Butterfield and Redd disagree on DUI checkpoint bill

The importance of fiscal responsibility was stressed Thursday by both incumbent District 4 State Representative David Butterfield and his opponent in Tuesday’s Republican primary election – Bear River Health Department Medical Director Dr. Ed Redd.

On KVNU’s Crosstalk show, Redd said state and local government should live beneath their means and not spend more money than they have. Butterfield says it goes beyond living within our means.

“We’re doing that in the private sector,” Butterfield stated. “Every successful business in the private sector that I know of is undergoing or has undergone questions about, ‘How do we change our model? How do we do things more efficiently? What can we live without?’ We have to ask the same things of our government.”

Redd said during the financial crisis of 2008 the Bear River Health Department did all it could to improve its effectiveness and efficiency and also took on some additional services. Both candidates said they strongly support education.

The candidates also talked about a bill sponsored by Butterfield that would have done away with DUI checkpoints. Butterfield defended the bill, calling the checkpoints “unconstitutional.” Redd disagreed and said driving a vehicle on a public road is a privilege and not a right.

“A car moving down the road at 60 miles an hour has enormous amounts of kinetic energy and is potentially lethal,” Redd claimed. “You’re on a public road, not private property and the rest of us are depending on you to be driving in a responsible and not intoxicated state.

“If you want to talk about constitutional rights, what about the rights of those people who were killed or permanently injured when somebody gets hit by a drunk driver?”

Butterfield claimed the checkpoints have not been effective but Redd said law enforcement officers have found them very helpful in keeping our communities safe.

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