“No man’s life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session.” Mark Twain, 1866
These days, nobody disputes that fact. The Kentucky DUI bill is an excellent example of more harm to be done. The only safety is in our stopping bad bills before they leave committee.
We are at it again in 2014, reading the pre-filed bills, deciphering the text, looking to see what’s in there. Some bills are mercifully short and sweet. Some long and arduous… like this one: HB 34 (BR 126).
To be fair, most bills are written with good intent. And most are more pavement to improve and expand the road to hell. Take Back Kentucky and liberty-minded volunteers are working to put a stop to that.
Last year, it took all day to read this bill, pick it apart, then research the bits that warranted commenting. I wonder if any of the legislating deciders spend even half that time researching before they vote? (Haha. At least I still have a sense of humor.)
BR 34: Amends Old (Bad) Law, Making it Worse
1. BR 34 adds civil forfeiture for DUI under certain conditions. STOP THAT!!! No more civil forfeiture of any personal property for any reason. Period. Civil forfeiture is theft by cop, policing for profit. The IJ has an excellent podcast on the topic and is taking these crimes to SCOTUS where it is winning. In fact, the state of MI is working to curb theft by cop. Why aren’t liberty legislators in KY working for our rights?
2. Secondly, it doubles the “look-back” period so more Kentuckians, already beleaguered by a terrible economy, can be jailed/fined.
3. It adds to the long and growing list of crimes labeled “felony.” Stop that, too!!! It’s already a felony to hurt someone.
4. Not only does it makes more work for the current batch of tax consumers in Frankfort (looking forward to pensions paid for by those of us who have none), the additional paperwork will necessitate hiring more tax consumers for us to support. Government calls this “creating jobs.” Fiscally-conservative taxpayers call this “expanding government and increasing government spending.”
The really sad thing is, this bill does nothing to address the problem of drunk driving. It does not protect us. Is there a study that concludes that harsher punishment makes people less likely to do the crime? NO. In fact, just the opposite. Search “do harsher penalties stop crime?” The evidence is overwhelming that it doesn’t.
Here’s what HB 34 accomplishes: it criminalizes, then punishes a larger swath of Kentuckians with no effect on drunk driving.
What You Can Do:
- Look over HB 34. Go here to read the notes from last year if you want more detail. If you agree this bill is flawed, let Rep. Harmon know it. Then copy your representative.
- We need help tackling the other pre-filed bills. We have to know what our overlords have in store for us, to see exactly how our enslavement is accomplished. If you can spare a little time — like an hour a day for the next 10 days — please contact me or Adrienne from Take Back Kentucky. Thank you!
P.S. Interesting website that makes a LOT of sense: Drive-Safely.net: Abolish Drunk Driving Laws.
DISCLAIMER: As hard as I am on this bill, I’m a big fan of Rep. Harmon. I know him, he is a fair-minded person and I believe he believes this will help us more than hurt us. I think he is mistaken. NOTHING in this bill prevents drunk driving. It only benefits bigger government and furthers the police state.
