Michigan Votes Forum

hi my name is carnassis henderson and i live in benton harbor MI and i was trying to get my license and i just turn 17 this month on december 11,2007 and iwas born 1990 and i live at 1017 columbus and i need help tp get my driver license so if you can please help or give me a call thany you.

This fee is a scam and it is unconstitutional. I paid the ticket for having expired insurance. It is the only ticket I have ever got. I have no points on my license. I should not be penalized for the same mistake three times, this is triple jeopardy and just one more way Granholm is taking from Michigan people. People should be outraged. This is wrong.

I agree with you. My son has left the state due to this travesty. The typical driver is a young man or woman, fairly new driver stopped just for those 2 reasons. Scared out of their wits, can't find the insurance card, can't find the registration, etc. Given a ticket, scared to tell their parents or just too immature to know that they must respond to the citation.So the State continues to stack more fees on top of the original fee. My son has tickets for a variety offenses. None for drinking, none for speeding. High tech lighting, tinted windows no proof of insurance. His vehicle was never uninsured, just couldn't locate the proof. 22 yrs old with $6500 in fees for 4 unpaid tickets.

I have been trying to figure out just what you and so many Michigan drivers with responsibility fees can do. The State tacks on these fees as if anyone unfortunate enough to be assessed this fee can just run to the bank and issue payment. How ridiculous! But of course there are those drivers that get assessed repeatedly, drinking, speeding, etc and they have the money to pay the State fee to continue their dangerous driving habits. That is just fine with The State of Michigan. They just want your money, not your safety. Think about it.

I cant believe this! My wife goes to renew her licence and is told the "system is down" This is on a thursday. Goes back Friday same thing. Her birthday is on saturday. She is driving to work on Monday, gets pulled over and issued a ticket for expired licence. The ticket reads No Licence. Then we get a bill in the mail from that wonderful Gov. Grendmole about another 300 dollars we have to pay! I am trying to pay all my bills right now with little money as it is. I work 60-70hrs a week and go to school another 20 on top of that how the hell am i supposed to come up with the extra $300 for a bull crap fee? Were was the Gov. When i was injured at work? How about when i lost my job? how about were the hell is everyones money going? I see it going to losers driving escalades to get there food stamps thats were its going! I have never taken any form of go\verment assistance and now i am being screwed by my state again! God i hope you are all happy with this person you have empowered! I voted for Devos as i will again.

ever you want. the leaches in the escalades collecting the checks FAR outnumber those actually paying the bills. as long as the democrats are willing to give away your taxes for votes, they will be in power.

Few things illustrate more the incompetence and mediocracy of our legislators than the responsibility fee legislation and the inability to remove this travesty. This is a bi-partisan issue...Republican and Democratic. As a result of this legislation people on mimimum wages have to come with large sums of money. Another result is that we have many people driving without valid licenses and without insurance. I say, nullify the legislation and take the money out of the legislature's office budgets.

I wish one could, though, because it is in Amendment 1 of the US Constitution, namely the Bill of Rights. They can talk about state's rights all they want, but the right to petition the government for redress of grievances is a God-given right and granted under the same Bill of Rights. Believe me, I would love the sue the first state or local employee or government who treats me rudely or forces me to do something I don't want to do. I am in full support of anyone or anything that will kick this legislature and Granholm out on the street where they belong. None of them are fit to hold office. And the next ones had better be ready to improve customer service dramatically, or else I will start suing any state or local employee I believe is not working in my best interests. Unfortunately, they have created an insular world where nobody can penetrate unless they have an ironclad case, and even then, they get stonewalled. It is time all these bums - governor, legislature, employees, be held accountable for their behavior. If they lose a few lawsuits, they will shape up in a big fat hurry.

