Township Constable Fail

I thought you were going to do nothing?! http://www.nlrtimes.com/articles/2011/12/02/maumelle_monitor/local_news/nev004.txt

What's the Point?! Arkansas Distracted Driving Law

What's the point of a law if you never use it and if it doesn't have any clout? In a true fashion of 'we don't want to take away all of your rights because we're afraid, and we're trying to prevent dangerous activity', in other words hypocrisy, Arkansas has enacted distracted driving laws.

But they don't really apply to any particular situation. You can now get a ticket if you're using a cell phone but ONLY when driving near a school when children are present. (So a school on Saturday at 1AM is OK?) You also can't use your phone to talk or text when driving through highway work zones.

But this is a secondary offence meaning you can't be pulled over and cited just for talking on the phone! What' sthe point of the law if it never applies?!

Either don't have one, or just ban texting while driving outright. Lame. (Probably an attempt to get everyone used to a law and then BAM bring in the full blown version).

Turkey Drop Fail

Sigh

http://forcechange.com/6330/put-an-end-to-arkansas-turkey-drop/

No Greens Please

I missed the decision made early in August for the hopeful Green Party of Ark.

Here's the appeal decision, there will be no change, the Green Party must register 3% of popular vote or forever reest in peace (or find another name). Such is the law.

Decision: http://www.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/11/08/103106P.pdf

A candidate in Arkansas has two main ways to get her name on the ballot as a party’s candidate: She could run as the nominee of a state-certified political party, or she could declare herself part of a new political party and file a petition of 10,000 registered Arkansas voters’ signatures collected within a 90-day period.

There's a catch to being a new political party: a new party that fails to obtain 3 percent of the total vote cast in a gubernatorial or presidential election ceases to be a party.

From http://blogs.findlaw.com/eighth_circuit/2011/08/arkansas-green-party-ballot-appeal-rejected.html

Overcrowding, just open the door to prisons

A few weeks ago lawmakers implemented prison reform. Overcrowded prisons and no money to build more (or even to pay for the population now incarcerated, it is after all a recession economy), means early release for many.

Now Arkansas prison officials have begun the exodus prepping about 750 inmates for early release. The suggestions to release certain inmates comes on the heels of a report commissioned last year, and after feedback, lawmakers passed an act which will allow many non-violent and non-sexual offenders to receive early parole.

Currently the Arkansas Department of Corrections is functioning at 106 percent male capacity and 104 percent female capacity.

So let's get this straight, with more money we'd keep people in prison, but because of economics folks can go free? I don't mind inmates getting released early especially for non-violent offences, but if it's just a process of economics then why weren't they already prepped for early release?

Ticketmaster in Court (Again)

Check this out: http://www.ticketnews.com/news/Arkansas-Supreme-Court-to-weigh-in-on-Ticketmaster-fees081126937

Root for the little guy. Ticketmaster has a virtual monopoly on ticket sales and they've abused that privilege for too long (or they can't run a business properly). The phantom surcharges on each ticket amount to 10-20% of the actual ticket. This isn't the only place where Ticketmaster is facing the music, they're being sued all over the US and abroad. They've even merged with other box office companies to further extend their stranglehold on the industry.

Statewide Drug Database Launches

A new law takes effect that creates a statewide pharmacy database for prescription drugs. This will prevent abuse of the system by addicts who have one prescription filled multiple times. Let's hope that we see a correlating decrease in drug abuse/visits to the ER for OD.