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To: GrandEagle
Your opinion about DUI is understandable considering your personal experience. But, unfortunately, the DUI laws are increasingly become a way for the state to extract revenue and impose its power over the citizenry. Studies have shown that the 0.08 BAC laws have a negligible effect on decreasing drunk-driving-related deaths, but a significant effect on increasing the number of citizens arrested for DUI - there were approximately 1.6 million DUI arrests last year.

No sir, if you are going to deliberately incapacitate yourself without making contingency plans, the consequences of your behavior are your problem.

In many cases, people are making such contingency plans, but they're getting arrested anyway. And MADD has a lot to do with these abuses of government power. Click here, here, and here to see how this once-noble organization has changed from having the admirable mission of getting drunks off the road and raising awareness about drunk driving, to a bunch of modern-day Carrie Nations that are hell-bent on re-imposing Prohibition, not all at once, but "drip by drip".

22 posted on 02/06/2004 7:26:16 AM PST by bassmaner (Let's take the word "liberal" back from the commies!!)
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To: bassmaner
....And MADD has a lot to do with these abuses of government power.

I will be the first to admit to you that the potential for abuse is phenomenal. From the interesting sources that you provided, it looks rampant.

I'll tell you up front that I don't drink. I also believe that it is none of my business if you - or anyone else drinks. It only becomes my business if you get out on the road and are unable to control your (not you in particular - "you" in general meaning other people) automobile.
I have no beef with people who drink while driving if they are in control of their automobile.
If your are going to have a law that says DUI is illegal, and your going to use a Breathalyzer the determine that point, the there has to be some tangible declaration of what that limit is.

From the looks of things, based on the information you provided, what started out as a noble effort has been reduced to revenue generation for the state.
I think a better approach might be to set the BAC limit higher, something where it is known that you are not in control of your faculties, and let the lower levels be determined by observable behavior (weaving, slurred speech, etc.)

I would be opposed to people being arrested for simply having a drink and driving, but who are capable of controlling their automobile.

BTW - thanks for the sites, still surfing them.
24 posted on 02/06/2004 12:22:29 PM PST by GrandEagle
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