I wish one could, though, because it is in Amendment 1 of the US Constitution, namely the Bill of Rights. They can talk about state's rights all they want, but the right to petition the government for redress of grievances is a God-given right and granted under the same Bill of Rights. Believe me, I would love the sue the first state or local employee or government who treats me rudely or forces me to do something I don't want to do. I am in full support of anyone or anything that will kick this legislature and Granholm out on the street where they belong. None of them are fit to hold office. And the next ones had better be ready to improve customer service dramatically, or else I will start suing any state or local employee I believe is not working in my best interests. Unfortunately, they have created an insular world where nobody can penetrate unless they have an ironclad case, and even then, they get stonewalled. It is time all these bums - governor, legislature, employees, be held accountable for their behavior. If they lose a few lawsuits, they will shape up in a big fat hurry.

Can we get an update from caswell, or someone on this bill? thank you.

first off, f&*k the state of michigan, f&*k them dead in their ear! maybe then they will listen. This law has hurt more people than anyone will ever realize. I moved to arizona over 2 years ago. Relinquished my state citizenship by obtaining an Arizona state id, and yes i said state id, because michigan stole my driving privileges, flat out stole them, but on to my point. I am a resident of the state of arizona, registered to vote here, have an address and bills coming to my house in my name, so id say i have pretty much established residency here. But for some odd reason i am still required to pay a reinstatment fee to a state that i no longer live in, and that i will not be renewing my license in. My license is suspended currently in the state of michigan for failure to pay my driver responsibility fee. Mind you, i have never had a dui, possession of drugs, an accident, a speeding ticket, reckless driving, none of em. I got hit for a seatbelt ticket and no proof of insurance. i had insurance and showed proof to the court yet i still have to pay a d.r.f. regardless of the fact that i was not guilty. My license has been suspended for going on 3 years now, and will probably remain suspended for some time because i have refused and will continue to refuse to let this state rip me off. I am half tempted to come back to michigan and get residency back, and file for welfare. Once i get said welfare i will promptly move back to arizona and obtain student residency, which is effectively dual residency in both michigan and arizona. Then i just sit and collect all my michigan welfare checks and reside in the beautiful sunny state of arizona. Lets see how the lawmakers react when i send them an itemized breakdown of how much money i have bilked from them over the years in welfare. I bet their tunes would change when they see that just because they got greedy and wanted to flat out rip off the residents of the state of michigan, that a citizen figured out a way to get over on them and reap 40 or 50 thousand dollars in welfare, all because they wanted to steal 1000 dollars from me. i bet they would shove their heads up their own rose smelling asses. So i say once again, F&*K MICHIGAN, F&*K THEM IN THEIR DAMNED EAR!!!!

she will go back to Canada without all of her trash because it is here in this god-for-saken state of michigan, but she will go back all of our tax money in the form of her wages for ripping us off.....husband didin't have proof of ins with him got nailed now has to pay the state $200.00 a year for the next two years. Maybe we should all try be more irresponsible so our lovely governor can take another raise

Who does one report knowledge of driver driving with a suspended license to? Tried emailing police department where suspended driver drove...email drove back.

you're an asshole. thats all.

See title

Do not vote for Mitt Romney! Mitt Romnet told people in Michigan that the jobs and businesses that left the state will come back to Michigan! Romney will say and do anything to get elected! All those jobs and businesses that left Michigan are never coming back! John McCain told the painful truth about the economy of Michigan. MITT ROMNEY lied to the people of Michigan so DO NOT VOTE FOR MITT ROMNEY!!!

People you have to file a FEDERAL LAWSUIT against the State of Michigans, Department of Motor Vehicles to stop the Michigan Department of Motor Vehicles from applying those illegal fees. Its your Civil Rights that are being taken away from! Due Process requires a hearing before those driver repsonsiblity fees can be imposed and any points added to yur driver license. The Michigan Dept. of Motor Vehicles cannot just tack these "fees" and put points on a persons drivers license! Your driver license is a Protected Liberty Interest! Look up the term "color of law". Michigan DMV has violated your Constitutional Rights! sTOP BITCHIN ABOUT THESE FEES! FILE A FEDERAL LAWSUIT (1983) PEOPLE FILE IT PRO SE! FILE YOUR LAWSUIT IN FEDERAL COURT AND NOT IN STATE COURT!

