ooohh yes dandelion wine haha. That homemade wine stuff should be illegal. Some if you keep them years turn into booze.

some make homemade beer too.

I will just stick to the store less hassle.

I dont know anybody that has make own stuff and actuallytried to sell it. Well would it be illegal though I think.

Pssst. Hint to authorities. Keep it under your radar screen, but I suggest a sting over in Spring Grove Township...Mount Hope Road. There is a guy over there eager to score #8 DUI. Goforit. Good luck, and you did not hear it from me.
*
P.S. Your welcome.

and hannah. i also agree that even if the govt controls it there will still be some sold illegally. but there will be far less. how much alcohol is made at home and sold now...compared to the amount brewed and sold legally?? minimal and not enough to worry about profit.

booker. i responded to hannahs comment an then you asked me a direct question...but its my fault this continues?? got ya. and i know you wont answer those questions cuz the answer to those questions is the answer to why pot should be legal

excellent post hannah. seriously you should be on our side cuz what your posts says is exactly what i say. it makes NO sense for one drug to be legal an not the other. period. thank you:)

I cannot answer you question WHY it is still illegal. My guess it has to do with government. Why dont they want it legal DONT KNOW. But it is that is all I know so far. Drugs are bad umkay. I do believe it may not be as bad as alcohol. But neither are bad in moderation. YOu mentioned weight, health etc. Many things other than alcohol can cause the same problems, diet, heredity, work environment. We will all die of something and it may not even be related to whatever nasty you put in your body you know.

I cannot answer you question WHY it is still illegal. My guess it has to do with government. Why dont they want it legal DONT KNOW. But it is that is all I know so far. Drugs are bad umkay. I do believe it may not be as bad as alcohol. But neither are bad in moderation. YOu mentioned weight, health etc. Many things other than alcohol can cause the same problems, diet, heredity, work environment. We will all die of something and it may not even be related to whatever nasty you put in your body you know.

spare me your anit pots this and anit pots that. I dont smoke it - never have never will. I dotn smoke anything for that matter. Other than a few drinks a month ther isnt much I put in to my body. And yes it is your falut, you didnt joing the on topic story so here we are. AGAIN what is this the 3rd time? I have answered questions before and I am not going to run around in a circle with you about it. Why? because even if I tried I couldnt care any less what you think of me. Or any anit pots for that matter. You are not changing they way you think so im not sure why you think I should have to.

kid- you mentioned the gov regulated pot so you wouldbt be smoking stuff you dont know about. Problem here again the gov stuff will cost more than homegrown or where ever theyll get it. So pot would still be sold illegally as well as the legal stuff. You seem to believe it will be okay to smoke the gov stuff BUT illegal stuff will still be out there sold by gangs etc for less money cause I am sure the gov will want their tax cut.

typical anti-potter blindness. YOU asked ME questions to which i ANSWERED. then when i ask you questions you DONT ANSWER and instead you say its MY fault that you decided to join the off topic discussion. wow. answer my questions...why in your opinion is alcohol legal and pot is not?? do you know why they repealed the Volstead act, also known as alcohol prohibition??

if you think i rant cuz i want things legal that i do and screw the rest...well you REALLY arent paying attention booker. i dont do alcohol or tobacco. both which i think should stay legal. i dont use anything actually other than pot. you think im saying screw the rest?? you call that a thought process?? thats actually what the anti-potters who chose to relax with alcohol are saying. they have no desire for legal pot regardless of the scientific proof given them. their intoxicant is legal and screw the rest.

because I was always told that if you can t beat em joing em. Well Im not going to join you and your pot smoking EVER because, well Im not that desperate for a high. I figgured Id join you on the off topic since you proved you cant stay on toppic, and that you dont want to. So since I have had this argument with you already Im not going to debate it with you again. Although now I get the feeling that you just want things to be legal that you do and screw the rest. Good thought process there!

should have read 'i have been discussing this for some time and i have yet to see one logical reason why marijuana should be illegal while alcohol is legal'

lol. see. you blast me for ranting about the subject and then you post a comment directly at me. i have no prob continuing this discussion.

