Common Ground
A homeowner in Waukesha for 20 years, Steve is president of the Waukesha Dog Parks Organization and enjoys motorcycling, fishing and staying on top of politics.
Informing Or Complaining?
Today's local section of the newspaper had a report titled "Tougher OWI laws would cost millions". State Public Defender Nick Chiarkas warned a legislative committee such last week.
Perhaps it is the George Carlin in me, but doesn't the title "Public Defender" sound like an oxymoron? Would that make the elected district attorneys the Persecutor of the Public? Never mind, having lost several family members from repeat drunk drivers will do that to a person. So does someone saying that it's cheaper to keep the carnage on the roads continuing. It baffles the mind and does strange things.
Really, it is very good to know that there will be the need for more judges, more lawyers, more toxicologists and hopefully a whole lot more prison cells and guards. To know the cost of keeping drunken driving under control will enable the legislature to do what it does best. That would be raising taxes and fees.
At other times I have bemoaned that there are no laws, indeed no voluntary provisions by dispensers of alcoholic beverages to allow a patron to know when they are sipping themselves over the legal limit of blood alcohol levels. So if nobody wants to be proactive about this, lets put the burden of the cost of keeping people safer, on those that partake of the behavior that is the problem in the first place!
The state has had no problems imposing higher taxes or adding fees on this or that. If we do not see the passage of laws increasing the tax on alcohol and the fees of taverns and other liquor related retailing licenses and permits, then we know that those that the people have elected to office have strayed from their obligation to us and have succumbed to the almighty dollar from lobbyists and reelection donors.
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