Extreme DWI Law

Twice as drunk, twice the consequence? I think so! In late August, the State of Texas lawmakers passed a law called the "Extreme DWI Law." This new law provides for an additional penalty for drunk drivers who test with a blood alcohol level of .15 or above, just about double that of the legal limit. Prior to the passing of this law, drunk drivers with a blood alcohol level of .08 or .20 all received the same penalty, a class B misdemeanor. Under the new Extreme DWI Law, drivers with a blood alcohol level above .15 receieve a class A misdemeanor, up to 1 year in jail, and a $4000 fine.
From a citizens perspective this is great news. As with many crimes, the greater the crime, the greater the punishment. A great example of that would be in cases of theft. The penalty for theft varies greatly depending on the value or amount that has been stolen. Someone who steaks a piece of candy does not receieve the same penalty as someone who steals a Mercedes.
Many of us have no doubt driven thinking we are "fine" or after "just a couple beers," when in fact we are probably right at the legal limit. While this is still wrong, it is quite different from someone who binge drinks and then gets behind the wheel. We must all accept responsibility if we drink and drive, and those who blatantly violate the law should receive pushishment equal to their crime.

Rick Perry & Women

I found the blog posting "What a Rick Perry Presidency Would Look Like For Women" from the "Mean Rachel" blog to be very interesting. Although Rachel identifies herself as being younger, her profile is pretty impressive, and in my opinion she appears to be pretty qualified to comment on political matters. Rachel is clearly left wing, and covered the 2008 Democratic National Convention, as well as having written for The Huffington Post.

In this particular blog entry, Rachel is tries to describe what the election of Governor Rick Perry would mean for american women, based on the policies he supports. According to Rachel, the first order of business would be to emphasize abstinence. We all know that Governor Perry feels very strongly about this issue, however the author points out that according to a 2005 study, teens were having more sex after undergoing an abstinence only program. Therefore, Perry's persistance in executing this program is based solely on a "From my own personal life" platform.

The blog post goes on to point out many other problems the state of Texas has on its hands under Perry's governing. It is brought out, as it has been in many recent debates that Texas is suffering in the education area, labeled the state with the highest percent of high school dropouts. Clearly the author did her research, rather than simply bashing the Governor.

Although this blog is written to be funny or "mean" as implied by the title, it brings to light several points that may be of interest to women voters. Obviously all of the problems in Texas cannot be blamed on Rick Perry, but women who read this blog will certainly be interested in it's contents.