yes. that is my EXACT point. pot is commonly accepted as the lesser of two evils. the numbers PROVE its the lesser of two evils. if i have the option to intoxicate myself with alcohol without a doubt i should have the same option with pot. i have been discussing this for some time and i have yet to see one logical reason why marijuana should be illegal while pot is legal. not one. it comes down to basic american freedoms. why is it ok for uncle sam to let me get drunk but i cant even legally sit on my couch and get high?? why why why?? do you have a logical answer for me?? PLEASE booker...give me one logical answer why its ok to consume a drug that kills thousands every year but but i cant consume a drug that...well quite frankly doesnt kill thousands every year??

as for the harder drugs. i dont use those so i really dont care about the legal status of them...but i understand the logic behind legalizing those drugs. and i know youll blast me for that. but when i say legal i dont mean buy at any gas station on the corner(like alcohol/tobacco), i mean to take away the criminal penalties from adults who chose to use it. make it available at govt regulated 'shops'. right now we have no idea the source of drugs or whats in them. the gangs are profitting like crazy and they are killing people to control their 'drug territory'. the murders in mexico arent fueled by drug use...they are fueled by our drug policies. try to think about this for real...if you take away the profit...you take away the motive. this may sound crazy to you and thats ok....but the fact is this isnt my idea or even a new idea. why do you think we repealed alcohol prohibition??

So since alcohol is legal so should marijuana? Thats your stand right?
Ok so what about crack or meth? Why stop at pot lets legalize all drugs so there are less laws broken.
If you dont want to have to break a law, well there is also giving up pot.

hannah: thats funny:) i appreciate you not telling on me:) whether you realize it or not...your line 'If alcohol become illegal you really thing it wont be available!????????????? and laws will still be broken as they are now'...is the same logic for legalizing marijuana.

Glad to see the Milton police were right on top of that drunk driver from Illinois at the McDonald's on HWY 26 yesterday afternoon. He was blasted and could barely stand. Thank you to whoever called him in :)

no kid sorry I am not on your side for legal pot. I am just stating it is legal to drink
pot is illegal to smoke. Until pot becomes legal your still smoking illegally and I am not drinking illegally unless I drive and I dont. Also IF pot becomes legal lie alcohol it would be ILLEGAL to drive under that influence as well. But until them pot is still illegal and so is drunk driving- both should go to jail if caught doing it. Both are done ALL THE TIME by people and never caught and that would still be illegal. Dont worry I still wont tell on you.

All I said was they were getting old. Your the one who came back with oh I dont care Im gonna keep on doing it.
Thats fine, the fact that you cant just stop and walk away and not post about it on a not pot related story speaks for it self.
I dont care at all what you do. I think its stupid and immature. but like I said I dont care. and if this were a pot story I may go in to more detail but since is a DRUNK DRIVING story I will stick to talking about Drunk Driving.

truthfully billnewbie...you are about as naive regarding the current status of marijuana as i am discussing the bible. MOST pot that people smoke does NOT come from those people you describe. im not saying it doesnt happen, id be silly to discount that, but the fact is most people who touch pot have no relationship with murderers or gangs or whatever other reefer madness you wanna spew. plus in typical anti-potter form you didnt asnwer my question...how did we end the gang control/profit/murders associated with alcohol prohibition?? nvrmnd ill answer it for you. we re-legalized it cuz prohibition was an utter failure and an injustice to one of our most basic american freedoms. its history mr newbie. and its the EXACT SAME SITUATION WITH MARIJUANA PROHIBITION. EXACT. i dont feel guilty for smoking pot. i WANT to pay taxes on it. legalize it and let me do just that!!

So then, it"s OK to deal with murderers since Capone and his successors did it and still do to this day? That's a nifty but inadequate rationalization you have there Kid, but the bottom line is that marijuana smokers deal with murderers and don't care who is murdered as long as the marijuana is available. Make it legal if you can, but if you buy it before it is kegal you are aiding and abetting murder. I guess that as long as the victims aren't someone you know, then their murders mean very little to you. Is that about right?

rkkraa, I'm with you as far as sitting on the porch and tipping back a few or ten. As far as the pot, people will make it and sell it and smoke it no matter what. I don't smoke it or have never wanted to try it. But I do enjoy bud light. To all you smokers, to each their own. I just don't care if you do it.

