6.29.2010

Enough to make a libertarian cry

Apparently there is a program being funded (by the guv'ment) to make better alcohol detection devices. Apparently, built in breathilizers in your car are just out of style and passé. I guess that's just too timeconsuming and unfair to those convicted of drunk driving to ask them to BREATHE first before starting their car. Whether this expensive new program is going to be as accurate as a built in breathilizer remains to be seen. But clearly those involved in the program foresee this become a requirement for everyone in all cars regardless of your DUI convictions.
 
I'm not a libertarian, so I'm not totally against that. It seems like it would save lives. I do see us having to build our cars to be smarter than us and prevent us from killing ourselves. I know a lot of motorcyclists who say if there was no helmet law they wouldn't wear one. So we'd all kill ourselves if left to our own devices. Problem is with cars you end up killing each other. Even living in a state with cell phone and texting laws I still see people all the time yacking on their cell phones. I guess the fine involved is not substantial enough. I predict in the future cars will come with some system that kills your phone signal and forces you to only route it through your car from the hands-free bluetooth phone functions that are already in a lot of cars. I can see where libertarians start to whine and cry about calories on menus and a nanny society, but when that system saves your child's life because some other driver was stupid, I think we can all see the benefit to that. But libertarians just aren't happy without a government to rail against. And free-market anti-government nimrods don't see the need for regulation until there's a whole ocean filled with oil.

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