Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Government/Legal, Green
Oh, the irony: Anti-cell phone Senator crashes SUV while grabbing phone
History is filled with tales of politicians that wanted you to do as they say, but not as they do. California State Senator Carole Migden joined that dubious (and numerous) group yesterday when she rear-ended a Honda sedan while traveling down Highway 12 in Solano County, in her state-issued SUV. The Senator was allegedly reaching for her cell phone when she crashed into the driver in front of her. The irony of this story lies in the fact that Senator Migden voted for a bill that would have outlawed cellphone usage while driving.
The good news is that her free SUV is a 2007 Highlander Hybrid, so at least Miss Midgen gets to think she's fighting our country's dependence on foreign oil. The bad news is that she is not only driving around in an expensive vehicle at taxpayers expense, but we'd put our money on the state being slapped with a lawsuit due to the Senator's recklessness. Can somebody tell us why state Senators get free cars anyway?
[Source: Engadget]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Robert O 11:03AM (5/22/2007)
Senator Migden is a hardworking, dedicated public servant. Few would be willing to make the personal sacrifices in time and personal life that she has to be an elected official.
Like she is the only person to have ever done something human that resulted in an accident. I know picking on "politicians" is the great American pasttime, but. . . . And then we wonder why we can't attract better people to office. Well, when we trash the good one by taking gratuitous pot-shots at them, what do you expect?
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Lithous 11:03AM (5/22/2007)
"History is filled with tales of politicians that wanted you to do as they say, but not as they do."
How about 99.9% of all living Americans that want GM and Ford to be the best? How many Americans are the best in the world? How in the F does our basketball dream teams ever lose? Because all Americans are now, "do as I say and not as I do." All because I suck doesn't mean I can't be a dick and demand GM and Ford be better. Accept it and move on.
"The good news is that her free SUV is a 2007 Highlander Hybrid, so at least Miss Midgen gets to think she's fighting our country's dependence on foreign oil."
She could buy an S-10 Electric and support America and fight our foreign dependence. I see a couple a month for sale on ebay. But whatever, helping America's dependence on foreign manufacturing is not *considered* a problem today so wait until it is considered a problem and then care. Of course that is acceptable.
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Tim 11:11AM (5/22/2007)
She had the state buy her a Cadillac STS but then there is pressure from her district so she had the state sell it at auction for a huge loss. I heard that Senators also have the option of transport by driver which may cost more than the car itself. She may be "saving" the state money by not requesting a full time driver
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BLS 11:28AM (5/22/2007)
How do state senetors get a free car? They vote for it.
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felipe 11:32AM (5/22/2007)
'that's a guy right?'
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Jay Evans 11:32AM (5/22/2007)
They get the free cars. They get a gas card, or they fill-up free at a state garage a few blocks away.
They get daily per diem - if they show up for 5 minutes, they get an extra 150 bucks-a day. They have Sargent’s-at-arms who pick their kids up from the dentist. They have their own DMV office in the basement of the capitol.
All on top of a salary of $110,00.
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geo.stewart 11:33AM (5/22/2007)
#1- why do we pick on politicians? because they choose to become a public figure by running for office, based on their morals/ethics/convictions. So, when she chooses to vote for a bill that she doesnt actually stand by, the voters should know that; either that she is voting the way her constituency wants her to or the way the lobbyists want her to but evidently not the way she would choose. For better or for worse.
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geo.stewart 11:34AM (5/22/2007)
#1- BTW: I take it that you are on her staff and were tasked with trolling the net for these stories?
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Whats the frequency Kenneth 11:36AM (5/22/2007)
"Senator Migden is a hardworking, dedicated public servant. Few would be willing to make the personal sacrifices in time and personal life that she has to be an elected official. "
She's a fucking hypocrite.
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Calguy 11:43AM (5/22/2007)
'The good news', Chris Shunk, is that she is fine and hurt no one. That was possibly the most unprofessional, bitchiest writing I've seen here.
Carol Migden, though clearly imperfect, has been a dynamite politician. She has been a great leader for making this a better country.
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Bob-o 11:52AM (5/22/2007)
"She's a fucking hypocrite."
No, she's representing her constituencies. No one gives a damn what she thinks, and that's how a TRUE politician should be.
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why not the LS2LS7? 11:54AM (5/22/2007)
http://www.ninersnation.com/story/2007/1/26/191313/747
Great use of government resources. If I can't win, I'm taking my ball and going home?
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=14&entry_id=3070
Apparently her enemies are to blame for this.
Wasn't highway 12 closed yesterday anyway? See, there are two whales lost in the Sacramento river delta and our government is spending time and money to try to shoo them back to see. Some bright one decided yesterday that the drawbridge on highway 12 should be raised during morning rush hour so that traffic would stop, reducing vibrations transmitted to the whales. What a great idea! Let's stop traffic, idling a lot of cars wasting fuel and putting useless emissions into the air. Who cares if people need to get to work?