Good thing I will be drinking on the porch this weekend! It's far cheaper and a whole lot safer! And j.m.o would much rather to give up alcohol for the mary jane. It has totally shocked me some of the people I have encountered that would never smoke...and wish it was legal! And I do believe it's much safer.

i love when the anti-potters respond to one of my comments and the blast me for ranting about it. if you dont want to discuss this with me booker, why did you respond to my first comment?? i didnt say anything to you or even about pot. you tried telling me what to do...am i suppose to say ok and go away?? if you think thats how i roll you havent been payin attention;)

Yes the fact that you are on a pot rant at all on a Drinking and driving story makes me think you are lacking in that department.
You think we are miss taught because we have a brain and dont want to smoke pot ok....but rant about it on a pot story.

what do you mean i proved your point?? that i come off as immature?? good one. i dont rant so i can smoke pot. i already smoke pot. i rant to open the eyes of the blind so they can see theyve been force fed GROSSLY inaccurate facts about marijuana. the blind need to realize that marijuana consumption does not equal the reefer madness insanity we've been 'taught'. i am proof of that. there are millions of people who prove that. i guess theyre just mature enough to not feel the need to tell everyone. thats not me. i dont plan on stopping until its legal...or i turn 84:)

and billnewbie: if neither is your choice i respect that. im a free tax paying american citizen and i DONT have a choice. when you say 'particularly not the drug that you have to buy from gangs who buy weapons with the proceeds and then murder anyone who they view as a threat to their business'. bill...this is to easy...and i appreciate the soft ball but come on and challenge me PLEASE. are you talking about the current prohibition of marijuana or the prohibition of alcohol that ended in 1932?? cuz your statement works for both. and how, mr newbie, did we end all the chaos you describe from surrounding alcohol??

Kid did I say you didnt smoke pot? No I said that you want to. Im assuming that you do want to or do you just smoke it to prove a point?
You proved my point though thanks.

Neither Kid, but particularly not the drug that you have to buy from gangs who buy weapons with the proceeds and then murder anyone who they view as a threat to their business. Put that in your bong and smoke it!

hannah youre missing a key point. of course its illegal to drive under the influence of both. but its legal to USE alcohol. its NOT legal to USE pot. thats where my beef is. your last line pretty much sums up the argument we pro-pot advocates say time and time again. its nice to have you on our team:)

and booker...ummm im not real concerned what peeps who read this think about my maturity level. if you think my whole rant is so i can say 'come on guys I just wanna smoke pot' then apparently you arent paying attention to what my rant is to begin with. i ALREADY smoke some pot.

side effects of drug A: Short term side effects may include: problems with memory and learning, distorted perception (sights, sounds, time, touch), trouble with thinking and problem-solving, loss of coordination, and increased heart rate

side effects of drug B: Hangovers. Headaches, nausea, vomiting, aches and pains all result from Drug B'ing too much. Drug B'ingto the point of Drug Bness makes you sick.
Weight gain. High blood pressure.
Depressed immune system.
Cancer. 2-4% of all cancer cases are related to Drug B. Women who Drug B prior to menopause are more likely to develop breast cancer. Your risk of skin cancer doubles if you Drug B slightly more than "moderate levels."
Liver disease.
Drug B poisoning. Drug B'ing large amounts can result in Drug B poisoning, which causes unconsciousness and even death.
Heart or respiratory failure. Excessive Drug B'ing can have serious results. Heart or respiratory failure often means death.

WHICH DRUG WOULD YOU CHOOSE...

916WI, until you (or was it someone else) brought up teens texting and driving as a justification for lax DUI penalties it wasn't part of the story and discussion. But as long as you have brought it up, there should be no tolerance for that activity either with stringent penalties for adequate deterrence. I've had a couple of conversations with people who text and drive. Just like the drinkers here, they seem to feel they have a right to text and drive and that when they receive a text they want to respond no matter what they are doing. They refuse to acknowledge the risk they take for themselves let alone the risk they extend to others whom they may hurt of kill. There is only one way to break through that kind of self-centered attitude, certain onerous punishment for texters as well as drinkers who have no regard for the well being of anyone but themselves.

