GA. Lawmaker: Driver's Liscenses? No more!

[SirNitram]

Link

ATLANTA -- A state lawmaker from Marietta is sponsoring a bill that seeks to do away with Georgia driver's licenses.

State Rep. Bobby Franklin, R-Marietta, has filed House Bill 7, calling it the "Right to Travel Act."

In his bill, Franklin states, "Free people have a common law and constitutional right to travel on the roads and highways that are provided by their government for that purpose. Licensing of drivers cannot be required of free people, because taking on the restrictions of a license requires the surrender of an inalienable right."

Franklin told CBS Atlanta News that driver's licenses are a throw back to oppressive times. “Agents of the state demanding your papers," he said. "We’re getting that way here.”

CBS Atlanta's Rebekka Schramm asked Franklin, “How are we going to keep up with who’s who and who’s on the roads and who’s not supposed to be on the roads?”

“That’s a great question," Franklin said. "And I would have to answer that with a question, ‘Why do you need to know who’s who?’”

“What about 12-14-year-olds who want to drive? What would stop them?" Schramm asked.

“Well, what’s stopping them now anyway?” Franklin answered.

But not all drivers are on board with the lawmaker's idea.

"I think people should be qualified in some way to drive," Susan Cotton said.

"It’s kind of dumb. We need to focus on more important things. The system is working," Sheriyar Sarkari said.

Franklin’s name is on the first 21 bills of the legislative session, including one that would require the exclusive use of gold and silver as tender in payment of debts by or to the state, as required in the Georgia Constitution.

“Can the state really pay in gold and silver?” Schramm asked.

“Sure, and they can write checks on it," Franklin said. "They can use a debit card as long as what’s denominated behind it is gold and silver.”

Franklin is also behind House Bill 11, which would repeal the authority of the governor to issue mandatory vaccination orders. “I’m a firm believer that no person should be subjected to an invasive medical procedure without their consent,” he said.

“Have you ever had critics say, ‘Look, some of these bills are a waste of paper?’” Schramm asked.

“I can’t speak for what other people think," Franklin said. "I just know I took an oath to uphold the Constitution, and that’s what I’m trying to do.”

I'm shocked they didn't cover this lolbertarian asshole's most offensive bill.

PDF of the most offensive one.

Not recommended for those who feel strongly about rape cases and have high blood pressure. But in short: While every other crime in Georgia has a victim, rape merely has an accuser. According to this asshole, anyway.

[The Yosemite Bear]

on the first bill
a. remind me not to drive through GA EVER, I already deal with enough idjits out on the road here in CA
b. make sure to get sublegislation for WV to harvest expected influx of fresh livers and other organs should the GA law pass.
c. ok, now under CA law we can't serve visitors from GA alcohol reguardless of apparent ages...

[Korto]

Franklin told CBS Atlanta News that driver's licenses are a throw back to oppressive times. “Agents of the state demanding your papers," he said. "We’re getting that way here.”

You know, I can kind of see his point when a driver randomly pulled over and hasn't done anything wrong is still required to identify himself, buuut when someone's in charge of a one tonne high speed lethal weapon I personally feel they don't have a right to say "Duuuh, what's that?" when I ask them if they know how to use a fucking indicator.

But maybe that's just me.

[SirNitram]

Franklin told CBS Atlanta News that driver's licenses are a throw back to oppressive times. “Agents of the state demanding your papers," he said. "We’re getting that way here.”

You know, I can kind of see his point when a driver randomly pulled over and hasn't done anything wrong is still required to identify himself, buuut when someone's in charge of a one tonne high speed lethal weapon I personally feel they don't have a right to say "Duuuh, what's that?" when I ask them if they know how to use a fucking indicator.

But maybe that's just me.

The fun bit would be to ask if he beleives a police officer can pull over someone who looks foreign and require identification. Georgia is one of the states with it being proposed and pushed.

[bobalot]

It's hilarious that Libertarians aren't aware that driving on publicly funded roads is not a constitutional right, despite their worship of the constitution and the "founding fathers".

[General Zod]

Someone should ask him if the same logic applies to gay marriage. If only to watch the hilarious backpedaling ensue.

[The Yosemite Bear]

note the last of my points was in response to actual alcohol service training and the president condition of Georgia driver's licenses. they actually fail to meet the current federal ATF minimums for legal identification.a

a.edit fails the too easy to counterfeit requirments, (lacks a hologram seal, a becomes 21 in xxxx bar, etc.)

[DPDarkPrimus]

The right to bear arms is a constitutional right, and yet I don't see him proposing to do away with firearms licenses.

[Lancer]

Wow. I had expected it to be sourced from an Onion article, given how batshit insane just the bill in the OP was.

That said, there are so many ways to spin the bills this guy vomited forth that he is probably going to be sidelined into the legislative equivalent of a padded cell for the remainder of his term.

[Broomstick]

What I don't get (well, one of the things, there are actually several) is why the accuser victim has to provide a LANDLINE phone number. Given the prevelence of "electronic communication devices" (i.e. "cellphones"), the fact that many people just don't have landlines anymore, and that most accusers victims are not, in fact, sitting home by the telephone all day it would seem nonsensical that that would be a requirement when a court needs to notify at accuser victim of the release of a Bad Guy.

