Stop the Nanny State!

What makes people believe they have the moral obligation to make everyone else “safe”? I’m so frustrated with the attempts of do gooders and various law writing entities to look out for me. In our little state of Washington we will have a new law going into effect next year that makes it illegal to talk on a hand-held cellular phone while driving. A nice fine of $101.00 if you get ticketed and found guilty, although it won’t be an offense for which a person can get pulled over for, nope first you’ll have to be breaking some other law like speeding. There still is no specific law on the books banning, reading, shaving, putting on make-up, eating, playing with the GPS system, watching a DVD in that fancy new in-dash unit, or countless other distracting actions committed by drivers every single day. What I’m driving at here is that reckless and careless driving are already on the books, if you’re speeding, weaving, hitting cars, etc, because you’re on the phone we’ve already got you covered. What’s the point with more nanny legislature? I hate the seat belt law and the motorcycle helmet law as well. Buckling up and wearing a helmet while on a motorcycle make sense but hey if you want to take the risk it’s your life. Go for it. If you decide to get into a vehicle with a driver that won’t buckle up, again it’s your choice. These laws annoy me to no end. Outlawing smoking in a bar, hey great for me as I can’t stand the smell and the smoke irritates my asthma, but no one drug me into the bar in the first place. More nanny laws. I’m truly just bent with all this crap. Anyway that’s my first rant on WordPress. Wanted to see what it looks like.

May 17, 2007. Rants.

4 Comments

  1. Bruce replied:

    I once saw a fortune, from a fortune cookie no less, that stated The can of worms cannot open itself.

    I recently read a study that suggested that most people make important decisions in under two seconds. That kind of rapid cognition can never be good.

    Here is a small example

    During the design of Chrysler’s PT Cruiser, one of the things Rapaille learned was that car buyers felt unsafe when they thought that an outsider could easily see inside their vehicles. So Chrysler made the back window of the PT Cruiser smaller. Of course, making windows smaller—and thereby reducing visibility—makes driving more dangerous, not less so. But that’s the puzzle of what has happened to the automobile world: feeling safe has become more important than actually being safe.

    You call them nanny laws some call them feel good legislation. What ever you call them, they have been the staple diet of voters since time immemorial. It is the reach of these laws that has changed. These stupid laws touch everyone and really don’t take that big a bite out of the gee, what bad things can happen to me today pie. I mean think about it. Isn’t the DHS really just a big fat nanny law? Pilots I know have told me that the skies are no safer today then they where 20 years ago. Immigration laws, regardless if you’re for or against, demonstrate that our borders can be crossed at will. Yet, people (read sheep) feel safer.

    Somebody stop me. I could go on forever. I keep thinking about that fortune cookie. The can of worms cannot open itself.

    May 17, 2007 at 7:56 pm. Permalink.

  2. Bruce replied:

    This story is rich!

    May 22, 2007 at 4:22 am. Permalink.

  3. Bruce replied:

    Did I forget to mention that CA State Sen. Carole Migden voted to ban cell phone use in automobiles last year!

    May 22, 2007 at 4:25 am. Permalink.

  4. sirkartien replied:

    Thanks for the link, and the additional comment. I am glad to see someone in power falling subject to the stupidity they helped to create. Too bad about the no citation thing though. Can of worms indeed!!

    May 23, 2007 at 4:25 am. Permalink.

Leave a Reply

Trackback URI