Just because you've been getting away with drunk driving for 20 years doesn't mean you are immune to the risk of hurting or killing someone when you do. In fact I would say that you are living on borrowed time. The older you get, the slower your reaction time is, and that's true when you are just a little tipsy too compared to 20 years ago. Not only that, but due to your success at evading law enforcement, you are probably convinced that you can handle your car even when you are more than just a little tipsy. You need to stop drinking and driving now. I'm not trying to force you to alter your lifestyle since there are alternatives to drinking and driving, I'm trying to convince you to stop so that you and others won't suffer the most horrible consequences of your rather callous choices.

As for the poster who wondered what to do about jail overcrowding, that I would object to higher taxes for a bigger jail, that assumption is mistaken. I am all in favor spending whatever it takes in the quest for justice. That is one of the basic purposes for government. Taxes are too high because our government spends way too much money on things that have little or nothing to do with its basic purposes. Let's build a bigger jail and stock it with people who refuse to obey the law. Then maybe our need for jail space will decrease in time when people realize that our government is serious about law enforcement unlike now.

Oh boy, I hope that Washington state crowd doesn't return to the forums now.

Ok - well Kid I hope you at lease realize how you dont come off as overly mature when you keep goign back to "come on guys I just wanna smoke pot"

sorry kid I believe more would chose drinks over pot.

again BOTH things are against the law you know

pot and
drunk driving

you may not hear about all the pot arrests as you do drunk driving

but BOTH illegal

even if pot is legal- it isnt legal to drive under influence of pot OR alcohol

so it doesnt really matter the legalities of either of them- laws will be broken as they are now with both drugs.

If alcohol become illegal you really thing it wont be available!????????????? and laws will still be broken as they are now.

brwe: im not sure what you mean about me being ambivilent towards pot...but whatever...at least if both were illegal then i would just argue about our rights as 'free' american citizens DESERVING the right to relax with the intoxicant of OUR choice...and not the hypocrisy in the fact that of the 3 major drugs 2 are responsible for A SUPER LARGE MAJORITY of the killing and the 3rd is illegal.

booker: yer not the first to tell me the storys gettin old...im guessin not the last...i will take no offense if you decide not to read my posts in the future and i will certainly take no offense if you feel i stray off topic and click on the 'suggest removal' tab.

Ok my thing for this story is it is about drun driving. This is WI wait till the next pot story and go have at it there. I have a friend who spent a few days in a hospital, broke her ankle and her daughter had burises all over after being hit by a DD so I tend lot to take it real lightly.
There isnt really an argument here - DRUNK DRIVING IS STUPID AND SELFISH! end of story, there isnt a way to spin it to say oh well I just do it on these days. Either dont drink or get a sober friend to drive you!!!

I didnt say you had to stop Kid Im just saying its getting old seeing your pot posts on a story that has nothing to do with it. Other than when you were yelling at Justaguy - then go ahead! ;)

I have trouble believing "thekid3477" is nearly as ambivalent regarding pot as he/she would have us believe. However, he/she makes a valid point: A completely rational & objective approach would be to make both illegal.

they are?? my apologies booker. from here on out i will stop with my sarcastic comments about how this drug is bad...or i might just keep doin what i been doin for years now. even pre-booker love;)

what i think is getting old is the fact that all i hear from the anti-potters is the havoc legal pot will have on society. more high drivers. kids smoking pot. welfare people on drugs. lazy people. gateway drug. blahblahblah. yet we continually blog about the havoc CURRENTLY being placed on society from a LEGAL drug. did anyone else see those numbers?? 40% OF ALL TRAFFIC FATALITIES WERE ALCOHOL RELATED. really?? and i dont have the RIGHT to smoke pot?? if i made a list of all the pros and cons of both drugs, and didnt label the list, and asked you which drug would be better for society...which one do you think would be chosen more?? if both drugs were legal or illegal fine. but to have one legal and one not. well if we voted based on that unanimous list the drugs' new legal status would have everyone thinkin they woke up in bizarro world.

fist of all Kid Ive coem to love ya but yoru passive comments about how this cant be a bad drug are getting old.
Second Bart - I hope you never have to actually deal with a loss caused by a drunk driver - im pretty sure your not mature enough to handel it.

