Via Hit and Run comes two very scary stories about what government thinks they're entitled to.  You thought taking gift card money was bad?  In Santa Fe, they've decided to seize the cars of people accused of drunk driving.  No trial required:

The Santa Fe, New Mexico city council will today adopt an ordinance that allows police to seize and sell vehicles belonging to motorists accused of driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI), regardless of whether they have ever been convicted in a court of law. The ordinance, sponsored by City Councilor Patti Bushee, kicks in on either a third DUI accusation or if the driver had been operating with a suspended license.

This is of course just an effort to stop drunk driving right?  Well... no.  Here is the real reason:

The city council expects to raise $300,000 in annual revenue with the measure.

And in Florida, you'd better hope that a cop doesn't have dyslexia, because they can confiscate your motorcycle simply by accusing you of running from them, as long as they sorta  remember your license plate number.  That trial thing is just an annoyance we can skip in this case too:

Last year, the force grabbed the rides of 344 motorcyclists, usually claiming that their owners had run from the police -- a felony -- based on a memory of a license plate number. No police car can keep up with either a sport bike's top speed or ability to accelerate, and Florida police have a policy restricting high-speed chases.
...
The most common state police tactic is to accuse a motorcyclist of a felony, initiate the seizure proceeding, then drop the charges. This allows police get to keep the sport bike without the effort of a court battle or the danger of a not guilty verdict. Even an innocent motorcyclist will think twice about fighting an an unjust seizure since the felony charges carry jail time and a permanent black mark on more than just the driving record.

Don't you feel safe now?