Whoopi Goldberg - Is It Just Me?: Or is it Nuts Out There?

Chapter 1
Abuse It and Lose It

People do a lot of crazy things, but when I think about all of the things they should not be doing, the craziest thing on my mind is people drinking and driving.

How long have we been trying to stop drunk driving? Oh, only for as long as I can remember. Think of all those films they made us watch back in drivers ed. And then theres all the public service announcements on TV. I always wondered why they play them late at night, though, while the drinkers are still in the bars getting tanked. Oh well. But when it comes to drunk driving, you cant say there isnt awareness. Whats missing is effectiveness.

Maybe the ads arent graphic or scary enough. At least not enough to reach the people who get hammered and drive. Now, for smoking, its different. I see thousands of TV commercials showing people stuck in bed because they smoke cigarettes and theyre dying of cancer. They make these heart-wrenching pleas, Dont be like me... Dont smoke. Its impossible to watch them and not feel the impact emotionally. Unless Im missing something, I dont see any PSAs as powerful about drinking and driving. I dont see anybody doing any commercials with the cars burned up and turned to charcoal... blood spatters all over the ground... some celebrity announcer getting all whispery, saying, had this driver not had that final drink then he or she would still be alive.

But the more I think about it, the sad truth is, maybe no public service announcementno matter how strong or scaryis going to be enough. After all, disturbing as they are, Ive seen plenty of those stop smoking spots, and I still light up.

I think we need to do more.

This subject has always been in my consciousness for one reason. Its basic. I believe that people have to be responsible for what they do. Theres a concept, huh? Personal responsibility. Good lord, Whoopis gone crazy, talking like that!

Its true, though. Actions should have consequences. But the consequences also have to match the responsibility. So, all right, then. If I smoke, I know theres a possibility that I could croak from it. I also know theres a possibility I could croak just because I stepped on the sidewalk. But what I dont like is that I can drink and drive and get caughtand then get my car back!! Thats not a consequence. If I drink and drive, if I get pulled over and flunk the test, my car should be taken. Period. Thats a consequence. You shouldnt get two, or three, or four, five, six chances.

Now, remember the woman who was that wrong-way driver on the Taconic Parkway in New York? Yeah, who could forget. Well, theres still a lot of talk about her because her husband says he didnt know her to be a drug user or an alcohol abuser. Folks in her neighborhood were kind of saying the same thing. And yet her stomach contents told a totally different story. If the lab tests were correct, though, you have to wonder, was this a one-time thing? We will never really know. But we do know this: For a lot of drunk drivers, it doesnt happen just once. Not even close. But, hold on, if so many people get caught drinking and driving, and then go out and do it again and again and again, it begs the question: Why is it?

Ill tell you why.

Because theres no consequence.

Oh, sure there are penalties, but not enough to be a deterrent. Not from what Ive seen. Not happening. The evidence is that the behavior continues. How many times do we see that drunk drivers like the guy who allegedly killed Nick Adenhart, the Angels baseball player, are repeat offenders ? Hey, why did that dude still have a car? He should not have been able to have a car. No debate. You dont want people to drink and drive? When they do ittake the car! And then they have to prove that theyre clean and able to be a responsible human being behind the wheel.

I tell you, if I had my own world? If you drank and drove, and got caught, you would not have a car. Your new best friend would be the bus, Jack. Someone would have to come and get you from the police station. And you would not be able to get your car back until I knew that you had gone through a program and had a certificate that said you have been clean and sober for seventy-five days.

And while Im good and hot about this, let me unload on the texters. If you get caught texting, your car should disappear for a month. Because, you know what? Its too dangerous to text and drive, same as drinking. You get caught... bye-bye, car. Youre not a responsible enough person.

Some people might say that is too extreme. Come on. If youre not going to be responsible, someone has to step in like when you were a kid. The minute youre doing something that is affecting the public roadways or other places where you can do harm to others, I dont care if the government steps in and takes your car. You shouldnt have been drinking and driving.

And if a public service message wont get your attention, maybe that will.

Chapter 2
Politics Has Gotten #$!@%! Nasty

If youre involved in politics, first of all, let me say this. I feel sorry for you. Seriously. How do people manage to get up every day and do that job? I dont get it. I just dont see how. And its always been a tough business. You have to have one thick hide, I dont care what party you are in.

And being President doesnt cut you any slack. Not one bit. No matter what a President does, the other side is going to say, We dont want it. Now, that sort of comes with the turf when you have more than one political party. Its why guys like Stalin and Hitler didnt need to do too much debating. Or vote-counting. Campaign spending? Not an issue. We have give and take. Thats at the heart of whats always made our country work, I think. Your side didnt always win, but you shook hands and moved on. Its never been perfect, but mostly, its been good for the people.