I dont even understand why people are debating this at all. Drunk driving is WRONG. Its not a smart thing its not a cool thing, its not the hip thing to do so why do it??? Because the drunk drivers are to stupid not to thats why. Yeah blame the liquer stores, the bars, the partys that have beer....blah blah blah. SPARE ME! If I drink I have 2 or I dotn drive. Now trust me 2 is going to put me no where near the legal limit, but Im smart enough to not drink and drive. I set a limit for myself, its not that hard to do. If you cant stop yoru self DRINK AT HOME! Your not the only one on the road at night!

I agree- no kids on cell phones while driving. I also agree no adults either. It needs to be a law soon- hands free and wireless!!!!

so many new cars have blue tooth in the car now and most phones are also blue tooth. get it linked it isnt hard.

Thanks for the support billy! I've been driving for around 20 years now and have never run into anything--That's fine that you want to severely punish people who haven't committed a serious crime to possibly prevent them from committing one in the future. You would have to agree with me in saying that kids that are driving and using cell phones pose the same amount of "callous disregard for the well being of anyone they may happen to run into" correct? I have been run off the road while riding my motorcycle twice by younger people caught up in using their cell phones. If you agree with me in saying that these cell phone users should also be punished with jail time and a $1K fine, I could give your ideas some credibility, otherwise it's going in one ear and out the other:)

better trained to spot drunk drivers. thats funny:)

camper: im curious...if idiot drivers talking on the phone are so dangerous and there are so many of them...why are there not more accidents??

fldpan: i agree:)

i still cant figure out why all the negative feedback regarding this drug. its legal it cant be bad.

billnewbie: The choice you gave was between jail and home monitoring. I gave my answer (home monitoring bracelet) because the convicted drunk driver still won't be on the roads. That is my concern ... people will drink regardless ... I just don't want them driving in that condition.

I do think drunk driving is a serious problem. I don't think looking at countries with execution and such are realistic arguments. Am I for stiffer penalties for people who injure or kill why driving drunk, yes. But we need to be realistic about it and solve it here. And mickie I dont drink and drive. You hit a nerve by telling citizens of a free country (the off duty cops) that it was a joke they were drinking. Its amazing how ignorant you are.

http://blogcritics.org/culture/article/d...

Support and demand an alcohol tax; it could fund more projects like this and education programs for young kids before they start drinking.

donkey- have another brew- then drive to the store to get some more..lol...You are a Jackass, not Donkey..lol...Seem to have hit a nerve with you- good..Sober up!

Donkeykong-Let's just hope you dont get impacted by drunk driving.

To all of you that do not think drinking and driving is a serious matter, just try and sit and listen to a father who lost his little 6 year old daughter to a neighbor who was coming home from a bar. The family was just pulling out of the driveway when their van got hit by their neighbor. The only one that sustained sever injuries was the little girl. She was in the hospital with a mushed brain. The father later told us that the doctors already knew she was not going ot make it but of course they told him they were going to try and do whatever they could. She died a week later. How do I know this? This was part of my sentence for my first offense for a DUI in another state. I had to attend a victim impact panel. We had to face relatives that had been impacted by drunk driving. For me, it was sobering.

vatoloco.....who gives a you know what about those countries

there's mickie again whining about off duty cops drinking beer....you my friend are the joke

Absolute deterrence!

In France, drinking and driving is punishable by the equivalent of a $1,000 fine, imprisonment for one year, and loss of license for three years. Finland and Sweden automatically sentence drunk drivers to one-year jail sentences including hard labor. In Norway, a drunk driver is jailed for three weeks with hard labor and loses their license for a year. If they do it again, they lose their license forever. In South Africa, drinking and driving results in a ten-year prison sentence or the equivalent of a $10,000 fine and, in some cases, both.

