Regular readers of this column might remember the story of Pamela, my daughter-in-law, and her brush with death at the hands of a drunk driver in the state of Virginia more than a decade ago.
The drunkard was driving a pick-up truck with a blood-alcohol reading of double the legal limit when he crossed the median and hit Pam's car head on. She sustained more than 30 broken bones; her mother, Pat, was also seriously hurt.
The derelict who hit Pam's car, I'm told, had a previous drunk-driving conviction. Thanks to some quick action by the medical folks at a D.C. hospital, her life was saved.
The man responsible for Pam's misery never spent a day in jail. His only punishment: a one-year driver's license suspension. But he was allowed to drive to and from his job each day. Big deal.
I relate this story again because I was recently pleased -- sort of -- when Gov. Tim Pawlenty proposed several changes in state law that would send a message to people who endanger the lives of others by getting behind the wheel of a motor vehicle after drinking too much booze.
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Pawlenty wants people convicted of a DWI to be required to buy and use a breath-activated ignition system to start their car. Too much liquor on your breath and the motor vehicle won't start.
But, more importantly, the Star Tribune said the governor wants to lower the blood level at which increased penalties are imposed on folks with previous DWI convictions to 0.15 percent from the current 0.20. A "normal" reading of 0.08 will get you a first-time conviction.
But I believe Pawlenty's proposal does not go far enough. Why not include a mandatory one-year prison sentence for first drunk driving offenses? Too tough, you say? Well, tell that to someone who has lost a loved one because of the total disregard for life by a boozed-up driver.
Not enough prisons to hold drunk drivers for a year? Well then, build more cells -- though I suspect that if Minnesota mandated a one-year prison sentence for a first offense, the need for more prison cells to hold drunk drivers would diminish.
And make no mistake: Drunk drivers in Minnesota are a huge problem. According to the Star Tribune, 46,748 drivers here have at least four DWI arrests. That's a startling number.
Danny Lee Bettcher recently appeared in an Otter Tail County Courtroom to face his 27th conviction. Despite his attorney's plea for leniency for his client -- and he apparently did so with a straight face -- the judge sentenced Bettcher to four years in prison.
The newspaper's research team turned up another startling number: 139 living Minnesotans have been charged with at least 15 DWIs.
Minnesota needs to get tougher on drunk drivers. Pawlenty's proposal is a good start, but it's only a start.
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To the reader who wrote that she's tired of reading about Ralph Doty's two years in the Minnesota Senate: It was two terms, not two years. I hope that makes her feel better.
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Midwest Radio's Operations Director Corey Carter must be doing something right. In the latest Arbitron listener survey, KDAL-AM (610) jumped from No. 7 to No. 4. I've been critical of KDAL -- at one time the Twin Ports' premier radio station -- so I was pleased that Carter's new leadership is apparently working. I was especially happy to learn that long-time KDAL newsmen Dave Walter and Dave Strandberg have teamed up for a one-hour talk show weekday mornings at 9 a.m.
Ralph Doty's old-time radio show, "Radio Memories," is heard every Thursday at 7 p.m. on KUWS-FM 91.3. Contact him at rdoty71963@aol.com .