This was I guess all for naught, as the whales (who were headed toward sea) reversed course yesterday. This was immediately blamed on a tugboat starting up nearby. More of those dreaded vibrations! If these whales aren't back out to sea soon I fully expect they'll make a forced evacuation of the entire Bay Area except for the construction crews left behind to disassemble the Golden Gate Bridge so as to minimize any impediments to these whales getting back to sea.
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Dave 11:56AM (5/22/2007)
Cell phones should be banned. Not just in cars.
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why not the LS2LS7? 11:58AM (5/22/2007)
Are my taxes paying for people to shill for the Senator on here or do they do it strictly on a volunteer basis?
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wheresjim 12:05PM (5/22/2007)
According to the local news she was driving erratically, so much so that 6 people called to report her to the CHP. Apparently she hit the center divide before the accident and was cutting people off while going lane to lane. She was seen reading while talking on the phone and uh, oh yea, "driving". I used to work for a U.S. Senator, and lord knows we never let her drive...
http://www.kcbs.com/pages/488157.php?contentType=4&contentId=527750
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Tim 12:08PM (5/22/2007)
If the staffers are posting this during work hours then your tax money is paying for it. Why do politicians even think these shills will sway public opinion?
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Steven T. 12:11PM (5/22/2007)
I have no association with Midgen and don't care one way or another about her political career. That said, I found this entry entirely too snarky about politics for a blog supposedly devoted to cars.
More recent news reports suggest that the highway patrol has widened its investigation against Midgen. There is evidence that Midgen was driving erratically and at high speed well before the crash. It could well turn out that something more was involved than reaching for a cell phone.
If we're going to debate the usage of state cars could the writer please dig up some actual facts? I am a state worker (on vacation, BTW) and always try to get a state vehicle when I travel on state business because of liability issues. Why shouldn't a legislator be able to use a state vehicle when doing the people's business? (Do some folks abuse their privileges? Undoubtedly. But that doesn't eliminate the need for state vehicles.)
I also don't see anything wrong with a Highlander hybrid as a state vehicle. It isn't a luxury car, it's pretty economical for an SUV, and it's also a versatile vehicle. Sure, it's a "foreign" brand, but that's what Californians prefer much moreso than folks in other parts of the country.
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P to the C 12:12PM (5/22/2007)
Sounds to me like she was possibly drunk or something and the cellphone excuse was used to get her off the hook. Of course my 1st reaction to this story was 'why would anyone admit that they were reaching for their cellphone and that's why they wrecked?". Now I suspect I know why.
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why not the LS2LS7? 12:35PM (5/22/2007)
Steven T:
She wasn't just driving a state-owned vehicle. She was driving HER state-owned vehicle. The post questions why the state would buy a vehicle dedicated to her for her full-time use.
I'd love my employer to buy me a car, especially cause then it would reduce my liability (insurance bills).
But mine doesn't. Why does the state buy cars for State Senators?
As to a Highlander Hybrid being an economical SUV to drive, that's an oxymoron. First of all, unless you are hauling something big, you should use a regular car. A Prius would be great. Second of all, if you are hauling something big, a van/mini-van is better at it (more economical, more space) than an SUV anyway. There's no reason the state should have bought her an SUV to drive on-road.
As you say, if she is driving a state-owned vehicle on work business, she should get one from a pool (as you do). So for this trip, the one she got from the pool should have been an economical vehicle, not an SUV.
But above all that, the reports about what happened are scary. If she's an unsafe driver (whether it's because of a weakness for cellphones or what), she shouldn't be driving.
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Chris Shunk 12:42PM (5/22/2007)
I usually let my post stand on its own and read all of the comments, and a lot of times I get added insight from some really intelligent commentors (not all, but some). I usually respond when I screw up, missed something, or got additional information that is tied to the discussion.
I couldn't resist on this matter, though, because some of comments were just odd. I find it a little bit suspicios that just about every politician in the US drives a hybrid as a "statement". The total number of overall politicians in hybrids, which I don't have, is guaranteed to be extraordinarally disproportionate to that of the general population. Since these "free cars" are paid for by taxpayers, and the fleets get turned over fairly regularly, I question the economic feasability of a hybrid, since study after study shows that it takes many years to recoup the investment. If the vehicle is turned over in three or less years (even five years), the local govt. is taking a bath financially. Besides, the Highlander Hybrid is an expensive vehicle (Limited startes at almost $35k, but gets much higher with options.)
Also, I in no way attacked her as a politician... I only stated that she got in an accident while reaching for her cell phone after she voted to ban phones in cars for drivers. That is hypocracy at its finest. She may well be a terrific politician overall, but the facts are facts. My opinion came in with the expensive and financially irresponsible SUV hybrid. I would have said nothing if it were an inexpensive and very efficient Prius or Jetta Diesel... two extremely efficient and reletively inexpensive vehicles. Politicians drive hybrids for a lot of reasons, but I suspect that the largest reason is to get more votes in the next election.
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