In some countries, drinking and driving is punishable by death. A first time offense in El Salvador leads to execution by firing squad, while a second offense in Bulgaria also leads to execution.

I am more frightened by the mindless idiots who think 2 more cars can turn left on a red light, or the morons driving down Milton Ave texting and talking on their cell phones and not bothering to signal and add the people that think that because they are on a country side road the stop signs are only a suggestion. I’m not very scared of drunk drivers. The idiot drivers in the Janesville area out number the drunk drivers 500 to 1. As a passenger in a car I counted over 25 people yacking on cell phones just on Milton avenue on 1 trip. Lets address a real problem. Get the idiots to hang up and drive!!!!! And no I am not comparing DUI to DWS (driving while stupid)

cloudtown; there you go - start up a taxi co. by the time the teamsters - UAW & related get done with you in this town it'll cost only about $100 to get home. Wait - then you'll probably make over 250k & fall under Obama tax increases. Dont worry though you can just go apply for TARP money - the Mesiah will bail you out. I wonder if your MN town had empty buses running around town like Janesville does. I love sarcasm!!!!

camper - I was in NO WAY comparing "apples to oranges" I was mearly pointing out how LITTLE a $300 fine is for 1st offense.

I also love the "deterrence" argument. On the 1st offense, confiscate their vehicle, fine them $10,000, & suspend their license for two years. If they violate the suspension, make it a permanent revocation. Violate the revocation, give them 10 years. 2nd offense- permanent revocation, lose the 2nd vehicle, & 20 years. 3rd offense, life without parole! What you less-than-critical-thinkers can't see is that deterring the jerk in prison IS deterrence--the ones that are scared "crapless" by his example are icing on the cake! Now that's what I'd agree is draconian, but drastic situations require drastic solutions--& spare me the hand-wringing!!

I care about everyone's rights on the road, which is why I support the enforcement of all of the current laws that restrict all of the bad behavior which MIGHT occur while driving drunk. I do not support a law that makes judgments about a state of mind, independent of actually breaking any traffic laws.

Do we now just abandon the dictionary- as well as reason - while whining, "You're infringing on my right to be a jackass!"? IF THE PRESENT LAWS WERE DRACONIAN & OVERLY PUNITIVE, WE WOULDN'T HOLD THE RECORDS WE DO!! Tell me, what's a "properly" punitive reaction to someone that doesn't give a rat's hind-end about YOUR rights on the road?

Billn,

Unfortunately you contradict yourself. If they are not deterred on the 1st or 2nd offense, then why would they be deterred on the 4th or 5th. The reality is that the laws do not have an effect. We need to provide access to alternative transportation. Even if that means the police give you a ride home. The reality is there is no deterrence. Its seems easy to understand for people that obey the laws, but its not so easy for those that for whatever reason cannot.

Not a spin, just don’t compare apples to oranges. I’m not condoning drunk driving but don’t compare smoking to DUI. I know a person who got stopped for an "equipment malfunction" (brake light out) and had 3 beer, no more and blew a .08. This person has spent in access of $1500 in fines, surcharges, assessments, classes, temporary license. This does not even include $$ lost from missing work, all for a 1st offense. Needless to say lesson learned, this person will never drink and drive again. All the professional posters seem to think everyone that drinks and drives is out to kill someone or themselves. Its not the case 99% of the time. Most people learn from their mistakes. You never hear of the people that got a DUI and never got another one in 25 years. You only read about then knucklehead who just got his 7th DUI and then come on here and spout your nonsense. Fact is you kill someone with a car, alcohol involved or not you should go to jail.

Most "drunk drivers," have not hurt anyone, they are just trying to get home

That is the stupidest statement EVER! How do YOU know you won't hurt anyone when you drive drunk or even under the influence?

I think that the 1st offence should be a felony like it is in California. If these people who take my life for granted "trying to get home" would lose more rights then maybe they would think twice.

The whole idea of a bar is stupid! They don't want people to drink and drive yet there is no program in place to see if someone drinking has a DD. They just serve them and let them out to risk my life.

I have had 2 friends die from alcohol related crashes and for that reason I DO NOT DRINK! People say it makes it easier for them to relax and have fun well just try it without alcohol and I bet you will have just as much fun.

