[CBS] RICHMOND, Va. -- The U.S. Department of Justice sided with a lawsuit filed in July on behalf of low-income drivers, which challenged the Commonwealth’s practice of suspending the driver’s license of people who can’t afford court costs and fines.
Plaintiffs alleged that state officials "unconstitutionally deprive people of this important interest by automatically suspending the driver’s licenses of those who fail to pay court fines or fees, without providing adequate process and without assessing whether the failure to pay was willful or the result of a defendant’s inability to pay."
The Department of Justice agreed that the practice did violate due process in a brief.
"...The practice of automatically suspending an indigent person’s driver’s license for failure to pay money owed to a court without adequate consideration of the person’s ability to pay violates the Fourteenth Amendment," the DOJ wrote in the brief.
The DOJ said an automatic suspension of driver’s licenses for failure to pay fines or fees does not advance a state’s inherent interest in promoting public safety, nor is it an effective means of achieving the identified purpose of this practice, namely compelling "future compliance with a court order."
The DOJ also stated that if a payment plan is offered, but a person can’t pay any money in the foreseeable future, states must consider alternative options that do not require monetary payment.
"These alternatives include reducing fines or fees to a manageable amount in accordance with a person’s ability to pay, offering community service programs, or requiring the completion of coursework, such as traffic safety classes," the DOJ wrote.
#1
The DOJ said an automatic suspension of driver’s licenses for failure to pay fines or fees does not advance a state’s inherent interest in promoting public safety
#4
When I was sixteen years old here in California and trying to get a drivers license all the grown ups kept drumming it into my head that driving is a privilege that can always be revoked for any transgression, not a right. How things have changed! But what does Baraq's DOJ have to say about it anyway? Why is this case not being decided by the courts?
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
11/15/2016 12:04 Comments ||
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#5
Yes, driving is a privilege, not a right, but suspend a poor person's license and he won't be able to get to work. At that point, it's game over -- job lost, apartment lost, thrown in jail. I'd rather see some sort of work program instituted, say ten hours a week sweeping the streets at the equivalent of minimum wage until the debt is paid off. In the end the community and the individual will be better off, instead of both losing.
#7
"I'd rather see some sort of work program instituted"
Virginia, where the suit is filed, has provisions for payment plans and (some sort of, I think) work program, but most courts don't tell the driver about them (and most drivers up on traffic charges don't bring a lawyer, even if they can afford one).
On the other hand, some of these people have 10 or 20 (or more!) different convictions in multiple courts around the Commonwealth (not including those for driving on a suspended license).
Posted by: Barbara ||
11/15/2016 20:44 Comments ||
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Posted by: Vast Right Wing Conspiracy ||
11/15/2016 08:14 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
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#1
Look the wisdom of the electoral college this way - drop ten million more people in Chicago, New York, LA and Portland (etc.) and you've got at least nine million more democratic votes. But no change in electoral votes. The cities are not allowed to run roughshod over 'flyover country'.
Posted by: Bobby ||
11/15/2016 10:49 Comments ||
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[Everyjoe] And, yes, some of us are very, very happy right about now. The following, however, is about and largely addressed to those who are very, very unhappy right about now.
Modern, young, metrosexual, multicultural, social justice mongering lefties are idiots. They are idiots wherever found, all over the world. They are spoiled children; ill-mannered, ill-bred, weak, ignorant, and stupid. They are historically illiterate. They have no idea of how the world really works. The only ideas they have outside of the fever swamps contained within their neutronium-dense skulls, filled to the brim with professorial sewage, are the kind of ideas that can only survive inside the echo chamber of a safe space.2 They are, frankly, disgusting, and the similarities between them and actual human beings are minimal. Morally, intellectually, spiritually, they are cockroaches. Were it not that some of them are possibly larval stage human beings, creatures who may eventually grow up to be actual human beings, there would be little or no moral component to gassing them.
I mean, sure, the younger generation, every younger generation, not least mine, has been somewhat childlike until well past the onset of puberty. Indeed, the consensus of neuroscientists now seems to be that our brains aren’t actually adult until we reach our mid-twenties, or even later.4 But the lefty portion of this one is just special, in much the same way that kids riding the short bus are special.
So children, sit down, shut up, and listen; I’m going to explain to you why you didn’t get your childish fantasies handed to you by the adults, this time.
