chf
enthusiast
Posts: 493
Loc: NW Allen
Reg: 12-22-07
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06-17-11 10:25 PM - Post#133607
In yet another brilliant move, our governor has vetoed a bill making it illegal to text while driving.
http://blogs.star-telegram.com/politex/2011/06/perry -vetoes-texting-while-dri ving-ban-22-other-bills.html
I swear this guy's brain is defective.
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lostyankee
enthusiast
Posts: 1263
Reg: 10-27-05
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06-18-11 08:39 AM - Post#133611
In response to chf
I think you're being wildly presumptive... I'm not sure he HAS a brain.
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Jimi Ray Clapton
enthusiast
Posts: 1977
Reg: 09-03-07
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06-18-11 08:57 AM - Post#133613
In response to lostyankee
Unbelievable. It may be a stretch - but I think the guy will have blood on his hands for this.
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Al C
enthusiast
Posts: 5538
Loc: McKinney/Allen, TX
Reg: 02-16-01
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06-18-11 01:10 PM - Post#133619
In response to chf
Wow! Who'd have thought the the cell phone lobby was so powerful in Texas?
What a maroon.
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Jimi Ray Clapton
enthusiast
Posts: 1977
Reg: 09-03-07
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06-18-11 02:26 PM - Post#133622
In response to Al C
I can not think of a reason why he would not allow something so common sense oriented to stick to the books. Is it a conservative approach where he thinks it's a slippery slope to goverment telling us what we can and can't do? Because that dog don't hunt in my book. Aside from the fact that he represents everything I abhor about U.S. politics... I just don't get it.
| I reserve the right to change who I am, my opinions, my views and my actions based on new and more accurate information that I receive. |
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chf
enthusiast
Posts: 493
Loc: NW Allen
Reg: 12-22-07
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06-18-11 03:03 PM - Post#133623
In response to Jimi Ray Clapton
This is definitely something that will come back to haunt him in any future primary or general election.
I would ask him if he supports the repeal of other driving laws that "micromanage" behavior, such as open container, seat belts, speed limits, etc.
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Maurice
Community Expert
Posts: 3981
Loc: Allen, TX
Reg: 12-03-01
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06-18-11 04:20 PM - Post#133626
In response to chf
This was a no-brainer, texting while driving should carry the same consequences as DUI, IMO.
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rtinallentx
enthusiast
Posts: 371
Loc: Allen, TX, USA
Reg: 04-08-03
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06-18-11 06:34 PM - Post#133630
In response to Maurice
So he signs a bill that says you can't talk on your hand held cell while driving through a school zone at 20mph (something that doesn't take you eyes off the road), but he won't sign a bill that says you can't drive 70mph in heavy traffic while texting (something that does take your eyes off the road)???
I see political ads in good hair's future with lists of name after name after name... The names of victims of texting and driving.
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csquare
enthusiast
Posts: 541
Loc: Allen
Reg: 01-16-08
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06-19-11 07:13 AM - Post#133635
In response to chf
I have not read the bill, nor am I expert in written law and its enforcement. That said, I think sometimes, a good sounding bill gets a veto because on paper it is flawed. It might either be too fuzzy to interpret or too difficult for boots on the ground to implement as written. I'm hoping he vetoed it so a better one can be passed. Meanwhile, I'm going to hold off on foaming at the mouth until I find out.
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pup
enthusiast
Posts: 3755
Reg: 03-29-06
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06-19-11 07:48 AM - Post#133636
In response to csquare
Maybe he wanted us to have a sonogram before texting.
| Pup has left the building. |
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chf
enthusiast
Posts: 493
Loc: NW Allen
Reg: 12-22-07
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06-19-11 05:25 PM - Post#133641
In response to csquare
According to the article, his reasoning was that it was "micromanaging the behavior of adults." Because of the many, many stupid moves on his part in the past, he has lost any benefit of the doubt, as far as I am concerned.
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carygold
enthusiast
Posts: 4972
Reg: 05-30-08
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06-21-11 08:10 AM - Post#133685
In response to chf
If people can't text while driving we could lose thousand of jobs... 
If CEO's increased their pay at the same rate as Average Americans
their pay would average $1,384,890 not $10,621,000 |
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JasonKA
enthusiast
Posts: 173
Reg: 04-04-07
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06-21-11 08:26 AM - Post#133688
In response to carygold
People who cause accidents while distracted is already against the law. There is no need to list every single action that needs to be prohibited.
What about changing the radio, turning to yell at your brat in the back seat, applying makeup, eating, etc.
I agree with Perry on this one.
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Al C
enthusiast
Posts: 5538
Loc: McKinney/Allen, TX
Reg: 02-16-01
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06-21-11 09:25 AM - Post#133689
In response to JasonKA
I'm on the fence on this one. On the one hand, texting while driving is stupid and dangerous. On the other hand, if this bill went through making it a crime, what would be next? What else would they start taking away from drivers?
