i'm with the govt, and i'm here to help...

[ElKabong]

Ronnie had it right.

More laws. More intervention. Less revenues (or in this case, revenues that couldn't fund targeted activities). Even in Texas we have lousy laws that are either unenforceable, or just plain bad.

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/texas-legislature/headlines/20110322-house-panel-urged-to-kill-texas-driver-surcharge-program.ece?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+StatelineorgRss-Texas+(Stateline.org+RSS+-+Texas)

AUSTIN — A House committee was urged Tuesday to repeal the Texas Driver Responsibility Program because of its many failures — including the fact that 1.2 million drivers are unable or unwilling to pay the steep surcharges levied under the program.

Critics said the program has failed to live up to the goals set by the Legislature: to deter Texans from driving drunk, not carrying insurance, driving without a license and committing other violations.

The original idea was to slap drivers convicted of those offenses with big surcharges — on top of regular fines and other punishments — that can add up to thousands of dollars while paid for three years. The revenue was supposed to go to hospital trauma centers and highway projects.

~~read the rest at the above link~~

[mostpost]

This is like the rd light cameras. They are supposed to improve safety. Instead people are paranoid and slam on their brakes the moment they see a yellow. This has caused an increase in rear end collisions.

So I agree that this is a case of a bad law which needs to be changed.

What I do not agree with is your contention that government always fails to solve problems.

Anecdotal evidence vs. Empirical evidence. We've had this discussion before.

You (meaning all of your ilk) present a single incident and claim it represents totality. I (meaning me) present a large number of incidents and statistics on the issue at hand and claim that those incidents and those statistics give a much truer picture than your single incident. I win. Hooray for me. :D

[rastajenk]

You lost me at "They were supposed to improve safety."

They have never been anything more than revenue producers.

[WeirdWilly]

What I do not agree with is your contention that government always fails to solve problems.

Why is it always assumed that people who reject the idea that the government is our secular messiah hate EVERYTHING about it?

It seems nearly every statist attacks libertarians as wanting to live in Somalia, merely because they understand that the government's necessary tools are violence, redistribution and incarceration, and as such needs to be given only the authority and resources necessary to secure safety and fair trade?

[ElKabong]

What I do not agree with is your contention that government always fails to solve problems.

Anecdotal evidence vs. Empirical evidence. We've had this discussion before.

You (meaning all of your ilk) present a single incident and claim it represents totality. I (meaning me) present a large number of incidents and statistics on the issue at hand and claim that those incidents and those statistics give a much truer picture than your single incident. I win. Hooray for me. :D

Where did I state that govt "always fails" to solve problems. For some reason you seem to put words in other's mouths when it serves your purpose. I've had this "talk" with you before on these pages.

Stick to the subject (OP), or stick to what you know (mailroom chores). Quit framing arguements to sound like you have some leverage when it doesn't exist for you. It doesn't work.

[Robert Goren]

Texas is not the only state that has a problem keeping drunk drivers off the road. They all do. Everybody wants these killers off the road, but no one has figure how to do it yet. I am sure if you can come up with way to do it, you find a state senator who will listen. Even a lot of otherwise legal drivers with DUIs don't carry insurance because the cost. It is problem everywhere and the fault lie with the drivers. If they didn't drive drunk they would be in this mess. I am sick of all the excuses they can come up with for the irresponsibility.