PSA for anyone who visits Branson

timwinters

timwinters

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They have a new law going into effect tomorrow:

I heard on this morning’s news that Branson passed a city seatbelt law that makes it a primary law instead of a secondary law like it is under state law. This law goes into effect May 1. The difference between the state and Branson's law being that the city cops in Branson can now pull you over for not wearing your seatbelt. The state law only allows a cop to give you a ticket for not wearing your seatbelt if you were pulled over for another violation like speeding or whatever.

The fine will be a whopping $10.

So why are they doing this? It’s obvious, especially being a tourist town where many people have a drink or two or three with dinner while enjoying vacation: It's about generating revenue handing out DWIs.

I mean, seriously, have you seen Branson traffic? You can walk to most venues faster than you can drive. Yes, you should always wear your seatbelt but you can't go fast enough on the typical Branson road to hurt yourself in a crash sans seatbelt. Hell, you can have a head on and not even trigger the airbags! ;)

So be VERY VERY careful if you visit Branson…and wear your freakin’ seatbelt (as you should be anyway).

Disclaimer: This PSA brought to you by a German Catholic boy! ;-)
 
Tim, this is the second time I’ve seen you state that there is revenue generation from DUI/DWI. That’s false. Bottom line. Tickets (speeding, tail lights out, seatbelts) all generate revenue, although even those don’t generate much for the issuing agency (if issued under state codes-my understanding is that cities who issue tickets under citycodes MAY keep more).

The only ones who make money from DUI/DWI are:

-Defense attorneys
-State DOL/DMV
-Installers/owners of ignition interlock devices (“blow and go”)

Criminal charges COST cities/counties/states money.
 
Omalley1537 said:
Tim, this is the second time I’ve seen you state that there is revenue generation from DUI/DWI. That’s false. Bottom line. Tickets (speeding, tail lights out, seatbelts) all generate revenue, although even those don’t generate much for the issuing agency (if issued under state codes-my understanding is that cities who issue tickets under citycodes MAY keep more).

The only ones who make money from DUI/DWI are:

-Defense attorneys
-State DOL/DMV
-Installers/owners of ignition interlock devices (“blow and go”)

Criminal charges COST cities/counties/states money.
Click to expand...

"Metrics", my man... "Metrics"...

"We did THIS MUCH so we need more money next year..."
 
Omalley1537 said:
Tim, this is the second time I’ve seen you state that there is revenue generation from DUI/DWI. That’s false. Bottom line. Tickets (speeding, tail lights out, seatbelts) all generate revenue, although even those don’t generate much for the issuing agency (if issued under state codes-my understanding is that cities who issue tickets under citycodes MAY keep more).

The only ones who make money from DUI/DWI are:

-Defense attorneys
-State DOL/DMV
-Installers/owners of ignition interlock devices (“blow and go”)

Criminal charges COST cities/counties/states money.
Click to expand...

And I explained it to you last time you said it wasn't true, which it is, at least in Missouri. Don't have the desire to do it again.
 
Wait, we're not talking about Sir Richard?
 
timwinters said:
And I explained it to you last time you said it wasn't true, which it is, at least in Missouri. Don't have the desire to do it again.
Click to expand...

Nowhere in your explanation last time did I see a legitimate articulation of why you’re correct. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have made the statement I did here. Since you seem to be from the same cop-hating cloth as another poster on here, I’ll chock it up to your bias clouding your vision. I’m out.
 
timwinters said:
I mean, seriously, have you seen Branson traffic? You can walk to most venues faster than you can drive. Yes, you should always wear your seatbelt but you can't go fast enough on the typical Branson road to hurt yourself in a crash sans seatbelt. Hell, you can have a head on and not even trigger the airbags! ;)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. This is why I would not want to visit. I prefer places where no one else goes.
 
If I ever have to go to Branson again, the cops won’t see my seatbelt, just taillights. :)
 
Omalley1537 said:
Nowhere in your explanation last time did I see a legitimate articulation of why you’re correct. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have made the statement I did here. Since you seem to be from the same cop-hating cloth as another poster on here, I’ll chock it up to your bias clouding your vision. I’m out.
Click to expand...
Buh-bye
 
Hmm. I likes me some Branson.

Also, the law sounds pretty normal for the times. Oklahoma has been like that for years. It used to be $25. I think it's $50 now. The cops got pretty crazy about it for a few years after it became law, but they have really chilled out about it in the years since.

I'm still not much of a seatbelt wearer when putting around in town. Livin' on the edge :rolleyes:
 
It’s tough to get up enough steam in Branson traffic to have to worry too much about it. That said, wearing the seatbelt has become such a habit that I’ve found myself unbuckling after moving the car around in the driveway.
 
Morgan3820 said:
I agree but why should the state be able to fine me if I choose not to wear one? And don't tell me it is because they care about my health and well being.
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They don't care about your health and well being. They respond to insurance rates and uninsured health care costs.
 
heh - around here, when someone tells you a long story that really never pays off, we call it a "Branson". Takes a long time to get there, and when you finally, do, it's meh.

