For Blunt, the I's have it

It is amazing the misconceptions that a person can have when his knowledge is limited by what he reads in the news.

For the past few years, I have been led to believe that it was the House and Senate who were responsible for the wave of much-needed legislation strengthening Missouri's drunk driving law.

Now I read in Gov. Matt Blunt's weekly column, that he, and he alone, has brought safety to the streets of our state.

In the column, the governor claims responsibility, not just once, but five times, for legislation designed to curb drunk driving. Judge for yourself:

Drunk drivers take thousands of innocent lives every year. My heart goes out to the parents, the children, the brothers, the sisters, and the friends who have had their lives changed forever by the irresponsibility of drunk drivers. No one should have to suffer through the pain caused by drunk driving accidents.

Thankfully, we already have tough laws to punish drunk drivers and in 2005 we passed legislation that strengthened our statutes.

Legislation I signed in 2005 addressed possession and consumption of alcohol by minors. I also signed legislation which increased the penalties for involuntary manslaughter, for those convicted of a DWI three or more times, and eliminated the ten-year statute of limitations prohibiting use of a past alcohol-related offense to enhance a current DWI to a felony. These efforts have increased the amount of time that convicted DWI offenders serve behind bars.

This year I signed legislation strengthening penalties for drivers convicted of repeat drunk driving offenses by requiring the use of interlock devices. Ignition interlocks are devices that disable a vehicle's ignition if the driver is drunk or drinking. The legislation shifts responsibility for ignition interlock devices to the Department of Revenue and away from courts that were not enforcing compliance. These devices save lives and keep repeat drunk driving offenders off of Missouri roads and highways.

This year I also signed legislation that lowers the legal intoxication limit for boaters from .1 of one percent to .08 of one percent, ensuring consistency with the legal limits for operating a vehicle. Irresponsible boaters that choose to become intoxicated put everyone else on the water at great risk, just as drunk drivers risk lives on Missouri's roads and highways. There is no reason that the legal limit should be higher on the water.

This legislation I signed also specifies that anyone who causes a death while boating under the influence will be guilty of involuntary manslaughter, punishable by up to seven years in prison.

I am confident that with the steps we have taken to strengthen our laws against drunk driving, and the efforts of our law enforcement professionals, we will save lives and all Missourians will be safer on our roads and waterways.

What Matt Blunt did was take a pen and sign his name to a sheet of paper for each of those pieces of legislation.

What was he going to do? Veto the legislation?

The governor played his part in this passing of these bills, but the heavy lifting had been done by the legislature before it ever reached his desk.