In the first place, there was your preferred candidate, the Hildebeest. You can mentally masturbate yourself that she was voted against because she was a woman. This is nonsense. She was voted against largely because she has a record of utter dishonesty going back to her youth. Twenty years ago New York Times columnist, William Safire, wrote:
"Americans of all political persuasions are coming to the sad realization that our First Lady -- a woman of undoubted talents who was a role model for many in her generation -- is a congenital liar. Drip by drip, like Whitewater torture, the case is being made that she is compelled to mislead, and to ensnare her subordinates and friends in a web of deceit."5
And that was written before she was in a position to parley her office and power as Secretary of State into kickbacks to the money laundering machine that is the Clinton Foundation.6 That was before that pseudo-charity paid for a chunk of Chelsea Clinton’s wedding.7 That was before she tried to cover her own incompetence8 as Secretary of State, concerning the Benghazi attack and murders, by blaming a minor filmmaker whose film had nothing, NOTHING, to do with it, putting his life in danger and sending him to jail.
But none of that mattered to you, did it? None of it mattered because you’re foolish children who do not care, indeed, are incapable, of caring, about the woman’s lack of integrity, her incompetence, her criminal negligence, or her total inability to take responsibility; all that mattered to you was that the bitch didn’t have a dick and mouthed lefty pieties, in public, even while you ignored her pandering to global finance, in private.9 How stupid must a youngster be to fail to understand that that means the bitch lies? Silly shits. Happily Con't.
#1
Tom Kratman is a retired infantry lieutenant colonel, recovering attorney, and science fiction and military fiction writer. His latest novel, The Rods and the Axe, is available from Amazon.com for $9.99 for the Kindle version, or $25 for the hardback. A political refugee and defector from the People’s Republic of Massachusetts, he makes his home in Blacksburg, Virginia. He holds the non-exclusive military and foreign affairs portfolio for EveryJoe. Tom’s books can be ordered through baen.com.
#3
The Colonel has produced the most epic rant I believe I have ever read.
I printed it this morning and left it at my daughter's place at the breakfast table before I left for work (at 0500. The relevance of that will be lost on her.)
She has been in deep mourning since the election. She is everything the good colonel describes - 25 years old, 3 years of college under her belt before flunking out with huge loans taken out to finance a 'women's studies' degree. Blue hair and trying so hard to be gay because it is in fashion. Low paying, part-time job. Supremely jealous of her brothers because of their success. (Two engineers, a sailor, and two businessmen).
Honey, I love you but lose the eye/lip rings and observe the habits of successful people. I'll gently help you.
Except for today - I'm rubbing your nose in it. Supper should be interesting.
#5
Tom Kratman wrote Caliphate, a tale of 22nd century Europe. I have recommended it here before, though it is too intense for me. It is again (still?) free from Amazon in kindle form.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
11/15/2016 12:12 Comments ||
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#7
TW, I don't know if Caliphate is still free. I found it an interesting read. He did not address the current flood of colonists into Europe, because he wrote it before the floodgates were opened.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
11/15/2016 12:55 Comments ||
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#8
1 Schadenboner, n, f., Germlish. The erection experienced by a male rightie at the misery lefties feel when they are utterly routed and rejected, horrified, humiliated, and hounded from power. Those experiencing a Schadenboner lasting more than two days should seek medical attention (h/t Francis Turner). Note: This title was chosen and this column was inspired by and is dedicated to Cora Buhlert, of Bremen, Germany, based on a rant she posted, here: http://corabuhlert.com/2016/11/10/attention-rant-incoming/
- Its true - she's too cowardly to allow comments...
It was when I posted that this morning, Rambler. I just don't know if he is running another special or if he's decided to have it as a permanent gift to current and future readers.
#10
GORT, congratulations on the successes of all your stalwart sons. Your poor daughter is probably confusing a very different temperament with being female, and needs to look for happiness elsewhere. Not all of us are meant for the hurly burly of managerial work -- it took me years to understand that about myself, because of course we all were taught that being intelligent necessarily translated to a well paid professional career.
[Reuters] U.S. President-elect Donald Trump recently announced the first major appointments to his administration but still has many positions to fill ahead of his inauguration on Jan. 20.
Trump announced on Sunday he will hire Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus as White House chief of staff and named Stephen Bannon, former head of the conservative web site Breitbart News, as his chief strategist and senior counselor. The selection of Bannon drew sharp criticism from Democrats, who criticized Breitbart News' ties to racist messages.
Below are people mentioned as contenders for senior roles.
