Monday, August 29, 2011

Interlock bill would make a mockery of the 10th Amendment

According to my latest issue of Interlock Focus, published by Consumer Safety Technology, Inc. (the folks who make the Intoxa-Lock), los federales are looking to make (yet) another end run around the 10th Amendment.

Senators Tom Udall (D-NM) and Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) are sponsoring the "Drunk Driver Repeat Offender Prevention Ace of 2011." Unfortunately for the two senators, it doesn't look like they could come up with a fancy little acronym to make it sound more palatable. Better luck next time, guys.

The bill would require states to pass a mandatory interlock requirement on drivers accused of DWI with a prior conviction. The states would have until 2014 before los federales would start taking away highway funds. Sound familiar?

It should. This is the same formula Congress used to force states to raise their legal drinking ages to 21 and to lower the per se alcohol concentration to .08. The bill would dock any state who didn't go along 2% of its road construction funding. That rate would increase to 4% in year two up to a maximum of 8%.

Now here's a challenge for Sens. Udall and Lautenberg -- please point out to me where in the Constitution driving while intoxicated is listed as a federal crime. And you tea-drinking, limited government loving Republicans, do explain to me how this bill advances the agenda of limiting government intrusion in our lives.

Somehow I don't think I'll be getting any responses.

1 comment:

A Voice of Sanity said...

Another argument for phasing out the federal income tax, repealing the 16th amendment.