And like someone else said ... making it illegal won't stop some people from doing it. You can't outlaw stupid.
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civicminded
Community Guide
Posts: 9255
Loc: Lone Star State
Reg: 04-24-02
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06-21-11 10:08 AM - Post#133693
In response to Al C
Haha, yeah we can't outlaw stupid. At least the commercial vehicle operators can't do it (per Presidential Directive last year). Too bad we didn't get it on this effort, but perhaps there are more details we don't have?
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carygold
enthusiast
Posts: 4972
Reg: 05-30-08
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06-21-11 10:20 AM - Post#133694
In response to Al C
I think texting while driving should be a ticketing offense, for no other reason than to discourage people from risking peoples lives to read/send a text message and to help assign blame in accident situations. It is a hard one to enforce, but if the ticket amount is high enough say $200.00 it only takes a few people to get one of those tickets to get the message out.
I also think the same should apply for cell phone use that requires the loss of one hand on the steering wheel.
Studies shown that there is little difference between a drunk driver and one texting or in some cases... using a cell phone.
Here is one study.
I think Perry is an idiot for not seeing this as a real issue.
If CEO's increased their pay at the same rate as Average Americans
their pay would average $1,384,890 not $10,621,000 |
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mgrayar
enthusiast
Posts: 3164
Reg: 09-25-09
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06-21-11 10:40 AM - Post#133699
In response to carygold
Your right about enforcement. It seems impossible for our police to enforce no-u-turn signs, or No-right-on-red, even though those offenses are blatantly obvious. I've seen cops watch 10 cars in a row make a right out of the VatF on red, not one got pulled over.
I'm not sure texting would be enforced in the slightest, and it would be a tough case to make without warrants to search phones and records. That would be very costly and a ton of desk work for the officer. They would likely only enforce in the case of an accident, which as Jason mentioned, they can already do so.
Learn more about Cystic Fibrosis and how you can help at:
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carygold
enthusiast
Posts: 4972
Reg: 05-30-08
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06-21-11 11:37 AM - Post#133700
In response to mgrayar
The reality is no can make someone do something they don't want to do. There are laws against murder, but that does not stop murder.
The best we can hope for is to make the fine large enough, that when someone is caught and ticketed, they tell people it cost them $200, or something like that for regular road ways and maybe $500 for school zones. Its a deterrence, nothing more. The texting issue will come up again when someone like Perry loses a loved one to someone texting and driving... then it will be important.
If CEO's increased their pay at the same rate as Average Americans
their pay would average $1,384,890 not $10,621,000 |
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civicminded
Community Guide
Posts: 9255
Loc: Lone Star State
Reg: 04-24-02
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06-21-11 11:45 AM - Post#133701
In response to carygold
Sadly enough, you're right that it often takes a disaster close to home for a different viewpoint to sink in. He's probably gonna be President, then maybe he'll do it then??  
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carygold
enthusiast
Posts: 4972
Reg: 05-30-08
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06-21-11 12:53 PM - Post#133703
In response to civicminded
Sadly enough, you're right that it often takes a disaster close to home for a different viewpoint to sink in. He's probably gonna be President, then maybe he'll do it then??
 President??
I don't think America is ready for another Texan in the White House at this point.
I don't think Perry is going to run either, unless the economy keeps slipping.
If CEO's increased their pay at the same rate as Average Americans
their pay would average $1,384,890 not $10,621,000 |
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Michael
enthusiast
Posts: 1985
Loc: Allen
Reg: 05-20-02
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06-21-11 06:17 PM - Post#133718
In response to Al C
I'm on the fence on this one. On the one hand, texting while driving is stupid and dangerous. On the other hand, if this bill went through making it a crime, what would be next? What else would they start taking away from drivers?
And like someone else said ... making it illegal won't stop some people from doing it. You can't outlaw stupid.
Exactly! It's already been proven that talking on the phone is as bad as or worse than drunk drivers. I'm not talking about the "holding" of the phone. It's the holding a conversation that requires more concentration when the person is not there in the car with you.
So we need to outlaw (while driving):
Talking on a phone
Eating
Changing radio channels
Fiddling with iPods
Fiddling with iTouch
Applying makeup
Shaving
etc. The list could go on forever.
| I don't suffer from insanity. I enjoy every minute of it! |
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Maurice
Community Expert
Posts: 3981
Loc: Allen, TX
Reg: 12-03-01
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06-21-11 10:24 PM - Post#133732
In response to carygold
I can't tell you how many times I've seen people driving down the street swerving all over the place as they drive with their knees and use both hands to text message. It's incredibly stupid and dangerous.