#2
I could see Rudy Giuliani as SoS or John Bolton or Newt Gingrich. Don't know much about Khalilzad. I am hesitant on Sen. Bob Corker because of his playing footsy with Obama on his nuke deal. Corker and Iran nuke deal.
#6
I just read that Rand Paul is very opposed to Bolton and "reserved" about Rudy for SoS. He seems to think both have had some had positions that are diametrically opposed to what Trump ran on. What, No honeymoon?
[Free Beacon] Former Republican Senator and presidential candidate Bob Dole called anti-Donald Trump protesters "young punks" during an interview Monday with Neil Cavuto on Fox Business.
"I don’t think they even know Donald Trump," Dole said. "You know, I think they’re crazy. I can’t understand what is happening to the young people in America and what the future holds for the rest of the country if these young punks take over and continue their protests."
Dole also said he believes that professional protesters are involved in the demonstrations.
The 1996 GOP presidential nominee talked about the younger protesters who are walking out of school to demonstrate.
"But I also wonder where their parents are," Dole said. "I mean, if you have good parents, you’re not going to be out protesting, you ought to be in school worrying about your grades because if you are going to have any life in the future, you know, you’ve got to have not only a high school diploma, but also a college degree."
Dole joked that elementary schools and kindergartens would be the next sites of protests against Trump.
Dole did not endorse Trump in the primary, but was the only former Republican presidential nominee to endorse him in the general election and attended the 2016 Republican National Convention this summer in Cleveland.
I told my daughter to not talk politics until she or her friends could jump-start a car and change the tire unassisted - and I was not disagreeing with her. I just refuse to take ethics or civics lessons from people who cry when they don't get bubblegum...and I'm not talking about my kids there.
[Breitbart] I have worked with Stephen K. Bannon, President-elect Donald Trump’s new chief strategist and senior counselor, for nearly six years at Breitbart News. I can say, without hesitation, that Steve is a friend of the Jewish people and a defender of Israel, as well as being a passionate American patriot and a great leader.
A word or two about my credentials: I am an Orthodox Jew, and I hold a Master of Arts degree in Jewish Studies. My thesis at the Isaac and Jesse Kaplan Centre at the University of Cape Town dealt with the troubled status of Jews in an increasingly anti-Israel, and antisemitic, post-apartheid South Africa. I believe myself to be a qualified judge of what is, and is not, antisemitic.
It defies logic that a man who was a close friend, confidant, and adviser to the late Andrew Breitbart -- a proud Jew -- could have any negative feelings towards Jews. As I can testify from years of work together with Steve in close quarters, the opposite is the case: Steve is outraged by antisemitism. If anything, he is overly sensitive about it, and often takes offense on Jews’ behalf.
Steve cares deeply about the fate of Jewish communities in America and throughout the world, a fact that is reflected in Breitbart News’ daily coverage. It was in that spirit that Steve joined Breitbart News CEO Larry Solov (also Jewish) in launching Breitbart Jerusalem last year, fulfilling Andrew’s dream of opening a bureau in Israel specifically to cover the region from an unabashedly Zionist perspective.
#3
Stephen K. Bannon: Friend of the Jewish People, Defender of Israel. Not according to that hateful Soros-funded organization Media Matters for America. They are pushing the meme that Bannon is an anti-Semite but then they, like Hillary, lie a lot.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
11/15/2016 12:23 Comments ||
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#7
My black massage therapist asked me today what I thought of him. She isn't very political, so it's clearly getting wide play.
On the other hand, she wasn't able to get away to vote last week (she's a very good massage therapist, and a lovely person) which didn't bother her, as she'd declared a pox on both major candidates. She said everyone she knew decided not to vote for Mrs. Clinton after the tape of her calling black men "super-predators" came out. I seem to recall that was something she said back when she was a senator... does anyone remember how it happened to come out again this year?
#1
The Democrats use fear-mongering. Kind of like rain water is wet. That's their playbook.
I wonder how the demographics broke down in the 2016 election? Thought I saw some numbers that showed the millennials did go for Hilda as expected (or the blacks or the Hispanics or just about every other demographic).
[HuffPoo] We are all still reeling from the shock of the election results. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote yet we now must brace ourselves for a Trump Administration. The more I think about it and see the reactions from all sides, the more this feels like the aftermath of an attack ― a literal attack ― on our communities. And which communities are these?
