|
Townhall...
The Feds and
California in Mortal Combat
By Bruce Bialosky
Former Republican Ray LaHood, now Obama’s Secretary of Transportation,
recently announced that he wants to outlaw cell phones and navigation
systems in cars. He maintains that even hands-free cell phones
(Bluetooth) are too much of a distraction. Apparently, he believes that
reading a map is safer than a navigation system. These 19th-century
proposals – along with some other doozies he has up his sleeve – have
created a major dispute between the federal government and the State of
California.
You may have heard that California has a minor budget imbalance --
about $25.4 billion dollars. Without the ability to freely raise taxes,
the new Democrat Governor and his big-spending allies have focused on
traffic fines as the primary means to correct this revenue shortfall.
They have escalated the penalties for every conceivable driving
infraction into the stratosphere. For example, if you forget to notify
the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) within ten days of your address
change, it will now cost you $214. A jaywalking ticket will set you
back $191. Not using your seat belt now lightens your wallet by $148.
And if you commit the ultimate of infractions – parking in a disabled
zone for a second time – you’re looking at forking over $1,876.
The point of contention between Washington and Sacramento starts with
the practice of using a hands-on wireless phone in your car. California
now charges $148 for the first offense, and $256 for every one
thereafter. Sending - or even just reading – a text message now puts
you on the hook for $148. The legislative analyst, who estimates the
effects of budget changes, predicts that these cell phone-related
penalties could bring in over $3 billion in the first year. And if the
police strategically station themselves outside restaurants where
Hollywood agents have their lunches, they might even haul in another
billion!
This is why the spendthrifts of California’s legislature are so upset.
They want to stifle LaHood before he steps on their new revenue stream.
Governor Brown actually called President Obama and pleaded with him to
muzzle LaHood and his cockamamie idea of eliminating cell phones in
cars. Obama replied by letting him know of Washington’s additional
plans to control in-vehicle activities, and that’s when matters spun
totally out of control.
Apparently, the Transportation Department has plans on the books to
outlaw several other activities that people frequently do in their
cars. On the list is drinking coffee, eating donuts, consuming
hamburgers, and applying makeup. Sure, the Obama Administration has
once again been rattling on about eliminating pointless regulations,
but, as usual, the regulators themselves don’t seem to have gotten the
message.
California’s officials were reportedly beside themselves when they
heard about Washington’s intentions. In fact, they had already drafted
ambitious plans to jack up fines, capture more revenue, and hopefully
bring the budget catastrophe to an end. Rumor has it that an
Assemblyman from San Francisco was about to introduce a bill
establishing $256 fines for consuming coffee, burgers, or donuts while
behind the wheel. We’ve also heard that the bill assesses a $492
penalty for applying makeup while driving. When asked why they’re
charging more for putting on makeup than for eating or drinking,
authorities replied that not only does this distract drivers, but that
misapplied mascara and smeared lipstick are crimes against humanity and
warrant a higher penalty. When asked whether this statement could be
interpreted as sexist, a NOW spokeswoman said “Not this time, but we’ll
complain if they do it again.”
California authorities had apparently laid out an extensive,
two-pronged plan to capture this much-needed revenue. The first part
focused on morning drive time, during which officers were to be
positioned in two areas: near business centers to nab the makeup
criminals and next to Krispy Kreme drive-thrus to corral people
stuffing down those warm glazed ones. (There was apparently a very high
demand from CHP officers for this assignment.) The second part was to
surreptitiously station law enforcement personnel just outside
McDonald’s and Burger King drive-thrus. Analysts concluded that if
enough policemen were positioned in the right places, they could
possibly ticket enough burger-consuming drivers to create a budget
surplus. These plans created an internal rift within the Obama
Administration as The First Lady endorsed the California plan as part
of her war on obesity.
When asked why the Transportation Department is pressing these issues
at a time when traffic deaths are the lowest they have been in 57 years
(and incidentally, the lowest in history at 1.16 fatalities per 100
million miles driven), Secretary LaHood simply replied “Because this is
what we do.” California officials are desperately lobbying to stop them
from their natural inclinations. As one Democrat succinctly asked, “How
else are we going to get enough money to continue paying our inflated
salaries and benefits?” Californians breathlessly await the outcome of
this battle of big-government narcissism.
Read it at Townhall
|
|
|
|
