Wisconsin Rocks!

Filed in Uncategorized by on August 17, 2007

Wisconsin is the only state where a [DUI] first offense is treated like a traffic ticket with no chance of jail time

Wisconsin is also one of the few states that allows parents to purchase alcohol for their children to consume in their presence

Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle gets it.

He signed into law a bill that ensured there would be no confusion about last call when taverns adjusted their clocks for daylight savings time in March. The Legislature made it clear that bartenders could keep serving after closing time sprang forward.

Doyle also signed a bill, behind unanimous support of the Legislature, allowing such retailers as grocery stores and liquor stores to promote a particular beer brand or special with free samples.

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Comments (14)

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  1. miles north says:

    The way DUI penalties are structured now, it’s better to simply refuse all tests.

  2. donviti says:

    no miles, it’s better to not drive if you had anything to drink my friend

  3. Disbelief says:

    Yeah, but donviti the rest of us don’t have hot chicks in expensive sports cars waving bags of candy at us to get in.

  4. jason330 says:

    It will be interesting to see how this plays out over time.

    The part about children (18, 19, 20?) being able to consume in the parents presence makes alot of sense to me.

  5. miles north says:

    Yes obviously, don’t drink and drive. But what if you are stopped anyway while sober?

    I don’t trust the humans or the machines to tell the difference between one drink and three. Or even zero drinks.

    You refuse the test for the same reason you refuse search of your car. You don’t want them to find something that’s not there. The risk is now too high.

    You place too much faith in the technology and the good faith of the PD.

  6. Von Cracker says:

    Drinking age should coincide with the draft age….old enough to take a bullet, but not a beer. It’s just absurd on it’s face, undeniably.

  7. Disbelief says:

    When you get your license in DE you have to sign a blanket agreement to submit to drug testing at anytime, anywhere if you are operating a vehicle. I have no opinion on the Constitutionality of this precondition to driving in DE, but its there. If you refuse, you are subject to the latin legal theory of “effed in the ass”.

  8. miles north says:

    Actually if you refuse tests in DE you are subject to one year license suspension, but you will NOT have a DUI.

    Theoretically you could still be prosecuted for DUI, but they probably won’t without a test.

    So you have to compare “one year without a license” to having a DUI on your record. DUI is a pretty heavy thing nowadays. My point is that as the penalties go up, the option to refuse the test looks better and better. Don’t forget the lifetime increased insurance costs, and having to check the Yes box on job applications “Have you ever been convicted…”

    FYI, I don’t drive drunk and have no DUI and have never been road tested either.

    But with my luck one day I will run into an officer with a bad attitude and a quota.

  9. Alan Coffey says:

    Or one trying to get off probation and looking for a trophy from MADD.

    Driving while stupid is more likely to get you or someone else killed, but we give out WAY too few tickets for DWS.

    Freedom. Make your choices, pay the consequence.

  10. David says:

    bullshit on the “traffic ticket” for dui. it’s a serious offense and should be treated as such. to laugh it off is just insane.

  11. Alan Coffey says:

    Who is laughing? Is this soooo serious that we cannot even discuss it? OK, let’s just outlaw alcohol.

    While we are at it let’s outlaw saying anything against the police or our rapidly evolving police state.

  12. David says:

    Alan, your ignorance is showing.

    – 2 out of every 5 highway deaths in the U.S are alcohol-related.
    – Drunk driving accidents cost Delaware residents $200 million a year
    – 17% of your auto insurance covers drunk driving
    – In 2001, there were 50 drunk driving fatal crashes in Delaware out of a total of 118
    – In 2000, there were 56 drunk driving fatal crashes in Delaware out of a total of 121
    – This year, Delaware has had 29 alcohol related fatalities out of 77.

    Yeah, it’s a big fucking joke.

  13. Alan Coffey says:

    So, what, we cannot even discuss it? Maybe I did not make the tone of my post clear to you.

    I take this subject seriously, but your attempt to supress any debate on the issue goes too far.

  14. miles north says:

    David… the drunks who are causing these fatalities are blowing .12, .14, .18…. just like they alway were before MADD.

    But instead of intensifying efforts to catch those guys, we are diverting valuable police resources to chasing around guys who are blowing .08. Nice for puffing up the enforcement stats, but not very helpful for preventing deaths.

    There are a lot of normal people who would be scared straight if they were pulled over once for DUI. That is why the WI first-offense policy makes good sense. And there are some who not fit that description. That is why we have JUDGES.