Actually, I've been there a couple times and had good times. Never went to any of the shows, though, mainly used it as a staging area for some side trips. When the kids were little, they had a great time riding the Ducks.

Oh, yeah, and we saw Elvis at Burger King. The King at the King.
 
Been there a few times to visit my Dad at reunions. The airport runway in town is a bit short! It seems like Vegas if you removed all the sex and gambling. All the kitsch, none of the sleaze.
 
Omalley1537 said:
Since you seem to be from the same cop-hating cloth as another poster on here, I’ll chock it up to your bias clouding your vision.
Click to expand...
Me...a cop hater...that's funny chit right there. A hater of those writing the laws maybe, but not of those tasked with enforcing them.

Maybe you missed this story in the other thread. Or maybe you, in Washington, have more experience with Missouri law than I do. If so, then please, please enlighten us.

timwinters said:
A few deputies working Missouri's small (sparsely populated) counties tell me "it's all about the revenue."

One in particular was a former St. Louis cop, retired. He moved to a small county and went to work as a deputy just to keep busy.

I said "man, I bet that's a big change," expecting him to tell me how much better it was working outside the city.

His response was the exact opposite.

He said that in St. Louis the focus was to truly get the bad guys off the street, that he poured out numerous beers and tossed numerous nickel bags when he'd catch kids out doing the typical stupid stuff that kids do, tell them to go home and tell them that he'd bust them the next time he caught them. And he kept his "little black book" of kids that he'd given a break to.

Conversely, he said that he'd get fired if he used a similar approach as a county cop. They are required to write everything up and bust the kids. Why? Because mommy and daddy are willing to pay 4 to 6 times the fine to get the charges dropped.

That was in a county a bit west of where I live. I also know quite a few deputies locally. I've taken a few of them flying for both pleasure and doing aerial surveillance. I hear the same stories from them...they need the money...they bust people.
Click to expand...
 
OkieFlyer said:
Also, the law sounds pretty normal for the times. Oklahoma has been like that for years.
Click to expand...
Indeed.

Missouri is one of the few states (if not the only) where it's not a primary law and it's my understanding that our federal subsidies suffer a bit because of it.

If your entire state has this law then you're used to it. My point here being that Branson is trying to "sneak up on people" with a traffic law that is different than the state's. Who checks local traffic laws? Besides speed limits, why should they even be allowed to be different from the state's?

Another odd Missouri state law. Open containers are legal in the car. Passengers can drink going down the highway. Thus there are a lot of two fisted drinking wives in this state when their husband gats pulled over for speeding!

Amazing how that works.
 
Been to Branson a few times and it’s meh. Not my idea of a good time. But for the wife and kids... well they get a vote too.

Now just down the road a few miles you’ll find Big Cedar lodge. Now that right there is a nice place!!! Much more my speed.
 
arkvet said:
Been to Branson a few times and it’s meh.
Click to expand...
Yeah the Branson scene sucks on many levels.

I was with a large general contractor in the area when the "boon" first began...back in the early 90s. Once the ball started rolling, it didn't take long for the bad money from the coasts to make it to town....people out to screw each other...and no one to be trusted. It was an interesting time and it finally bankrupted that contracting company. About 3 years after I left, they got hooked up with Charley Pride's theatre (they did numerous theatres in Branson). The shell company was "Dancing Bear Entertainment". They used an obscure law to screw the contractor out of low 7 figures and down they went.

Branson also ruined the lake, used to have visibility to 30...40 feet diving. Now you'll have 5 on a good day. It ruined the tranquility of the area. It ruined the affordability of the area.

I am not a fan of Branson by a far stretch of the imagination.
 
hankrausch said:
Been there a few times to visit my Dad at reunions. The airport runway in town is a bit short! It seems like Vegas if you removed all the sex and gambling. All the kitsch, none of the sleaze.
Click to expand...

But the sleaze is what makes it fun.



Or so I’ve been told.
 
timwinters said:
...

Another odd Missouri state law. Open containers are legal in the car. Passengers can drink going down the highway. Thus there are a lot of two fisted drinking wives in this state when their husband gats pulled over for speeding!

Amazing how that works.
Click to expand...

I think open container should always be legal, even for the driver. As long as you are not legally impaired why does it matter where you do your drinking? I recall the days when you could stop at a gas station, buy a beer and drink it on the way home. Now if you want a beer on your way home, you have to stop at a bar and will most likely have two or theee and then drive home. Which has the most risk of putting a drunk driver on the road?

And certainly prohibiting a passenger from drinking never made sense.
 
Back in the 80's, when I was working in Florida and California, both states had drive thru bars. Pull in, order a mixed drink, and drive away to the beach while sipping on it. But it ain't the 80's any no more! The only place I've seen something similar in recent years was when I was working in Watertown SD in about 2008 or so. They had a drive up window at a bar on the west edge of town on the way to the golf course.

Missouri gas station/convenience stores sell 24 ounce singles, cold. Many have them have ice tubs near the front door with the singles packed in ice. No one, and I mean NO ONE, in Missouri ever buys one of those and sips on it while driving down the road. The stores typically put them in a brown wino bag (or an Arkansas Koozie as I call them).