It is about time our state cracks down on alcohol instead of smokers. I have never known anyone to kill an innocent person from having too many cigarrettes!

billnewbie-- There are things in place with home detention that keep inmates (yes they are still inmates) from drinking. Besides the GPS bracelet they are fitted with a bracelet that detects alcohol in your system. It act with the chemicals in your body and sends off an alarm anytime you have ANY alcohol in your system. maybe you should call the diversion program at the jail and ask for some more info before you make assumptions. Also, how else do you propose the county deal with the overcrowding of the jail? Hick up your taxes and build a bigger jail?? Then you could complain about paying such high taxes.

Most "drunk drivers," have not hurt anyone, they are just trying to get home. The laws are draconian, overly punitive and serve no purpose other than to fill state coffers with money. No I would not feel differently if I lost someone close to me to a "drunk driver," because it is illegal to kill people with your car, drunk or not.

Maybe if WI (Janesville in particular) had available cabs, people would not feel like they have to drive to get home after drinking. I moved here about 8 mos. ago from a town in MN the size of Janesville where every 4th or 5th car on the road was a taxi - when you left the bar there were like 5 or 6 taxis just lined up waiting to take people home. Getting a taxi company here would reduce drunk driving as well as create jobs.

SarahB1 that would be great if a light penalty actually did keep these drunks off the road, but the fact that so may have multiple convictions is strong evidence that the first and even second time drunk drivers are not taking the risk to their liberty seriously. Besides, the punishment should fit the crime. These people have a callous disregard for the well being of anyone they may happen to run into (literally and figuratively speaking). First time offenders and those like 916WI are always going to put their desires and convenience ahead of any concern they may have for people they may run into (emphasis on may as they, like most people don't believe such a thing will happen to them until it does). We need to get their attention and instill a new respect for the law by stiffening the penalties for drunk driving and refusing to plea bargain reductions in those penalties. So often such people go to court and ask for leniency for the sakes of their family's welfare. Stiffen those penalties with no chance for plea bargaining and they may actually consider their family's welfare themselves before they drink and drive as they plea for the courts to do after the fact now. That would be a crack down that would actually show results!

Hmmm, maybe thats what the police were recently getting together for, and chatting about on the big "Pub Run" for Wisconsin officers.. What a joke.

Big deal. What's the point if convicted drivers get a slap on the wrist.

camper - nice spin. I only mentioned the cig tax & compared it to only the fine for OWI. If you want to add all the "fluff" to it, what do you think lung cancer costs'. mindless

camper; are you actually defending the law like its Not enough of a penalty?
Facts huh? - here you go
http://dui.drivinglaws.org/wisconsin.php...

Did you actually read your second post? it says on the 1st line:
OWI, First10 $150-$3006 No 6-9 month revocation6 Immediately Yes14 6
[346.63(1)(a),(am),(b)] [346.65(2)(am)1.] [343.30(1q)(b)2] [343.30(1q)(b)2]
(Per se AC > .08) (plus $365 OWI surcharge)14
[340.01(46m)(a)] [346.655]
Restricted controlled
substance [340.01(50m)]16

No made up facts here.

http://www.dot.state.wi.us/safety/docs/o...

Here we go again......all the high and mighty equating someone who stops at a bar for a couple of beers after work to someone who walks into a McDonalds and opens fire with a assault rifle....Seriously, a .08 is 3 beers. It's insane that you can pass the field sobriety tests with flying colors and then be forced to blow into a tube and have a number tell you that you are too impaired to drive....I'd rather be on the road with someone who has had 3 or 4 beers and is paying attention to what they are doing than on the road with a 16 year old who is texting while he/she is driving and at the same time carrying on a conservation with the 3 other kids in their car.......

billnewbie: I don't care if they are jailed vs. at home on a bracelet ... just keep them off the darn roads! Also, I thought the legislature wasn't scheduled to attack (and I hope they do "attack") drunken driving penalties until this fall. We just need to keep pressuring them to do the right thing.

