I'll drink to that.

So what you're basically saying is that our enforcement methods don't work?

There's a shocker.

guess the president should cancel anymore beerfest.

LibertyOrDeath,
No I would say that they are picking more people up for DWI.But I also see the article saying in hard times people are turning to alcohol to deal with their personal situations and alcohol abuse on the rise.The economy and people losing their jobs and lifes all have a strange way of affecting ones lifes and everybody deals with their own personal situation differently.

So it's justifiable for drunks to drink in an economic downturn but the downturn provides no relief for thieves?

Aren't you one of those who specifically told me that blaming the economy for this stuff is nonsense because people will always be low-life's and they will always steal?

Well, drunks are low-life's too. Anyone who abuses ANYTHING is a low-life in my book. In any habit, moderation is key.

And who are you to tell ME about what kind of harsh conditions the economy will create. I'm the one telling all of you that the bottom ain't nowhere near here and it's going to get worse.

And when it does, we will see more thefts, more violent crimes against people and, as luck would have it, more drinking. Neighbor will turn on neighbor and strangers will not be looked at as friendly. We will see even more people taken by Ponzi schemes, we will see even more pet projects in Washington take priority over the people and we will see the people revolt.

Just as the economy makes a more savvy shopper, so does it breed a contempt for those who have been put into power and used that power to press firmly on the necks of hardworking Americans.

Americans are going to get fed up (too late) and it will spill into the streets.

Remember, the American Revolution didn't happen over night. It was an ambiance, a feeling. It was in the air and it took time to build, just as this revolution will take time.

One must only look to Washington for proof of what I say. The people are speaking and Washington is not changing at all and it won't until every single last one of them are removed from office.

So times are hard...money is tight....and the response is to spend that hard-to-find money on booze??!!!

I have zero respect and zero tolerance for ANYONE who gets behind the wheel after having had ANY alcohol to drink!! Buzzed driving is drunk driving....and I hope the police throw the book at them!! When you've lost someone you care about to a drunk driver, one tends to lose all sympathy for people who have no sense....

amen pops ,amen

again, we must adopt Finland's recipe for DWI, 90 DAYS PRISON SENTENCE FOR 1ST OFFENSE, 1 YEAR FOR SECOND!!! amazing, there are very few 3rd offenses! DWI must be treated for the crime it is!!!!!

Anyone notice all the drunks setting the negative "thumbs down"??

Cheers, guys!!!

Pops, I don't know how anyone would give thumbs down to that. Sad...

My interest in the problem of drunk drivers is two-fold.I used to drive under the influence of alcohol, as does most everyone who imbibes to any degree, and I was a victim of a drunk driver who crossed the line on St. Joseph Avenue and totaled my car. Eventually, this accident was the cause of then-Governor John Dalton firing two consecutive State Insurance Commissioners and causing Missouri's Insurance Laws to be changed so that crooked insurance companies could not reorganize after being closed down by the state . I was able to accomplish this with information provided by my insurance agent, the late Harold Neidorp. Dalton will always be my hero.

Increased revenues for the system.

How much does a DUI cost these days anyway, $5000.00 ???

It seems the counceling services are doing quite well, they are almost always hiring.

How frustrating that must be, the majority deny they have any problem with alcohol and do not want any help.

Oh well, no surprises here, with the economy and the way things are, it is to be expected......

I in noway condone Drinking or taking drugs while driving or taking drugs at all for that matter but studies do show in hard times people do rely on alcohol and drugs more.Does it take money for these people to do this sure it does.Get out and experience the real world I have had good people who work for me get caught up in this and are totally different people when this happens to them and it is real and it is all around us everyday.

well, i didn't know it was your job to be telling us the sky is falling in all subject matter that is written here liberty or death. the way you rant and rave we are all going to die and you are the one to take over in all matters. what a joke! i don't remember anyone telling you that you were in charge. we think so highly of ourselves don't we. i do believe the one's that don't have their bags packed correctly are going to have a hard time but by no means do we have to worry about our neighbors. at least not mine. we are a very tight neighborhood and we watch out for one another.we call one another friends and it is so. why do you have such negativity?sure it is good to keep your dung in one bag but you don't have to sling it around for all to smell. chill out my man! i don't condone drugs either but you need to take a Valium or something.