[Majin Gojira]

That part seems designed to punish young people.

What with their new fangled contraptions like their card games and their hula hoops and their jock straps and their cell phones and their 3D glasses and their I-pods and their video games and their comic books...

[Broomstick]

It also works against the poor, many of whom have opted for low-cost cell phones instead of landlines.

[Zaune]

The fun bit would be to ask if he believes a police officer can pull over someone who looks foreign and require identification. Georgia is one of the states with it being proposed and pushed.

Wait, driving a car that cost more than $2000 and being black or Latino isn't already considered probable cause anywhere south of the Mason-Dixon line?

[The Duchess of Zeon]

You can't drive a stereotypical hooptie either. In one article on the DWB problem I vividly remember an interviewed rich black businessman in the Indianapolis area explaining how he had a well-maintained 1988 Volvo because it was the "most boring car in the world" so the cops pulled him over a lot less when he drove it. This isn't just a problem south of the Mason-Dixon.

[Zaune]

You can't drive a stereotypical hooptie either. In one article on the DWB problem I vividly remember an interviewed rich black businessman in the Indianapolis area explaining how he had a well-maintained 1988 Volvo because it was the "most boring car in the world" so the cops pulled him over a lot less when he drove it. This isn't just a problem south of the Mason-Dixon.

Heh. Do you have a source for that? I've been trying to persuade my significant other to let me get one of those, but she thinks they're "ugly".

[General Zod]

You can't drive a stereotypical hooptie either. In one article on the DWB problem I vividly remember an interviewed rich black businessman in the Indianapolis area explaining how he had a well-maintained 1988 Volvo because it was the "most boring car in the world" so the cops pulled him over a lot less when he drove it. This isn't just a problem south of the Mason-Dixon.

Heh. Do you have a source for that? I've been trying to persuade my significant other to let me get one of those, but she thinks they're "ugly".

According to a study by Verisk Analytics Buicks are the least likely to get a ticket.

[LapsedPacifist]

The current take of the Republican Congress seems to be that since the constitution establishes the use of taxes "To establish Post Offices and post Roads;" that means highways are constitutionally mandated and driving your car has become a right. I'm a bike commuter so have a dog in the fight and when I see interviews like the : following I get pretty upset.

Here's my favorite part of that interview:

SB: But you’re OK with mandating highways?

DH: Absolutely, yeah. Because that’s in the constitution. I don’t see riding a bike the same as driving a car or flying an airplane.

SB: How is it different?

DH: I think it’s more of a recreational thing. That’s my opinion.

[Phantasee]

Does this mean you don't need a license to drive professionally in the state of Georgia? No commercial licenses now?

[Count Chocula]

The libertarian solution would not have public roads but private ones. Private owners could theoretically set minimum standards for use of their roads, like certification of ability to drive from an insurance company or certification body (kinda like Cisco or BICSI schooling).

But we're talking about public roads, with uniform standards and testing statewide. There's no real way to drive a vehicle without a license on public roads without coming to grief, and the knock-on detriments to eliminating GA driver's licensing would start with every law enforcement agency in the state. It would also make air travel out of Hartsfield a bit difficult.

This ain't a libertarian solution, it's a stupid knee-jerk "I'm for TEH PEEPLEZ!" piece o crap.

[Phantasee]

Well, I was thinking more about the whole "piloting one tonne of death" expanding to "piloting 60+ metric tonnes of death" if there's no commercial licensing requirements.

Shit, could you even stop some dumbass from getting himself an LCV and plowing through downtown Atlanta?

[Simon_Jester]

Does this mean you don't need a license to drive professionally in the state of Georgia? No commercial licenses now?

No because, and this is important, the bill didn't pass. And realistically, won't pass. One guy proposing some crackpot idiot legislation is not the same as the entire legislature falling for crackpot idiot legislation.

But yeah, that's one of the reasons it won't pass: the fraction of people detached enough from reality to want unlicensed drivers on the roads is too small.

[Phantasee]

I should have been more clear: I was operating from the premise that it had passed (as I'm sure it has in this gentleman's mind).

[Simon_Jester]

Sorry. It's just that I've seen this a lot in N&P: people see an article that says "someone proposed a bill that says blah blah blah" and start flying off the handle.

One can always find crackpots in a legislature, willing to promote absurd ideas as if they would make good law. The real test of the legislature, and of the political factions within the legislature, is whether or not the crackpottery passes.

[Zor]

I am not surprised that this came up. Someone once posted something to this effect on Spacebattles on how Driver's Liscenses were wrong a while back.

Zor

[bobalot]

The libertarian solution would not have public roads but private ones. Private owners could theoretically set minimum standards for use of their roads, like certification of ability to drive from an insurance company or certification body (kinda like Cisco or BICSI schooling).

But we're talking about public roads, with uniform standards and testing statewide. There's no real way to drive a vehicle without a license on public roads without coming to grief, and the knock-on detriments to eliminating GA driver's licensing would start with every law enforcement agency in the state. It would also make air travel out of Hartsfield a bit difficult.

This ain't a libertarian solution, it's a stupid knee-jerk "I'm for TEH PEEPLEZ!" piece o crap.

I wouldn't be so quick to say that, it is not an uncommon argument by Libertarians. I have read Libertarian arguments against seat-belt laws, licenses, road rules etc.