Posts Tagged ‘speeding’

Views on News • February 23rd, 2009

The devil’s in the details

by Chris Lato


Yes, the title to this one is a cliche, but reporters statewide are now sifting their way through Gov. Doyle’s next budget, and to say it has a lot of potentially controversial components is the understatement of the month – kinda like saying Sean Penn’s political views lean a tad leftward.

Consider the idea of releasing prison inmates early – Republicans are hopping all over this one as an example of former attorney general Doyle being soft on crime. This is fraught with political dangers, as UW-Madison political science professor Charles Franklin rightly notes – heaven forbid an inmate on furlough commits a heinous crime while on the streets. Michael Dukakis can tell you all about how a similar furlough program worked out in his state.

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Views on News • October 6th, 2008

Click it or ticket?

by Chris Lato


I am not necessarily opposed to this idea, but I understand those who are. It’s kind of like motorcyclists who don’t wear helmets. If you split your skull open as a result, well, you knew the risks going in. Personal choice and all that. It could be argued that this is just another example of the nanny state telling us all what’s best.

But in a sense, it isn’t. As taxpayers, we pay for those whose messes that get cleaned up by the police when there’s an accident. As insured motorists, if there are fewer accidents and deaths, and tougher enforcement of ‘safe driving’ techniques, then presumably, insurance costs will go down overall. Ditto for health insurance. Behaviors in public places, on public infrastructure, impact all of us one way or another. Why should the rest of us have to shell out more because some iconoclast wants to let his freak flag fly by not wearing a belt?

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