The groups that those “deplorables” love to hate and feel threatened by are now under attack: LGBT people, people of color, women, Muslims, the disabled and many others. This election was a hate crime. Not physical but psychological, and one that may well lead to legal and physical manifestations that would very much be categorized as hate crimes. Replace the words "LGBT people, people of color, women, Muslims", with "whites, conservatives, men and Christians" and you have a sense of what this election was about.
I saw and heard about such pain and fear on social media and personally as we realized Trump would take the election. And it has not let up. I checked on several people who were expressing a level of fear that seem like it could lead to self-harm. I saw friends saying that they desperately needed to seek support at a twelve-step meeting or some other refuge. I saw pleas for self-care and to not let fear overwhelm us. That's what ganja does to you. Take a lesson instead.
So it was already a concern and after finally being able to get some sleep, a vandalized Hillary bumper sticker welcomed me as I got my car to go grocery shopping this morning. To me it is absolutely amazing how claims of vandalism and violence perpetrated against people of the left are popping up, yet not one single video, not one single foto of the incident emerges. It is almost as if the right's reaction is made up out of whole cloth to suit a leftist agenda.
We live in Montclair, NJ, one of the most diverse and progressive places in the state. For the first time in a long time I no longer feel safe. I used to brush off the occasional epithet and frequent misgendering, and have not had to deal with anything overt for some time. I fear that may change, not just at home but as I travel. With a daughter living in Texas and someone who travels for work, this feels very very real. Very very entertaining, but ultimately provably false. Where's the video evidence? Cell phone cameras are everywhere. Why are there no fotos and videos showing the reactions this individual claims?
But does calling this vote a hate crime sound extreme? Not if you look at the definition. A hate crime is one motivated by prejudice, fear or intolerance toward an individual’s national origin, ethnicity, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability. Textbook description of what the left and its supporters inside the government have done in the last eight years. No wonder they are afraid. They are afraid new government appointees will do to them what has been done to their political enemies during Obammer's run.
It is not news that throughout his campaign Trump spend an enormous amount of time spewing hate and vitriol at women, Muslims, Latino and the disabled. Brushing things like sexual assault braggadocio off as “locker room talk” and not seeing him held accountable by his supporters, the GOP or more of the media was at best disappointing. Actually is was infuriating. And embarrassing. There was no sexual assault. What this writer calls sexual assault I call making a play. It failed, as it should have if the intended object of affection refused.
We saw protesters at Trump rallies mocked, beaten and arrested. As the crowd cheers along like a mob. We saw the same thing at rallies against Trump supporters. Both sides behaved reprehensibly, and should be called to account, but won't.
So it should come as no surprise that many – not all – but many of the disenfranchised voters supporting Trump felt not only validated but empowered but this victory. Enough to create a climate where they are far less hesitant to act on their hate. I thought about how after eight years of a powerful, effective African-American President with integrity we now will have a President endorsed by the KKK. Puleez. Some elements of the KKK endorsed Obammer in 2012. It's their personal entertainment to do so.
As we all try to wrap out minds around this new reality, as we approach January and the inauguration of President Trump, I hope that the impact of what this country just let happen sinks in. I think we will only see more fear-mongering, and hostility. I think you will, and I think you should. After what conservatives have been put through during Obammer's run, they are entitled.
I fear that the haters have been handed a sense of empowerment that they will operationalize after years of frustration. We saw it after the Brexit vote, which this is constantly being compared to in the media. Operationalize?
Add more syllables and it sounds more impressive, donchaknow.
I fear for all those who are now clearly in the crosshairs of hatred. I fear for allies who will speak up and protest a Trump regime and all it may bring. I fear we will be hearing about more than bumper sticker vandalism. I fear. If bumper sticker vandalism is the worst you experience, thank your lucky stars for the civility that act entails.
#1
Oh I'm sure the videos and photos are right next to the stacks of videos and such showing how the Tea Party spat on Congressmen and yelled the N-word over and over and over again during that march Pelosi did during the Obamacare vote...
#3
There is no reasoning with these creatures. Never will be. Don't waste your time. Their minds are closed. Amen. At one hundred yards! Volley fire, present! Aim! Fire! is what this is all leading to. Wish it wasn't so, but the paths of human behavior known as history say otherwise.
#5
A vote for Trump was a hate crime? Gimme a break. I view a vote for Trump as a way of possibly getting the country off life-support and on the road to good health again. Look at it as getting the country healthy and off ObamaCare and off the death-watch list.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
