Let's put a government-controlled GPS in each and every car!

I suppose the silver lining is, the Feds will be able to find your car each and every time it's stolen.

The tax would entail equipping vehicles with GPS technology to determine how many miles a car has been driven and whether on interstate highways or secondary roads. The devices would also calculate the amount of tax owed.

Who's going to start organizing the efforts to get 48% of Americans to break their mandatory car-nannies? I think it's time to keep an eye on who's running against James Oberstar and start doing everything we can to make sure Oberstar loses his seat in 2010. It's a shame, because he's generally against gun control and abortion, but this sort of nanny-stating can't be allowed to get a foothold.

Posted by: Alice H at 07:09 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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You don't fucking say!

In Bloomberg Archipelago, crimes in which firearms are used has dropped, meanwhile, crime with knives is way up and makes up what dropped in crimes with firearms.  I can't wait for Nanny Bloomberg to start agitating for bans on kitchen knives.

Posted by: doubleplusundead at 12:48 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Behold The Glories Of The Nanny State, Clown Shoe Edition

So Alex, is this one time you approve of Nanny Statism?

When he returned to the circus he was told by management he could no longer wear the size-18 shoes because they compromised his health and safety.

Mr Kashkin features in the circus' reworking of the Rasputin tale, The Monk's Dream.

His routine includes dressing himself whilst walking on a wire, dress himself within a hoop of fire, and playing a drum-kit, trumpet and double-bass all at the same time.

But he is now worried performing in his regular sized footwear will lose impact on the audience.

Mr Kashkin, 40, from Temruk, Russia, said: "The shoes are an important part of my costume, and I was disappointed to be told I couldn't do this part of my act.

"I feel fine, and think I could do it in the shoes – the impact might be lost on the audience now."

Rejecting that it was a case of health and safety gone mad, Larry Dewitt, Health and Safety adviser to the circus said: "I'm not a believer in political correctness, or doing things for the sake of doing it however.

"You have to take a common-sense approach with these things – if it's stupid, don't do it."

Paul Archer, General Manager for the Moscow State Circus, said: "I think it will definitely detract from the visual aspect of the performance.

"It's very important because there's a language barrier to the whole performance, as it's in Russian."

Posted by: eddiebear at 09:11 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Open Carry Okay In Wisconsin

Or is it?

While the state’s top attorney says it is legal for residents to carry unconcealed firearms in public, Milwaukee authorities say they won’t stand for it.

“My message to my troops is if you see anybody carrying a gun on the streets of Milwaukee, we’ll put them on the ground, take the gun away and then decide whether you have a right to carry it,” Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn said.

“Maybe I’ll end up with a protest of cowboys. In the meantime, I’ve got serious offenders with access to handguns. It’s irresponsible to send a message to them that if they just carry it openly no one can bother them.”

Meanwhile, Kenosha County’s top cops said how their officers and deputies will respond to openly armed citizens won’t be automatic and aggressive, depending on a number of factors, including the setting and behavior of the citizen involved.

Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen issued a memo saying the law allows carrying unconcealed weapons without a permit, as long as it’s done peacefully and within specified restrictions, such as not taking guns into schools.

It is an interesting debate (I think we all know what I think) that will probably result in arrests without prosecutions since the carrying of the gun alone is officially not grounds for charge. 

Of course, if we weren't one of the TWO states that don't allow conceal carry we wouldn't have this problem.

Posted by: Moron Pundit at 11:52 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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Behold The Glories Of The Nanny State

Maryland edition.

The new legislation specifically authorizes the use of speed cameras anywhere in the state up to one-half a mile away from a school zone. School zone cameras can operate as late as 8pm and ticket motorists regardless of whether school is in session. It also creates a statewide freeway camera program designed to be used in so-called "work zones" where the speed limit is lowered, regardless of whether workers are actually present. On a freeway that ordinarily has a 55 MPH speed limit, for example, citations would be issued to anyone driving 57 MPH in the lowered speed zone. For-profit private companies are authorized to take charge of all aspects of the program.

Lawmakers turned aside a number of amendments intended to clarify the true purpose of the program. One rejected provision would have returned any profit from the program to the public in the form of a tax credit. Another would have required weekly calibrations be performed to ensure the accuracy of the tickets. Lawmakers also rejected an amendment that would have ensured that state legislators were not exempt from receiving photo radar tickets. They also turned down an amendment that would have printed on each ticket the names of lawmakers responsible for voting the camera bill into law.

The only limitation adopted was a provision limiting cities from using speed cameras to increase their general fund budgets by more than ten percent. This amendment was aimed at Silver Spring, which doubled its annual revenue with photo ticketing.

Posted by: eddiebear at 11:00 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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