BEWARE ANOTHER TAXPAYER RIPOFF …
At some point you knew it was going to happen …
South Carolina was going to run out of redneck names to attach to reactionary new laws.
Accordingly we have “Peanut’s Law,” a piece of legislation named in honor of Kenneth Long, Jr. – a.k.a. “Peanut” – a 22-year-old “flag operator” who died at the hands of a speeding motorist last August in a construction zone on Highway 41 in Williamsburg County.
Under “Peanut’s Law” – pushed by freshman “Republican” Senator Greg Hembree – the top-end fine for speeding in a work zone would be doubled from $200 to $400 (if no injuries occur) and up to $1,000 if injuries result. Lawmakers may boost those fines even higher as this bill makes its way through the S.C. General Assembly.
Sheesh …
With due condolences to Long’s family, this bill has nothing to do with “Peanut” and everything to do with lawmakers looking for another way to rip off taxpayers.
You know … so they can continue flushing money down the toilet.
Hembree says the money obtained from “Peanut’s Law” – well, half of it – would go to fund additional law enforcement.
Believe it or not, that’s a government expansion we support – although we reject efforts to raise taxes, fees or fines to pay for it.
Once again state lawmakers – who are appropriating more than $23 billion this year – want to blow new money on everything under the sun except core functions like law enforcement.
You see, there’s always new money to pay for nonsense like deficit spending at totally pointless institutions of higher learning – but when it’s time to pay for more police officers on our roadways, lawmakers always want to do it with tax, fee or fine hikes.
Of course South Carolina “Republicans” are totally on board with such smoke-and-mirrors budgeting …
In fact “GOP” consultant Earl Capps – yes, that Earl Capps – went on the record with The (Columbia, S.C.) State newspaper in support of the new law.
“This is providing a mechanism to let offenders pay,” Capps said. “The fine isn’t the deterrent. It’s the actual presence of law enforcement. It’s the visual appearance that you’ll be pulled.”
Exactly. So if the fine isn’t the deterrent – why raise it? And if the “actual presence” of law enforcement is so important, why are their 200 fewer troopers on the road in South Carolina today compared to six years ago?
After all, the state budget is $3 billion bigger today than it was back then …
Again, it’s all about priorities … or in this case, a total lack thereof. If politicians like Hembree were serious about protecting the lives of construction workers, then they would pay for additional law enforcement personnel by slashing unnecessary government – not raising taxes, fees or fines on cash-strapped South Carolinians.
Fines in the Palmetto State are high enough already. There’s no need to raise them – especially when supporters of the fine hikes openly admit that doing so will not deter behavior.
31 comments
But Obama is Quadrupling insurance rates, deductibles are doubling…and coverage has to be checked off by a gov’t representative…That’s AFTER Obama Promised us, we did not have to change coverage, and it would cost us $2,500 less annually….in the Middle of Obama’s Depression…
And FITS is sitting here with his head up his @$$…worried about a fine for speeders who kill road workers…
People….With Idiots like FITS acting as media, and so many Dumb@$$#$ following his ignorance… is why this country is in the freaking mess it’s in…
You better WAKE UP like an Angry Lion…and rip the heart out of the Corrupt fools destroying your children’s country…starting with idiots, like FITS, in the media…
Yall remember: FITS and Mace are joined at the hip. She’s Co-founder of the site. Ms FITS, he calls her. …and she’s pledging to CHANGE things….Remember that when you vote…
Quadrupled insurance rates? Doubled deductibles? Oh yes, Obama totally did that to everybody’s insurance. It couldn’t be that only people with junk insurance may have to pay “quadruple” their old rate for a plan that isn’t actually worthless.
LowT is awake, in the twilight zone.
So you are in FAVOR of Obamacare…are you on record with that???
single payer is the BOMB!
You need a new k@3b0^&~
No doubt when a drunk driver pulls onto interstate the first thing he worries about is the possibility of a stiff fine if he clips someone in a construction zone
Fucking cockroaches should be passing a law that if anyone is killed as a result of a drunk driver that the drunk driver be tried for murder and upon conviction be chained to the back of a Massey Ferguson to be pulled slowly down the shoulder of interstate until either the chain breaks or the largest chunk finally falls off
I see nothing wrong with upping the fine for assholes who speed in work zones. However, if such speeding results in injuries or deaths, we shouldn’t be talking fines, we should be talking jail time.
I would go along with raising the fine PROVIDED they stop blocking off 6 miles of highway when the men are only working 200 ft on that day. As it is now, you enter a construction zone and don’t see a worker for 3 miles, you pass the workers and don’t see another one for the remaining 3 miles in the zone. Move the zone/cones as you go.
That is big part of why there is so much speeding in the zones to begin with.
Kind of like “wet paint” signs, if you don’t take the signs down when the paint dries people start ignoring the signs and smear the wet paint when there is some.
Sometimes I think it is a separate company getting paid by the mile to put up the cones. You are dead on with this comment.
A DOT regional manager did inform me that removal of the “Construction Ahead” signs that linger long after the end of the project are the responsibility of the contractor, and sometimes they just can’t be bothered.
“Believe it or not, that’s a government expansion we support – although we reject efforts to raise taxes, fees or fines to pay for it.”
Because we believe it should be paid for with farts and sunshine…
Government is run by farts & smells like a fart so it only makes sense that it be supported by farts.
Don’t give the politicians any ideas as to new sources of revenue. LOL
Pot. It’s the best tax base since cigarettes… because there will be no restriction as to who can grow it, the way it is with tobacco and hops.
Give farmers two or three years of unrestricted freedom to grow pot and it will be all along the road like the big round bales of hay.
