DWI/Alcoholism in New Mexico (Santa Fe, Alamogordo: employment, buy, compensation)

[hersheys_mom10]

Nothing to do in New Mexico? Why there are all kinds of things to do. I am plannng to relocate to Alamogordo as soon as my house sells here in PA.I am looking forward to seeing all the sites. I also plan to volunteer for the animal rescue mission and join some clubs or maybe even start one. Wonder if the New Mexico government ever entertained the idea that drunks are just lonely, bored people with low esteem and it may help to make them join a program with some activities to choose from that may help them socialize on a non drinking level? Some may really enjoy it.

[Towanda]

Hi hershey's_mom!

I totally agree with you ~ there is PLENTY to do in New Mexico. We have such a long list we will never be able to see and do everything we want! I can hardly wait to get started!!!

[LLD]

Oh I think there are some nuggets here that apply -- like people being bored and things being spread out. You might also add lack of good education and the level of poverty too. Lots of social ills arise as a combination of various things. And there are usually high correlations with social problems with lack of jobs, lack of education and poverty -- meaning they occur together not necessarily a one to one causal relationship.

Many cities do have "free" rides for people or very reduced rides for the intoxicated. But with NM being so spread out like it is, that is hard to do that on any practical level. I would have thought public transportation would be a great way to deal with part of the problem but the stupid RailRunner doesn't even run at night or on the weekends for goodness sakes!!!! Sometimes I really really wonder what city planners and politicians are thinking when they make some really really stupid decisions.

[hersheys_mom10]

LLD, yes I do agree that things being spread out,lack of education and the poverty level really contributes to alcoholism.And as for the lack of jobs I guess I did not know that unemployment was an issue in NM.I for one have sympathy for alcoholics to a certain extent because I think that being one would be a sad and terrible way to live but I do agree not to drink and drive.Most drunks are too drunk to know they are too drunk to drive or think it is ok since they have no other way to get home.And it would seem that city politicians would be trying harder to help resolve this problem.I have a couple ideas but who knows if anyone would listen to me? For instance how about a volunteer group that is on call weekends to give free rides? For safety two could be on call at a time.Could have one pre paid cell phone to share with the whole group and have everyone rotate. Also could take donations for gas money. I guess I will have to wait til I relocate to Alamogordo to voice my concerns.

[6 FOOT 3]

hersheys mom...first like to say welcome to my favorate city in New Mexico. . Secondly although every city/town has its DWI including Alamo its nothing like up here in Albuquerque...

[Cali-girl]

Here are a few suggestions that come from a law enforcement perspective. These have proven to be effective:

1) Advertising on billboards, newspapers & public service ads on TV that express "Zero Tolerance" for drunk drivers. In these ads, these driver's are renamed "killers" because that's what they do when they get behind the wheel.

2) Frequent police Check Points for DWI's all around the State. Particularly those areas where previous DWIs have been arrested (such as the roads coming out of "the boonies" [that one poster referred to] where drunk drivers live). This would necessitate the hiring of more officers, but at this point, the property values of everyone is harmed when a State or area has a reputation re DUI/DWI deaths. (In California, the Central Valley has a terrible reputation for DUI and counties have been successful using checkpoints.)

3) Increase in the severity of legal punishment: mandatory 1-year drug/alcohol treatment to be borne by the convicted person (even for 1st time misdemeanor offenders).

4) Big increase in taxes on all liquor and business taxes on liquor stores and supermarkets that hold a license to sell alcohol. The money from these taxes would fund a Victim's Compensation Fund for all those who suffered injury/property damage from a convicted drunk driver who is not insured or who is under-insured. Court judgments leading to wage garnishments from the convicted person would also serve to enhance fund amounts.

5) Impoundment of car for 6 months even for the 1st offense. (This is one reason why in CA you see people riding bicycles around town.)

6) Mandatory 1-year jail terms for repeat offenders (misdemeanors). All felonies would get mandatory jail terms from 1st offense on.

7) This is an issue that will require public support at a grass-roots level. Currently, the Governor is in the Sudan learning about international relations in order to prepare for his presidential bid.

~Cali-girl

[hersheys_mom10]

harry o, thanks for the welcome! I am happy to hear that Alamo doesn't have too big of a problem with DWI. I was forced to retire at age 47 due to health reasons and am looking forward to a nice, quite life in the outskirts of Alamo.I hope to relocate soon, just waiting for my house to sell.I hope to contribute to the community by volunteering as much as I am able to worthy causes.I think I will love Alamo! I have been to Albuqerque and it seemed a bit on the wild side.

[Zoidberg]

Many of those proposed laws and crackdowns are already well in place in NM, which is leading the nation in terms of severity of penalties for DWI (even though it still has a significant problem with it).

There are a few reasons not all of them will be allowed, or effective.

*Civil liberties & lawsuits. Alcoholics are citizens too, and despite the grave danger they pose to others when they get behind the wheel, there are numerous lawyers willing to make their civil rights case whenever a new law gets passed. I'm not arguing either side, just stating the reality of why new laws get struck down or fail to pass.

*Funding. The sheer volume of offenders make it difficult to enforce these new programs. Throw them in jail? Is another $40k/yr jail cell worth it in every case? That's money that could be put toward treatment, or education, etc. A lot of those are great ideas, but it's a tough sell to pay for every last one of them.

*Bureaucratic incompetence. If you get a DWI in McKinley County, one in city of Grants, one in Bernalillo County, one in City of Albuquerque, the systems haven't been sharing that information, so that's one way you see these nuts with 30 DWI's.

[Cali-girl]

Originally Posted by Zoidberg

Many of those proposed laws and crackdowns are already well in place in NM, which is leading the nation in terms of severity of penalties for DWI (even though it still has a significant problem with it).

There are a few reasons not all of them will be allowed, or effective.

*Civil liberties & lawsuits. Alcoholics are citizens too, and despite the grave danger they pose to others when they get behind the wheel, there are numerous lawyers willing to make their civil rights case whenever a new law gets passed. I'm not arguing either side, just stating the reality of why new laws get struck down or fail to pass.

*Funding. The sheer volume of offenders make it difficult to enforce these new programs. Throw them in jail? Is another $40k/yr jail cell worth it in every case? That's money that could be put toward treatment, or education, etc. A lot of those are great ideas, but it's a tough sell to pay for every last one of them.

*Bureaucratic incompetence. If you get a DWI in McKinley County, one in city of Grants, one in Bernalillo County, one in City of Albuquerque, the systems haven't been sharing that information, so that's one way you see these nuts with 30 DWI's.

Thank you for explaining why things are the way they are.

~Cali-girl

[Cali-girl]

Originally Posted by Cali-girl

Thank you for explaining why things are the way they are.

~Cali-girl

I wanted to add these thoughts to my post above:

I think the difference between CA & NM (not sure about the other states) on the DWI/DUI/civil liberties issue is that CA's governor (Ah-nold) is not easily swayed by Libertarians. Maria Shriver is a Dem, and the Right & Left in CA comprise the bulk of the political presence.

The Libertarians just do not have the pull there that they seem to have here in NM. (Which I think is a reason why there is a lack of enforcement effort and misplaced "DWI civil rights" concerns.) The Ninth Circuit is the federal Court of Appeal for CA and most of the western states. NM is in the Tenth Circuit, and perhaps that Court has a different interpretation on restrictions/civil rights of convicted drunk drivers than the Ninth Circuit.

I think that many Libertarians have had bad experiences with government and have gone all the way to the extreme of believing that the best thing is no government at all, open borders, etc. In my mind there is a centrist position that allows for government to create and enforce laws that protect people, especially innocent drivers.

~Cali-girl