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Originally Posted by kane
So then you do think it should be legal.
So let me ask you this. A guy gets drunk at a bar, gets in his car and drives home. The police pull him over because he has a broken headlight. While they have him pulled over they can see that the guy is clearly bombed out of him mind. Do they just give him a warning for the headlight and let him continue on his way since he hasn't hurt anyone or do they arrest him and put him into the system?
I agree with you that just arresting and fining someone doesn't treat the problem, but we can't just let people drive drunk until they hurt someone and then punish them.
If it were up to me here is what I would do.
1st offense. You lose your license for 6 months and are required to complete some kind of alcohol treatment program. Nothing too crazy, meetings once a week for a few months and a basic treatment program. During this time you are also not allowed to drink. SCRAM bracelets for the full term of the treatment. Allow the person to get a hardship license that allows them to go to and from work and the grocery store. This way if it was just a simple, dumb mistake that person's life isn't destroyed and they learn a lesson.
2nd offense. You lose your license for at least 2 years and have to spend 90 days in a live in treatment center. If you have a job you can leave to go to the job, but that is all. No booze for 2 years.
3rd offense. 5 years with no license and no booze. More treatment. If you drink during that 5 years or drive during that 5 years you go to jail for the remainder of of the time you have left to serve.
That might seem harsh, but it is a completely preventable thing. I have a friend who is in a wheelchair because he was rear ended by a drunk driver. My buddy was sitting at a stop light and the guy coming up behind him had a blood alcohol level of .21 and ran into him doing about 40 mph. Here is the kicker. The guy was 17 years old when this happened (he was a junior in high school, I was a senior and 18 years old). He was still a virgin and now nothing below the waist works. He has piss bag and colostomy bag. He has never gotten to have sex. He will never father children (well, maybe he could if he is still creating sperm and they did in vetro.) It is pretty difficult to even get a date when you are in a wheelchair, much less find someone who will understand what your life is like. He has a decent life and has come to grips with it, but he was robbed of a lot of the day to day joy that the rest of us have because this guy decided to get behind the wheel. We can't coddle people that are going to commit these crimes, we have to bring the hammer down on them, give them a chance to change their behavior and if they don't, we have to be done with them and put them in a situation where they can't hurt people.
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I have an uncle who was rear ended by a drunk cop in a police car. The drunk cop got taken away and my uncle was blamed for the accident. Look we've all had drunk driver experiences. The fact is as long as there's alcohol we're going to have drunk drivers.. No law is going to stop that. That is unless you'd like to try prohibition again? We know how well that worked before and we REALLY know how well it's working as far as drugs are concerned.
How about another personal story.. My mom was stopped at a DUI check point which they setup outside the only entrance to her subdivision. SHe like me doesn't care too much for our supposed "protectors" and especially didn't care too much about being stopped outside the entrance to her home. Well long story short the cop doesn't like her attitude and decides she's an "offender" she passes all the usual tests but the cop is bound and determinded so he hauls her off to the hospital. End result he gives her a DUI for her medication she has been taking for about 25 years. Did you know that aroud 70% of the medication over the counter can result in you having a DUI?
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put them in a situation where they can't hurt people.
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So you think we should lock people away because they have a addiction? You don't seem to understand that jail and fines doesn't solve the problem. It only costs you and I about $30k a year to house.. BTW I'm becoming to drunk to continue on much further with this conversation..lol I think I need to go get some cigarettes. Cheers.