No shit. Unlike Moonshine, it won’t kill people, and the price will be determined by the season and the quality. There will be thousands of qualities, unlike alcohol that just has taste and proof.
The number of follow-on products will be legion. Many that you couldn’t (or wouldn’t want to) make at home – like clear patties of resin glands.
The price will be $0.00 for ditch weed, only Johnny Weed Seed would spread the best in every corner of this great nation – amber waves of grain will grow alongside verdant waves of weed.
I find it interesting that people complain about the bad roads in SC and then cry about spending an extra couple of minutes driving through a construction zone.
I find it interesting that you are a pecker jerk.
But thats ok. I suck on peckers for profit and pleasure.
If we acknowledge that the fines won’t slow the bad drivers down we need to look for something that will because raising the fines won’t pay for “A” cop let alone “enough” cops. I don’t know how many “speeding in work zone” tickets are issued each year, state wide, but I’m going to guess each cop (or state trooper) will cost $100k each (payroll taxes, insurance, patrol car, etc.). You would need at least 3 cops (state troopers) per county and we have 46 counties, so there’s 150 cops (need supervisors too) at $100k each would be $15M. Even at the maximum $1k for each speeder that’s 15,000 tickets, or average 326 speeders per county.
This money would go into the general fund and be spent to build another monument to another slick politician, like say a “Transportation Research Facility”. The next budget after this thing passes would probably have LESS money for cops.
They won’t hire more cops to give the tickets… they’ve got plenty of time for that. And the money will go to the cousins of the contractors who are friends and family of the politicians who raised the fees.
If increasing the fine isn’t a deterrent, why increase the fine? The answer is a cop of some kind at the entrance to the work zone. I was traveling extensively in Ga. when they were widening I75 and there was a cop at the work zone entrance and everyone slowed down. It has to do with the attitude of law enforcement. On another occasion I was taking my grand children to school for a while and noted two troopers and how they enforced the law. One sat on top of the hill going into the school and everyone drove safely. Another one sat just over the hill so as to catch speeders with radar. My question: Which was doing the most good and which was there to collect money? Was the objective to make the school zone safer or to write more tickets ? I realize that most politicians would opt for the more ticket writing to get more money to waste. The safety of the workers should be the most important consideration and the cop at the work zone will accomplish that without any new laws or other BS.
If increasing the fine isn’t a deterrent, why increase the fine?
——–
Same reason marijuana is illegal – “it sends a message”
Makes sense to me…
except of course, if you’re making 120k a year, $1000 fine to run down an irritating flagman might be a luxury many could not afford. Sort of like lighting a cigar with a 100 dollar bill and paying the no smoking fine.
I believe this bill is to protect all workers and if the fines are stiffer maybe it will open drivers eyes, if that’s what it takes so be it! It just happens to be that my brother KENNETH LONG JR. “PEANUT” life was taken on careless acts of a driver that was not paying attention. So if this helps save the lives of someones father, brother, child, sister, or mother then that’s what matters!! With this bill it was also have more officers to protect our loved ones and if death occurs jail time. So, if the bill passes and is named after my Brother then that is an honor to him and my family!! We will never see or hear his voice again!! SAVE OTHERS LIVES!!! SO YES ANOTHER “PEANUT” LAW….Thank you EARL CAPPS for all your hard work!!!
Do each & everyone of you think that it is fair for his family to not only have his life taken from us by a speeding, careless breaking system on a trailer he was pulling & from being distracted, for a ticket fine of $310.00 & a few points??? This young man, a father is without a son, a mother is without a son, a stepmother is without a son, sister’s are without a brother, aunt’s & uncle’s are without a nephew , his only living grandmother is without her grandson. In his death, this is reckless homicide, so uncalled for & his family wants Justice for Kenneth Long Jr “Peanut”!!!!!!!.the end :(
If you don’t agree with the law/bill that’s one thing but, being rude is not called for!!!
South Carolina is going to run out of redneck names really!!! (REDNECK or NOT that was his nickname so RESPECT IT!!!!
For 3 weeks I watched my cousin Peanut along with the crew work on this stretch of hwy. I watched as they put their lives on the line daily doing their job. Vehicles would fly up to this construction site and many would not even stop for flagmen. A week prior to Peanut getting killed another worker as well was killed as he was doing his job. I personally saw three other wrecks in this time frame as well simply because people would not slow down. If it takes higher fines to save a life than so be it. The higher the better. No amount of money will bring him back but if he saves another Peanut or any other given redneck name as you call it, then so be it. Slow down or pay the fine, its just that simply. Rest in Peace Peanut, we love and miss you and WILL NOT stop until your voice is heard.
Well said!!
If there is an injury or death, I concur with serious JAIL/PRISON time for the offender. I oppose the increased fines for speeding. The whole “Let em work, let em live” campaign has been made into a mockery because the signs remain up during hours when NO workers are present and in some cases, may not be for days to come.
When workers are present I respect the signs and drive with extra caution. No way would I want a death or serious injury of one of them on my conscience/Karma.
I sympathize with the gentleman’s friends and family on their loss. It has to be terrible.
That said, I have noticed that most of these laws named after someone (Joe’s law, Bill’s law, Jane’s law, Mary’s law, etc) are usually feel good fluff with more bad points that good. I do not support this law in its current form.
WE NEED A VOTER RECALL LAW!!! —- IT IS OUR CONSTITUTION RIGHT!!! …. WE NEED A VOTER RECALL LAW!!! …. WE NEED A VOTER RECALL LAW!!! …. WE NEED A VOTER RECALL LAW!!! ….