Looks as if nothings changed

pops

guess theres more drunks reading these post than i thought. if they have ever had to stand in an emergency room while a loved one dies, their body totaly mangled from a drunk driver then they can give me a thumbs down for agreeing with you. maybe they should be forced to work in an emergency room. even worse the person didn' even have insurance,and was driving on a hardship after two duis.

so these folks can take there thumbs an stick you know where.
sorry just hit me personaly. how can anyone condone drunk driving.

Donaldo, no one gets out of here alive. Fact.

If you have a great relationship with your neighbors that is great, awesome actually. But you need to remember, that's pretty "old school." Young people these days don't want anyone knowing their business, you are definitely the minority. It's very true that many neighborhoods will come together, but it also stands true that many will fall apart and they will take each other down with them. This has happened over and over again in history, Donaldo. This isn't the first time recorded history has born witness to crumbling empires.

No one said I was in charge, but you raise a valid point. Will YOU take command when it's needed in your neighborhood? Would you entrust your neighbors to make the best decisions for you and yours? Will you let them? I'm not saying they're not capable, only that you have probably failed to assess the situation.

We have a group of just about 25 people who not only have supplies in place, but we've already established roles within our small community. We have a licensed nurse, ex-police and military, we have a few with farming backgrounds, we have hunters and builders. We even have redundant means of communication and emergency plans if such a thing occurs during daytime, working hours. We know when and what we'll do and where we'll meet.

Make no mistake about it, we will survive as long as we can if such a situation presents itself.

And guess what? I still have time to have some drinks with friends who think, "man that guy has never changed." I read something by one of my favorite people recently.

In his book, he writes of resistance when speaking to people about things like this. He claims people would be offended, friends of his even. When asked if he realized he puts a lot of people off with his comments he responded, "I may seem a little out there sometimes, but I would hope I offer enough other good qualities of a friend that you could overlook my rants as being a "bad" quality."

My response to you Donaldo is, you don't know me. You don't know anything about me other than the subject matter I cover here. I'm fine with that as long as you acknowledge that any critique you offer of me is based only on what I have given you, which is essentially the information that the sheep don't want to believe could be true.

Therefore any assessment you make of me is only subjective to the information I have given you. You can call me chicken little if it makes you feel any better, but it sure as hell doesn't make it true.

I can inundate you with facts from what I say, can you back up your chicken little comments?

Donaldo, there is an old experiment I'd like to try with you as the subject. Ever hear of Schrödingers Cat?

chicken little? i don't think i wrote that! you can believe what you want, i don't want to discuss anything with you that i can think of. people like you need to sound off for the love of feeling the power. i am not given you anything. if you have a bunch of buddies living the life of survivalist and want to believe that the world is coming to an end and that is what you want to portray, enjoy. i myself don't believe a thing you are saying and people like you like to believe that you have a right to shoot someone walking past your house because you are paranoid the world is against you. i just don't like your kind, sorry, i wont let you convince me of anything. if you think i am sticking my head in the sand you are very mistaken. i wouldn't let you or your kind tread on me. you will be confused with the outcome. we have no other subjects to discuss. i have seen your kind in my travels, and i never did understand why you feel so bitter. it is called life, deal with it and leave the rest of us to deal with ourselves. we will be OK, we don't need your help nor do we want it. i will ask you if i need some support from your kind. not gonna happen.i am glad you are alive today, hopefully we will all be alive tomorrow. have a nice day and quit being so bitter with your neighbors , they are nice people too. p.s. pops, i am a recovering alcoholic, i have never gotten a D.W.I. but should have gotten 10 of them. i don't like people that drink and drive. if you can drink then so be it if that's what you want to do. just saying i cant and don't like people that do, we all have a right to live our life the way we want to, we should not have someone trying to tell us how we should live our life. i cherish the fact that we have a god given right to do anything that we want as long as it doesn't effect or offend anyone else in the process. i like what you are writing most of the time pops, keep up the good work.

Schrodinger's cat? what is that ,a communist trick? never mind, i don't want to know.seriously, i don't!

no one will quit drinking unless they want to themselves forcing them to go to treatments is just a revenue for the states i have had dwis and lucky havent hurt no one physically if i want to go out now i walk and still get public intoxacation charge here let me give u some more money st joe guess that wasnt the right thing either