I can't STAND to see another Mitt commercial. Gag me with a FORK! Enough air time already. OVERKILL. Marriage, marriage, marriage. Have you seen the PRINCESS BRIDE. He calls to mind the religous guy performing the ceremony: MAWIDGE, WUV, TWU, WUV for marriage and love, true, love. EVERY time Mitt comes on the whole family joins in the Princess Bride skit and dies laughing. Get another commericial for GOD sake! Please! I beg of you. Does he have ANYTHING else to say about ANYTHING? Please, for the love of God! Do you have anything intelligent to say about ANYTHING? We get where you stand on family already! We're not DUMB here in Michigan. We're really not that slow of learners. Mix it up a bit, Mitt. I don't know if I'm voting Democrat or Republican yet, but it won't be Mitt. That's one thing I know for sure. I simply can't take him seriously. MAWIGDE...LUV, TWU, LUV lol

and still no repeal.. F@ck the state of michigan, people are cool, but F@ck michigan, lets give it to canada, queen jen's plan from the start i think... elmers_fuddy@yahoo.com

well said

What the HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE IN MICHIGAN! You voted for Romney! God Dam you people to hell!!!! You deserve everything thats wrong with your state! Mitt Romney is as ignorant as they come! You voted for Romney Michigan!!! You lost!!!!

panties all knotted up. Maybe you think the country could use some of what jen has done to michigan. I guess it's true, losers love company. Now you can go back to stomping your feet and wetting your pants. The grown ups will take over.

Let me get this straight - your son, who the state and you have entrusted with a license, a vehicle and the ability to drive on the roads that the rest of us drive on, is, despite all of this, to immature or emotionally stunted to produce a document that is in the very vehicle over which he has control? And that same son is then so, how best to say this?, um, "uninformed" as to know that when a cop hands you a ticket and (most likely) explains what the ticket is for and how to respond to it, then proceeds to ignore or forget that information? And you expect sympathy?

"losers"? Hmmm. Ironic, huh?

Ron Paul for president the rest are going to change nothing.You dumb a$$ people keep voting for these no good lying sob's who do nothing.

Does anyone have an update on this bill. Its been almost two years now since I first became caught up in this ridiculous law. A long winded story but essentiallly without a DL since then. This is out of control - I can hardly make my bills after being let go from one of the big three and legal I should not even be driving to find a new job!!! Insanity in this State!! Is anyone at the helm seeing whats going on....... ?

Sorry, nothing has happened to speed the repeal of the Driver Responsibility Act. The Governor and your legislators still don't care whether you have a driver license, a job, or a home in Michigan. By contract, the Governor of Virginia had his mind forcibly changed on this law by the voters of that state, and called in his State-of-the-State speech for its early repeal. Michigan Democratic legislators are obviously still under orders from the Governor not to take up the bills to repeal this law, in order to protect the revenue flowing into the General Fund. It's a mystery why Republican senators have not acted on the repeal, since they could easily make the Democrats look bad on this issue. But they like the money, too, and perhaps campaign contributions flowing from the collection agencies that profit from this program are involved.

think that a michigan legislator is going to vote against a revenue source???

