Uppity Wisconsin
Making Wisconsin Progressive Again
Civil Liberties, Yes
Thu, 02/05/2009 - 7:15am | mal contends
It's about time someone spoke up against Kathleen Falk's bone-headed approach to addressing the issue of operating a vehicle while intoxicated (OWI) and the non-issue of Wisconsin's alleged drinking "culture" problem.
Falk's criminalization and anti-civil liberties OWI agenda drew reproach from her opponent, Nancy Mistele, at the first debate (January) between the two likely candidates for Dane County Executive in the general election in April.
Mistele hit the statist, heavy-handed Falk program by pointing out that personal responsibility and private action were critical vis a vis government's involvement of changing the "culture," to a round of groans from Falk supporters.
Yesterday's Captial Times hits Falk's approach, though not naming Falk as a leading advocate; [wish they had].
Falk's criminalization and anti-civil liberties OWI agenda drew reproach from her opponent, Nancy Mistele, at the first debate (January) between the two likely candidates for Dane County Executive in the general election in April.
Mistele hit the statist, heavy-handed Falk program by pointing out that personal responsibility and private action were critical vis a vis government's involvement of changing the "culture," to a round of groans from Falk supporters.
Yesterday's Captial Times hits Falk's approach, though not naming Falk as a leading advocate; [wish they had].
Tags: Drive Drunk Twice, Become A Felon, Lose Your Vehicle
Tue, 05/13/2008 - 7:10pm | James Rowen
Wisconsin needs to more assertively use its drunk driving laws to protect the innocent rather than enabling repeat offenders.
It has to treat repeat OWI offenders the same way it deals with people who discharge firearms in public without regard for other people's safety: Lock 'em up and don't give their gun back.
It's a three-step reform of OWI laws, tougher than what is proposed by some legislators:
1. Criminalize a first offense, making it a misdemeanor, and no longer a ticket. Treat that first offense seriously. And make it clear that when it comes to OWI, two strikes and you're out.
2. Turn a second offense into a felony and make vehicle confiscation mandatory. That's how you help a repeat offender see sobriety as desirable and also how you profoundly help deter others from a first or second offense.
3. Turn one or two vehicle confiscations every month or so into very public salvage yard crushings, then auction off the other seized vehicles and turn the proceeds over to law enforcement to help finance equipment purchases, or operating expenses of check points and other anti-OWN actions.