Add to that my wife and I being involved in an accident that was due to a teen texting while driving, if my wife didn't swerve quickly enough it would have been head on with a suburban. Instead, she just took out the entire drivers side, blew out the windows and totally our car and then went into 5 others. Of course, she walked away from it fine, there were several other injuries and of course she got squat out of it other than a ticket and higher insurance fees her parents had to pay. That's what happens when you're so engrossed in texting that you fail to notice traffic ahead of you is stopped and then swerve into oncoming traffic where you're both going 50MPH.
If someone wants to wrap themselves around a telephone pole to answer a text, I have no pity on them. I do feel sorry for those who suffer due to that all important text message caused by the idiot that NEEDS to respond to while driving.
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MissingChico
enthusiast
Posts: 2228
Reg: 02-13-06
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07-18-11 09:10 AM - Post#134975
In response to Maurice
When you have to toe the ignorant Tea Party "No Big Gubmit" line, you're going to see irrational decisions like this simply to save face. Nobody is going to accuse Perry of allowing big government to keep us from texting when and where we want, at least during an election cycle.
| I get my news from the Comedy Central and my comedy from Fox News. |
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Maurice
Community Expert
Posts: 3981
Loc: Allen, TX
Reg: 12-03-01
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07-18-11 12:55 PM - Post#135008
In response to MissingChico
That's one of the reasons I have no use for the tea party, it started as a good idea and has been warped into a conservative version of a liberal PAC. They claim to be conservatives but haven't got a clue what it's really about.
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mgrayar
enthusiast
Posts: 3164
Reg: 09-25-09
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07-18-11 03:13 PM - Post#135016
In response to carygold
I just think we are getting to the point that we are trying to outlaw stupidity. You cannot ban everything that is dangerous if done incorrectly. At some point, we have to accept that idiots will be idiots, no matter if it's illegal or not.
Trans Fat is a much more serious threat on our nation as a whole than texting while driving. Trans Fat kills in so many ways it would be impossible to list them all here. Are we going to see legislation soon banning this killer from public consumption?
At some point, the government needs to accept that they cannot protect idiots from themselves.
Learn more about Cystic Fibrosis and how you can help at:
http://www.cff.org
Everyone can make a difference! |
Edited by mgrayar on 07-18-11 03:14 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
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carygold
enthusiast
Posts: 4972
Reg: 05-30-08
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07-18-11 03:54 PM - Post#135019
In response to mgrayar
I just think we are getting to the point that we are trying to outlaw stupidity. You cannot ban everything that is dangerous if done incorrectly. At some point, we have to accept that idiots will be idiots, no matter if it's illegal or not.
Trans Fat is a much more serious threat on our nation as a whole than texting while driving. Trans Fat kills in so many ways it would be impossible to list them all here. Are we going to see legislation soon banning this killer from public consumption?
At some point, the government needs to accept that they cannot protect idiots from themselves.
You have a good point. However I can choose not to eat Oreo Cookies, and save my veins, I cannot stop a teenager from texting her way into the side of my car. Not that a law would do it either, it doesn't stop drunk driving.
I think just the fact it is illegal will reduce the chances that the next set of 16 year olds will be texting while driving. Its not a bullet proof law, but it might save some lives, maybe mine.
If CEO's increased their pay at the same rate as Average Americans
their pay would average $1,384,890 not $10,621,000 |
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mgrayar
enthusiast
Posts: 3164
Reg: 09-25-09
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07-18-11 08:03 PM - Post#135039
In response to carygold
Good points.
Learn more about Cystic Fibrosis and how you can help at:
http://www.cff.org
Everyone can make a difference! |
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Maurice
Community Expert
Posts: 3981
Loc: Allen, TX
Reg: 12-03-01
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07-19-11 08:39 AM - Post#135059
In response to mgrayar
No, you can't outlaw stupid, if that were the case our jails would be really overrun. By making what should already be common sense (a diminishing commodity in the world) against the law, it should limit the amount of people texting that can smack right into your car.
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carygold
enthusiast
Posts: 4972
Reg: 05-30-08
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07-19-11 03:52 PM - Post#135085
In response to Maurice
Follow the money...
Like seat belts, when insurance companies have seen that texting is costing them money in increased claims and law suits...then texting will be illegal.
If CEO's increased their pay at the same rate as Average Americans
their pay would average $1,384,890 not $10,621,000 |
|
Maurice
Community Expert
Posts: 3981
Loc: Allen, TX
Reg: 12-03-01
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07-20-11 02:25 PM - Post#135143
In response to carygold
It'll be like the old stop sign deal, they won't make it illegal until it kills the right amount of people. Just like they don't put in a stop light until enough people get killed by those ignoring the stop signs.
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