If there is a drunk driving accident that only involves injury then there should be big fines and very long prison times, and if that drunk kills someone then the death penatly should be issued, maybe that will wake up some of these low lifes who drive drunk

$646.05 vs. $300 fine for 1st offense, wow where do you get your information from tiredofhearingit? 1st offense is more like 600-700 and it goes up if you have a .15 or higher BAC. Add another $200 assessment then 200-300 for mandatory classes not to mention your insurance going up 3x or more for the next 3-4 years. Not to mention the cost of getting your license reinstated. Its closer to $1500 fist time around, then thing go up from there. I just love all the disinformation offered on these blogs.

I almost never take the "backroads" home late at night soley because that's usually how the drunk people get home. If i were to get hit, no one would find me... or at least not right away.
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People may take it so lightly because drunk driving may have not influenced their lives yet. They haven't had a family member killed by a drunk driver. People tend to take drunk driving more serious when somehow it has affected their lives.
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Sad to say it, but with the way this state drinks themselves stupid... it is bound to happen eventually to a lot of people. :(

brwe; your absolutely correct - we need stiffer sentences. How about $1500 for 1st offense then on up. Why don't we use the ignition kill system that requires a breath sample to even start the car for anyone caught OWI. This makes no sense. It could also reduce all our taxes if Doyle actually left all fines in the transportation fund. "Wisconsin has the highest rate of drunken driving in the nation." If you dont think the insurance Co's know this & adjust ALL of our rates because of your wrong.
It costs more to kill yourself with cigarettes than it does to get a drunk driving in this state - where you could kill others. (1 pack a day @ $1.77 in tax x 365 = $646.05 vs. $300 fine for 1st offense)

So the sheriff is going to lead a "crack down" on drunk driving. How comforting. Somehow I suspect that D.A. O'Leary will view this as an opportunity for his staff to hone their plea bargaining skills. The ones that actually do get sentenced to time in the pokey will no doubt qualify for Sheriff Spoden's favorite solutions for jail overcrowding, home confinement with a six pack and the remote control next to their propped up feet watching T.V. for a month or two. That ought to teach those crazy drunk drivers a lesson or two.

Texas ranks number one in alcohol-related crashes.
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http://www.kbtx.com/local/headlines/2622...

The article reads "42,000 CONVICTIONS...", NOT "ARRESTS"! Regardless where these idiots call home, the problem is still OURS! And as long as we've still got morons , like some posters here, that think people dying on our highways is a freaking JOKE, those preventable deaths are likely to continue!!

"Wisconsin has the highest rate of drunken driving in the nation."
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Are they basing statistics solely on the number of convictions? Anyone stop to think mabey our police are just better trained to spot drunk drivers? And 42,000 arrests for drunk driving doesn't mean 42,000 Wisconsinites were busted. Let's not forget all the tourists to our state. People come here to fish, hunt, camp, etc, etc. Seems like a third of the vehicles on the Interstate are either coming from, or going back to Illinois, Minnesota, or Michigan.
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I wish the Gazette would reference their sources when they print stories like this. I'm not so sure those statistics are even accurate.

Wisconsin's culture is based around alcohol. From the top down, that is understood. Our lawmakers put on a show to make people think they are cracking down on this but in the end it is a wink and a smile and back to the bar they go.

And yet still nobody will even consider reducing the number of liquor licenses per capita, where Wisconsin ranks among the highest rates in the nation.

cardtrader- that confused me too. I think what it means is that the person will get a ticket or whatever the consequence may be. You know how some people will get pulled over for speeding, but will be let off with a warning? I think that's what they're talking about here. Nobody will be let off with a warning.

I may be wrong, but that's just what I think they mean.

Nice to see that some still think it's funny! What problem?!!

Let's all hope the police are watching the back roads too, so we can get these drunken idiots off the road.

Warnings will not be issued if drivers are stopped by an officer and are suspected of drunken driving. What do they mean? they will let you go?

Looks like I'll be taking the back roads home this weekend:)

what do you mean they will be working, i was hoping to go on the pub crawl with them

Those 42,000 convictions are meaningless unless coupled with APPROPRIATE sentences!

Ok with me i hope the cops get some of you drunks off the road .