Party of smaller government
In TN, you can drink in a car, provided you’re not driving. But a Republican wants to change that:
Right now passengers can crack a beer while riding in a car in Tennessee. A new bill would make that illegal, moving Tennessee in line with the majority of other states in the country.
“Right now we’re encouraging people to party in the car,” said Rep. Jon Lundberg, R-Bristol, who filed the legislation Thursday.
“If people are drinking in the car, except in rare instances, the driver is often participating in that.”
Then, if they are pulled over and found to be drinking, they can be arrested.
Passing the law is going to save lives and bring more money to Tennessee, he said.
The former is a fabrication. The latter is probably what the bill is about.
January 22nd, 2015 at 6:18 pm
“If people are drinking in the car, except in rare instances, the driver is often participating in that.”
You know, “often”.
Ain’t it already illegal enough to be driving drunk?
January 22nd, 2015 at 7:25 pm
““Especially when people are talking about a gas tax, it seems to make sense that we would like to use that money to build roads, fix bridges, things of that nature,” Lundberg said.”
So far, about the only person talking much about that is our own Bobby Corker.
“Then, if they are pulled over and found to be drinking, they can be arrested. “
The driver can already be arrested under current law.
“The bill offers several caveats: passengers in taxis, limos or other commercial transportation would be exempt, as would passengers drinking in the “living quarters” of a mobile home, camper or similar vehicle.”
Which pretty much guts the bill.
Sigh. Getting tired of the Tennessee Taliban…
January 22nd, 2015 at 7:49 pm
“The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws.” –Cornelius Tacitus, Roman senator and historian
January 22nd, 2015 at 8:01 pm
The nanny state is never big enough or powerful enough, and its biggest enemies are the self sufficient.
January 22nd, 2015 at 8:29 pm
Anytime a politician says “passing this law will save lives”, one can bet his last dollar that what the pol really means is “passing this law will bring in more money for government to redistribute as it sees fit”.
Government doesn’t give a fat rat’s ass about “public safety”. But pols do genuinely care about the number of currency notes in your wallet.
January 22nd, 2015 at 9:05 pm
Crawler, exactly. When a politician says that, I’m tempted to use that phrase we hated in Math class: “Show your work.”
This appears to be another one of those cases where the State wants to get a law on the books to get that Good Old Free Federal Cash, but pass a law with so many exceptions that it is toothless and essentially unenforceable. Unenforceable, unless you run up on some Deputy that’s having a Bad Day, therefore ensuring YOU are gonna have a Bad Day.
January 22nd, 2015 at 9:34 pm
Shit, I didn’t know that. Here when I’ve been riding through TN with Bitter driving, I’ve been doing it all wrong!
January 23rd, 2015 at 1:05 am
Once again, whatever happened to punishing someone for a crime that’s actually been committed rather than punishing everyone to try to prevent one that hasn’t? Damn moneygrubbing bastards.
January 23rd, 2015 at 9:45 am
Tennessee Taliban?
I didn’t know Kos Kids played here.
January 23rd, 2015 at 9:54 am
rickn8or, along with the “federal cash” comes Federal CONTROL in violation of the 10th Amendment for the purpose of a police-state apparatus ruled from Washington D C.
January 23rd, 2015 at 12:27 pm
wizardpc, you wound me sir!
Ron W, exactly; the politico always sees the bait, never the hook.
January 23rd, 2015 at 2:49 pm
rickn8or,
When the police-state apparatus, DHS and Patriot act, was promoted by phony conservative Bush, most all Republicans ignored “the guarantee of a republican form of government” and enacted it along with Democrats. Bill Clinton extolled it as “we had tried to get this” and now phony liberal Obama is no “change” but only MORE and adding on the bi-partisan 2012 NDAA which gives the government the unconstitutional criminal power to arrest without warrant and indefinitely detain any citizen SUSPECTED of terrorism in flagrant violation of the heart of the Bill of Rights. It’s no longer left vs right or Democrat vs Republicans, but traitors and tyrants vs patriots of the Republic!