We referred to the 24 oz cans as "combat units" in high school. :)
 
Yes, they save lives. Many lives. And there are people who wouldn't wear them otherwise, so I'm in favor of that. But I run a small landcare company on the side and we do a lot of mowing. So going down the block or even 1/2 mile down the road it's illegal for me not to buckle up 15-20x/day....but I'm just not gonna do it.

As far as Branson goes, I've lived in MO 53 years and I've never been. You'd think I'd go just out of curiosity, and I've been told I'm the most curious person many people have ever met.
 
And then you have PA where you have to wear a seat belt in your car but can ride your motorcycle without a helmet...
 
Just north of where I live there is a small town that has a posse of patrolman on motorcycles who tend to hide just out of sight until you drive by. It seems hypocritical to be cited for not wearing a seat belt in a car by a guy riding a donor cycle.
 
I was pulled over once for something (I forget what) and I unbuckeled my seatbelt to get my paperwork from the glove box. The officer then gave me a ticket for not wearing my seatbelt when he came to the door. When I told him I just unbuckeled it he stated he never saw it on me.

Rules like this are completely stupid and are a primary means of revenue generation if not directly then by grants from state and federal agencies. Here in North Carolina the State Patrol just unveiled their "Ghost Car". It's completely black and has all the required decals on it however the decals cannot be seen unless there is a light shined at the correct angle (less than 1 degree). They therefore get away with calling the a "marked car" and do not have to follow the "unmarked car" rules. First person who gets this new car is the Officer who had the most DUI tickets in the last year. Oh yeah, all nine new cars were purchased with a grant specifically paid for because of the number of DUI tickets that were generated.
 
gdwindowpane said:
And then you have PA where you have to wear a seat belt in your car but can ride your motorcycle without a helmet...
Click to expand...

I always wear my seatbelt and do so by choice rather than mandate of law. I am also a fairly big personal liberties type of person. Still, I think the mandate to wear seatbelts is a good law. I do think though that mandating seatbelts but not helmets is pretty dumb. Many states are that way.
 
gdwindowpane said:
And then you have PA where you have to wear a seat belt in your car but can ride your motorcycle without a helmet...
Click to expand...

A few states with no helmet law. When I rode, I always wore the real helmet, not one of the designer, look cool, won’t protect your head if a pebble hit your helmet types.
 
jallen0 said:
first person who gets this new car is the Officer who had the most DUI tickets in the last year. Oh yeah, all nine new cars were purchased with a grant specifically paid for because of the number of DUI tickets that were generated.
Click to expand...
How can that possibly be? After all DUIs don't generate Revenue. If you don't believe me just ask @Omalley1537
 
timwinters said:
Back in the 80's, when I was working in Florida and California, both states had drive thru bars. Pull in, order a mixed drink, and drive away to the beach while sipping on it. But it ain't the 80's any no more! The only place I've seen something similar in recent years was when I was working in Watertown SD in about 2008 or so. They had a drive up window at a bar on the west edge of town on the way to the golf course.

Missouri gas station/convenience stores sell 24 ounce singles, cold. Many have them have ice tubs near the front door with the singles packed in ice. No one, and I mean NO ONE, in Missouri ever buys one of those and sips on it while driving down the road. The stores typically put them in a brown wino bag (or an Arkansas Koozie as I call them).

We referred to the 24 oz cans as "combat units" in high school. :)
Click to expand...

New Orleans. Still quite fine with outdoor drinking and drive thru daiquiri shops.
 
By the way, I found Branson as touristy and corporate as expected when we did a fly-out from Gaston’s over there a number of years back.

Was a decent fly outing to go to lunch from Gaston’s though. One can only eat at the Gaston’s restaurant a certain number of times.
 
jallen0 said:
I was pulled over once for something (I forget what) and I unbuckeled my seatbelt to get my paperwork from the glove box. The officer then gave me a ticket for not wearing my seatbelt when he came to the door. When I told him I just unbuckeled it he stated he never saw it on me.

Rules like this are completely stupid and are a primary means of revenue generation if not directly then by grants from state and federal agencies. Here in North Carolina the State Patrol just unveiled their "Ghost Car". It's completely black and has all the required decals on it however the decals cannot be seen unless there is a light shined at the correct angle (less than 1 degree). They therefore get away with calling the a "marked car" and do not have to follow the "unmarked car" rules. First person who gets this new car is the Officer who had the most DUI tickets in the last year. Oh yeah, all nine new cars were purchased with a grant specifically paid for because of the number of DUI tickets that were generated.
Click to expand...

I refer to them as the 'Armed Revenue Service'. However in NC 90% of the fines go to the local school, 10% to the writting agency.
 
I spent the afternoon swapping hangers with Micky Gilly...He spent a good deal of time talking about his place in Branson...my hanger was closer to the bathroom....his is cheaper...and next door to our new flying club office...he left a couch if anyone wants it...FYI him and his son have a 182...
 
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