Top

Voter Id Texas

March 13, 2012 by · Comments Off on Voter Id Texas 

Voter Id Texas, A controversial new Texas law requiring voters to present personal identification before going to the polls has been blocked by the Obama administration.

In a letter Monday to state officials, the Justice Department said the legislation could have a discriminatory effect on Hispanics and other minorities.

Texas is among eight states to require official photo identification in an effort to stop what officials say is voter fraud. Opponents of the laws say they disenfranchise poor, minority and disabled voters.

The department concluded there is little evidence of voter fraud in Texas warranting the legislative changes.

“We note that the state’s submission did not include evidence of significant in-person voter impersonation not already addressed by the state’s existing laws,” said Thomas Perez, assistant attorney general.

The landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 gives the federal government the power to oversee any changes in voting procedures in states and jurisdictions with a history of voter discrimination.

Texas’ new voting boundaries for congressional and legislative seats are also being challenged separately in federal court.

Ford Taurus Probe

March 13, 2012 by · Comments Off on Ford Taurus Probe 

Ford Taurus Probe, Federal safety regulators are investigating complaints that accelerators can stick in Ford Tauruses from model years 2005 and 2006.

The investigation, opened Wednesday, covers an estimated 360,000 of the sedans. The probe could lead to a recall, but so far none has been ordered by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a federal safety agency. The investigation does not include a nearly identical car, the Mercury Sable.

NHTSA said on its website that 14 people have complained about the problem. No crashes or injuries have been reported. Drivers have reported that it was hard to stop the car with brakes. Several said they had to shut off the engine or shift into neutral to stop. One driver ran a red light and entered an intersection before the car could be stopped.

The agency says the cruise control cable may become detached and hold the throttle open.

Ford spokesman Daniel Pierce said the company is cooperating in the probe. He said the company was just notified of the investigation and he did not know why the Sable was not included.

One driver said in a complaint to NHTSA on Aug. 27, 2010 that a 2006 Taurus began to accelerate without any pressure on the gas pedal. The driver pushed the brakes to the maximum, but the car ran a red light and stopped halfway into an intersection. The engine revved until the driver shut off the car, and it revved again when it was restarted.

“This is an extremely dangerous situation,” the driver wrote. “There needs to be something done about this before it becomes fatal.”

On Nov. 27, 2011, a different driver reported that the brakes couldn’t stop the car, which went through a red light and around two cars, reaching 70 mph before the driver put it in park and turned it off.

“Wow. The scariest thing I have ever experienced,” the driver wrote. “If there was heavy traffic someone would have been killed, no doubt in my mind.”

NHTSA knows the identity of people filing complaints but does not release their names.

Bottom