The following article was posted on www.jsonline.com
Unfinished business
The Legislature made headway on drunken driving reform and making the child welfare system safer. But legislators - and the community at large - must not let politics, special interest pressure, the scope of the problem or inertia as usual get in the way of doing more. With both issues, there are still lives to save.
Posted: November 18, 2009
Don't get us wrong, Mr. and Ms. Legislators. Given how deep-seated is Wisconsin's culture of drinking, how weak current laws are and how influential alcohol interests have been traditionally, no one should begrudge you kudos for your recent accomplishments on drunken driving reform. They are real.
But we have this fear: You will walk away now, thinking, "Whew! Done."
But you know all those survivors of victims of drunken drivers? They're not going away. And neither are we. More lives can be saved.
The claim that only so much is possible, politically speaking, doesn't wash with either of us. We know that your constituents value the safety of their families more than they value their brews. To think otherwise insults your constituents, though it makes those special interests quite happy. Please, prove us wrong about which group is more important to you.
We know the holidays approach and it might be a tad uncomfortable to talk or think about this topic just now, but there is that remaining need. Again: Declaring some fourth offenses a felony, requiring ignition interlocks for many offenders and broadening a treatment program - these are useful tools. Thank you.
Now, on to the rest of it when you return in January. In fact, while you were approving these first steps, a working group has done much of the heavy lifting on the remaining work.
Assembly Bill 547 is just about ready to go. Please sign on as co-sponsors. To the Democrats: Please don't let the fact that two of the legislators in the working group are Republicans - Rep. Jim Ott of Mequon and Sen. Alberta Darling of River Hills - give you pause. Rep. Peggy Krusick (D-Milwaukee) is also leading the way - and anyway, last we looked, saving lives was not a partisan issue.
Also prominent in this group are Paul and Judy Jenkins, parents of Jennifer Bukosky, an assistant principal at Oconomowoc High School who was killed by a convicted drunken driver in April 2008. Her unborn child and 10-year-old daughter also were killed in the crash.
Among its provisions, AB 547 would criminalize a first drunken driving offense to a misdemeanor. Right now, it's treated like a traffic citation. Did you know that first offenders have driven drunk on average 87 times before that arrest, according to Mothers Against Drunk Driving?
The bill also would permit sobriety checkpoints. These work just fine in 38 other states but are prohibited here. It's so easy to demagogue on this issue, but it's clear to us, hearing the arguments against these measures, that most folks here don't have a clue how unintrusive checkpoints are and how well they work to prevent bad behavior. Remember: The bill would only permit the use of checkpoints by local law enforcement - not mandate them.
Please, finish the job.
