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Texas slips down the slippery slope! Just ask the Texas DPS!
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I've been hauling scrap metal since I was 10 years old. I've recycled more that 200 tons of newspaper, glass, aluminum, stainless steel, copper, brass, radiators, batteries, iron, tin, lead and plastic.
I went to sell a load of junk today and was told I needed a "valid" drivers license to be able to do business! Now I understand the need for an ID considering all the theft of scrap materials nowadays but it's no business of Commercial Metals whether my drivers license is valid or not. Nor is it the business of the girl at HEB when she cashes my paycheck.
Does the name match the picture and the name on the check. That's it! I have news for Commercial Metals Corporation, it's none of their business whether my drivers license has expired.
According to the Constitution I have the right to move about this country freely and do business without showing my papers!
Now don't anyone go out to Commercial Metals and blame the nice ladies who pay the weight tickets! It's not their fault! Don't blame my good friend Lane who runs the place. It's not his fault either!
Look to Austin, the legislature and the Texas Department of Public Safety. Somewhere a few years ago that department of state government was taken over by a bunch of jackbooted Nazi thugs who feel they can do what they want. when they want! This statement excludes DPS patrol officers, my hats off and my thanks for their service!
In 2005 the TDPS sold their entire database of information on Texas citizens and made a cool $58 million doing it! However, in a Wired Magazine article concerning myself they admitted up to 29% of those records were either incorrect or not up to date. That means driving records and criminal records!
29%! Would you hire a construction company to build your home that had a 29% failure rate? Now we're expected to allow these people to dictate whether we can do business? Whether we can walk down the street without our papers?
In 1998 a Hallettsville Reserve Sheriff's deputy stopped my son walking down Main Street with his skateboard! The deputy was driving an ambulance! He wanted to see my son's ID! He told my son that without a Texas Identification Card he could hold him for "48 hours!" Anyone recall the old movies about WWII and the stormtrooper stopping people on the street demanding their papers?
This is supposed to be a free country! We should be able to go about our business on a daily basis without having to show our papers to some very nice, innocent clerk or cashier forced to act on behalf of the state!
Kind of makes me wonder what'll happen when the "Real ID" is implemented?
The water in that pot is getting warmer every day! That frog better do something!
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One evening I was picking up a few kids at the tennis courts. I was parked in a parking spot waiting for the kids to finish up when a policeman pulled in with his lights on. I didn't know if I had been pulled over or what. The engine was off. I thought, "Am I speeding here while parked?" He asked for my driver's license. Very awkward moment for me! LOL
February 29, 2008 at 9:58 p.m.Ken, I have an interesting aside to add to this. About half a year ago, I was pulling out of a gravel county road onto a highway, with somewhat of a rolling stop, and a DPS caught it. Pulled me over, and gave me a warning. I fully admit I did not come to a complete stop and was grateful for the warning and not a ticket. Strange to me, however, they made me get out of the car (I was dressed in scrubs and going to work) and made me stand between their car and mine while they (there were 2 of them) scrutinized my DL. I am one of those unfortunate people who look like their driver's license pic, so no doubt it truly was I on the DL. It is not expired, and about as valid as one can get. I have no history of infractions, but I tell you, they appeared to pick apart EVERY letter and bit of info on my DL. They asked me if the address was correct (yes, of course it was), asked me if this was my DL (DUH!), and then proceeded to ask me "Well, weren't you coming off county road (an example here, not the actual road number) 123? No, I replied, I was leaving road 321 (the road I live on; I had just left home, about a quarter mile down the gravel road to go to work) and also the number that my DL states is my correct address. The DPS officer looked at me for a few seconds, then said, "I thought that was road 123 back there". Of course I didn't want to correct him, but had to, as I certainly know the road I have lived on for years. I told him, "No, that's road 321, I live right down that road, and as you can see, I am on my way to work...." He just said, "Oh.". What the?????? I thought. Well, they finally let me go but sure acted like they were looking for something - exactly what, I don't know.....but boy I almost felt guilty even though it was a minor infraction that just recieved a warning. All I can say is, officers seem to be scrutinizing our licenses and IDs like never before. Is this part of the Homeland Security thing? If anyone has any answers, please speak up! Otherwise, I am with you on this, Ken, and I know how you were made to feel! Not a comfortable feeling.....so even if it was road 123, or 321, or whatever, what does that matter? Since when do citizens not have the right to travel freely any road they desire. I felt like they were trying to tell me I had no business being down that road, when I had all the business in the world being there!
February 29, 2008 at 12:41 a.m.Weird. I have no idea why the system won't allow st. It's not in our filter list. We'll check into it. Sorry for the inconvenience.
February 28, 2008 at 11:05 p.m.I have to agree with you about the drivers liscence/i.d. situation. Being in the military some states auto extend you drivers liscence so that it is valid as long as you are in the military, Texas being one of those states. So why is it that when I get pulled over and the officer asks for my drivers liscence and the adress is not current, they tell me that I could get in trouble for it, the address is wrong, It's not like I am deliberatly driving around with an expired liscence. I understand the need to have an updated i.d./liscence, but the implications that you can go to jail or worse for not having one or keeping up to date are borderline cruel and unusual punishment.
February 28, 2008 at 9:12 p.m.I have read and re-read this post. I am sooooo confused. Are you driving without a valid (expired) driver's license? If so, what kind of a role model are you? If not, I apologize.
February 28, 2008 at 5:08 p.m.elect a liberal into office and see what happens
February 28, 2008 at 4:16 p.m.