H.R. 540/S. 255, the FAIR Act, would end the Department of Justice's Equitable Sharing Program, which has, for over 30 years, shared asset forfeiture proceeds between state and federal police forces -- which fact has been known to prompt local law enforcement officers to bring in federal ones just to get their hands on a motherlode. The FAIR Act would also require that seized assets go into the Treasury's general fund, rather than into the Justice Department's fund, since that state of affairs also induces corruption. New Mexico enacted similar reforms last week, and though the FAIR Act doesn't go as far -- New Mexico can now only seize assets from folks convicted of a crime, not merely accused of one -- it does increase the burden of proof the government must meet to seize property. And remember: we'd be dealing with less corruption in these matters if we just raised taxes on millionaire income back to what they used to be. So the Drug Policy Alliance helps you tell your Congressfolk to fight for the Constitutional rights of property owners, and support asset forfeiture reform.
Meanwhile, while automobile fuel-efficiency standards got a big shot in the arm from the EPA during President Obama's first term, truck fuel-efficiency standards haven't -- they get about six miles to the gallon, just like they did during the Convoy days -- and that may not seem like a big deal, since most folks don't drive big rigs, until you consider that just about everything you buy gets to the store how? On a truck, that's how. We've told our government to get moving (so to speak) on truck fuel standards, but they haven't proposed any yet. Of course, we don't have to talk exclusively to our government to get things done: we can talk to the corporations that use trucks to ship or get the goods they sell. Hence the Union of Concerned Scientists helps you tell five big corporations including Pepsi and WalMart to support vigorous fuel efficiency standards for big trucks. These corporations would make buku bucks from more fuel-efficient trucks, because the trucks wouldn't cost as much to use if they're not using as much gas. Let's have "divide and conquer" work for us for once.
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