live like it has in Michigan.
This is one of the factors that caused me to to go up to the library and start looking into the topics of rights and public property in the first place. There were a couple of other events as well. There is a lot of reading, and it isn't at all like studying math and physics like I have been doing all my life. It is necessary to read back, back, back in philosophy, which is something I never intended to do. I even have Aristotle's and Plato's works on the state on my bookshelf. What a mess!
This kind of thing was ok when they were just doing it to druggies, but now they've gone too far with the power we've ceded to them!
This is nothing new. If they could make money from your shoes they would impound/auction them too.
A motivated cop can and will fabricate a situation to validate his actions.
If anything you have fewer protections on the water. The Coast Guard or local patrol boat cop can board you without reason for a safety check. They do tend to focus on the smaller boats though.
The way I see it, all this heavy-handed DUI garbage will just lead to more folks getting wise to opting out of field sobriety/breathalyzer checks. Fact is you're screwed anyway, don't help them by giving them evidence
ping
Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here This question gos out to everyone on freerepublic that voted republican in the last election hopeing to shrink the size and scope of the government.Do you still feel like your vote wasnt wasted?I'm not ever going to throw my vote away in anymore elections I will vote straight libertarian ticket from now on.
I know what a RINO is, but what's a SMAGINO?
No idea, but a smagina is a female smurf's genetalia.
I reluctantly voted for Bush.
Living in Texas, I was going to vote Libertarian because I knew Bush was definitely going to take Texas, but in the end I decided to vote for him because of the popular vote.
The 2000 election really set a precedent and made the popular vote more important than it really should be, and as close as the 2004 election was looking nation wide, I felt like I needed to make sure Kerry didn't win electorally or popularly. I still voted for everybody with an L beside their name in all the local races, though.
Do I regret it now? Yes and no. I think Bush has become one of the worst presidents. Of course, they've all been bad recently, but with Bush we were all hoping for a big change, and instead we got more of the same if not worse. In spite of all that, I'm pretty sure Kerry could not have been any better.
I'm voting for what's right from now on, as the Dem and Pub alternatives are pretty equally bad. My vote will not be wasted on them anymore.
LOL! I like that.
That ended when they embraced the federal War On Drugs.
tag for later
Agreed. I am in the same boat as I reluctantly voted for Bush - not for popular vote reasons but because the Libertarian party doesn't really do a good job of representing small "l" libertarians.
Regardless, I am not voting Republican again until they become a fiscal conservative party and one that respects liberty. Right now the only difference is that Republicans politicians do care somewhat about national defense. Of course that concern ends when it comes to protecting out borders.
The best thing for the nation would be a complete takeover of power by the democrats. That would finally wake up the status quo Republicans and alert them that we have grown tired of Republicans campaigning as conservatives but governing as socialists and proponents of a police state.
Isn't it sad? Up until recently I've always thought of myself as a Republican, but I just can't say that anymore.
Perhaps it should be SMAGOVINO?
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