Water's Hot By Eric Peters Published 1/29/2008 12:07:56 AM Sometimes, the frog leaps before he's cooked. Remember the story about the frog and the pot of boiling water? So long as you raise the water temperature gradually, Mr. Frog doesn't notice the increasing temperature until it's too late too get away. The analogy is used to convey, in easy-to-understand language, the process of "government creep." We don't go from freedom to tyranny overnight; statism sneaks up on us incrementally, one step at a time. Each step, by itself, doesn't seem all that bad; just another annoyance to deal with or avoid if you can. But one day you find yourself living in a country that looks more like Orwell's 1984 than the place envisioned by the authors of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Government -- its laws, its minions, its petty harassments and endless rigmarole -- is an omnipresence that is inescapable. Which brings us to the matter of Virginia's "abuser fees," the brainchild of Republican state lawmaker Dave Albo. Albo, who just happened to be a big-time lawyer connected with a firm that specializes in defending traffic cases, pushed for and got a new law that went into effect last July. It imposed unprecedented fines, as high as $3,000 per incident. These fines were charged to motorists for traffic infractions, including routine speeding, on top of whatever fine the court levied for the infraction. The justification given was that the fees would help fund transportation improvements, and of course, "safety," that well-worn bray that's still remarkably effective, despite the obvious cynicism with which it is deployed. But Albo and his backers made a mistake. They went for broke, and all at once. Not only were the fines outrageously high relative to the offenses; not only did they constitute a "double tap," where violators paid, in effect, two fines; but to add insult to injury they only applied to in-state drivers. A Virginia motorist convicted of driving 80-something mph on a Virginia highway with a posted speed limit of 65 mph faced a "reckless driving" charge, a court fine of several hundred dollars, plus an "abuser fee" of more than $1,000. But an out-of-state driver caught doing exactly the same thing only got the court fine. Seem fair to you? VIRGINIANS FELT THE same way. Lawmakers got an earful of a different sort of abuse. Several delegates who voted for the fees were turned out in the recent elections. Not even seven months after Albo's law went into effect, it is on the verge of being repealed in toto. So the "abuser fees" will go, but it may be only a temporary victory. Albo and his friends will realize, if they haven't already, that they overplayed their hand. Gradualism is the key. Next time, the "abuser fees" will only apply to indefensible acts -- DWI, vehicular manslaughter resulting from gross negligence, etc. Then, the law will be expanded to the next-down category of offenses -- things not quite so bad but still hard to make excuses for. Few will complain. It will become accepted practice. Other states will pass similar laws. There will be uniformity, and reciprocity. A few years will pass. Then, someone will propose that the fines be applied to yet more offenses. "Public safety!" will be the cry. And just as seat belt laws went from no-argument laws requiring that small children be restrained to "primary enforcement" laws that empower police to pull adults over for failing to "buckle up," so, too, will "abuser fees" eventually encompass routine and purely technical infractions, such as simple speeding. And we'll have come full circle. There's just too much money at stake; too much potential control over the masses to be passed up for long. To paraphrase Arnold: They'll be back. Count on it. And next time, we will probably not notice the water's getting warm again; at least, not before it's too late to jump. Eric Peters is an automotive columnist and author of Automotive Atrocities (MBI).

i'm going to vote for ron paul. but he cant help this state issue. we have to form a class action lawsuit possibly on the issue of crule and unusual punishment, or unfair taxing. this way we all would be intitled to our money back and this would really stimulate the economey. not that i think about it, i lost almost $2000 in this raquet.

I have the utmost sympathy for the lady who could not get her license due to a computer malfunction, and then went back on Friday and could not get it, and then got slapped with this ruthless, unfair driver responsibility fee. And, no, there is no cash cow the State of Michigan will turn away from, because they are a bunch of greedy, always hungry, pigs feeding at the public trough. But then again, they would like you to believe you cannot sue them. I still think a few multi-million dollar lawsuits will wake up moleface and her brethren. The color and smell of money always gets the attention of politicians, and the loss of it angers them big time.

I want to thank the officer for having the guts to come on here and letting everyone know this law is wrong and crazy, and is a pure money and power grab. Let the punishment fit the crime, but this law has become overabused, and needs to be repealed pronto. It's not our fault Michigan got itself into the fix it's in, but it is the fault of the politicians and others who we entrust with our best interests who have gone wayward and need to be sent packing pronto. This police officer gets it, and I wish there were more like him.

