Walker right to prioritize DUI

YES — finally — let’s punish first-time drunken drivers in Wisconsin with more than just a traffic ticket.

Republican Gov. Scott Walker just included the criminalization of first-time DUI on a list of legislative proposals he’s willing to work with Democrats to pass this fall.

Criminalization might sound harsh to some in this heavy-drinking state.

But consider this: A first-time drunken driver would be charged with a misdemeanor crime — the same as shoplifters and trespassers. Surely a driver careening down a Wisconsin road with a belly full of booze is as much a threat to society as someone stealing candy.

Moreover, Wisconsin is the only state in the nation that doesn’t charge first-time drunken drivers criminally.

The governor cited drunken-driving proposals by Democratic Reps. Peggy Krusick of Milwaukee and Tony Staskunas of West Allis as strong candidates for bipartisan support and approval this fall.

Both Democrats said Tuesday they welcomed the governor’s interest in their efforts. Staskunas added that Walker “did do some positive things with respect to treatment of drunken driving” when he was Milwaukee County executive.

Yet Staskunas cautioned that getting anything on drunken driving through the Wisconsin Legislature is always difficult.

“We got a bill through last time,” Staskunas said. “It did some good things. But there’s still more to be done.”

Krusick said about 75 percent of drinking drivers involved in fatal or serious injury crashes in Wisconsin had no prior citations for operating while intoxicated. “The fatalities and injuries caused by first offenders are no different” than those caused by repeat offenders, she stressed.

Krusick would like to add sobriety checkpoints, which most states allow, to the governor’s list of bipartisan proposals to prioritize. That’s a good idea.

So is raising Wisconsin’s teensy beer tax to pay for tougher penalties and treatment. Few Wisconsin politicians have had the guts to champion that. Yet Krusick said her bill would steer existing revenue from the beer and alcohol tax to anti-drunken driving efforts.

Walker’s list of bipartisan bills includes a proposal by Rep. Brett Hulsey, D-Madison, to discourage boating while intoxicated.

Walker is right that drunken driving shouldn’t be a partisan issue. The Legislature should forward all of these sensible proposals to the governor’s desk.

(c) 2011 The Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wis.)

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Tags: opinion, crime, courts, money