Don't blame all of us - I also voted for Ron Paul - the only uncorrupted one of the whole bunch and the only hope to save what is left of our country. Besides, there has been known election fraud(I believe in all or at least most states) thanks to our electronic machines such as Diebold and Sequoia. There has been big time corruption in New Hampshire. Ron Paul has been cheated big time in the election, in the polls (at least on tv)except for the internet polls which he won most of by a landslide. He has been purposely silenced by our phony so called conservative talk show hosts such as Sean Hannity & Rush Limbaugh. Folks, we are being lied to by both sides, whether your conservative or liberal. This is by design. These politicians are actually one and the same - they just pretend to be different. America - Wake up to the deceit!!

ALL THIS DOES IS KEEP PEOPLE FROM DRIVING IN THE LEGAL SENSE.PEOPLE DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO PAY THE EXTRA FINES IMPOSSED LIKE AN ADDITIONAL FEE OF $250 FOR NOT HAVING YOUR INSURANCE IN THE CAR. YES YOU SHOULD HAVE IT AND WE ALL KNOW THAT HOWEVER, SOMETIMES PEOPLE MAKE MISTAKES. SO ON TOP OF THE TICKET YOU PAY AN EXTRA $250 SEEMS PRETTY CRAZY. I KNOW THE STATE NEEDS THE MONEY BUT, WE HAVE ENOUGHT PEOPLE OUT OF WORK AND THIS JUST ADDS TO IT IF THE PERSONS LICENSE IS SUSPENED FOR RESPONSIBILIY FEES. CRAZY.

Mcain, Romney, Obama, Clinton?: All are about the same. Which one is most evil is hard to say. Remember - the lesser of two evils is still evil. Left wing, right wing - it's all a game the globalists are playing and we are the pawns. Why is it that every election we hope that our candidate will be different and keep their promises. They never do!! Everyone it seems feels this way. Why? Well almost all of our politicians get paid by big special interest groups and corporations and these groups for the most part are for globalism, One world government, new world order or whatever the latest term is. Even the President is not calling most of the shots. He (or she) are being controlled by central bankers who have absolutely no loyalty to our country. The Federal Reserve is not Federal and is not a reserve!! Most politicians are members of such secret societies as Council on Forign Relations, Bilderbergers, Trilateral Commision, Skull & Bones, etc.. Each one of these top candidates has some very high level person behind them such as Zbigniew Brezinski, Kissinger, etc. Ron Paul has had a clean record his whole career. I have every reason to believe that he is the real deal. With every other candidate, you can be sure to have global government

She only cares about replacing the lost income - that's all. She does not believe in tax cuts to give people a break. You see, the big problem is that we just don't have our priorities straight in Michigan. We try to be all things to all people. Just like this unconstitutional bad driver fee, it should be unconstitutional for them to force people to accept Medicaid if they don't want it. I don't know of very many self-respecting people who want to accept welfare as a way of life. People need choices in life, not one-size-fits-all policies. And since the Democrats have made a farce out of the primary, I cannot vote for them this fall. Take that, moleface! I will support and actively work on any effort to recall you and your cronies. You are so out of touch with the people of Michigan that you need to be sent off into the sunset.

i'm with the other guy. lets file a law suit. a federal law suit. that other thing could come back to bite you in the ass.

what the hell are these people thinking. mitt romney. give me a break. i dont understand the logic behind " a person being from michigan so lets vote for him." you see, if hitler was from michigan, the dumb asses would vote for him no matter what. I voted for Ron Paul. and guess what, i'm not even a dam republican.

if it happened like you say it did, then your 1st 4th and 5th amendments rights were violated. you can get help from the ACLU, NAACP, or the National Motorist Association. i know these lawsuits coast money so maybe they can help

"I voted for Ron Paul. and guess what, i'm not even a dam republican."