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From: jeb@eisx.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Learn to live with 55????????
Message-ID: <754@eisx.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 9-Jul-84 07:02:48 EDT
Article-I.D.: eisx.754
Posted: Mon Jul  9 07:02:48 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 11-Jul-84 03:44:22 EDT
Organization: AT&T Info. Sys. Labs, South Plainfield NJ
Lines: 43

>>>

{Warning: this message has high temperature content, Nomex recommended]

The American people have a strange and frustrating problem concerning
government regulations that are intended to protect individuals from
their own sometimes stupid and careless actions.  This is probably
typical of a representative form of government; should our elected
legislators do WHAT THE PEOPLE WANT, or should they do what they
see as the RIGHT THING, in their own judgement?  It's obvious that
people don't care enough about the 55 mph limit to have it repealed;
if we wanted it out, we could get it eliminated.  It is also obvious
that the vast majority of American drivers have no intention of
observing the 55 limit.  Part of the problem comes from our own
inclination to say one thing and do something else.  This same
tendency keeps both the churches and the beer joints full.

Remember when the seat belt buzzers escalated into the ignition
interlock?  Everybody said "Yes, belts are a good idea, everyone
should wear them."  Of course the same people that said that
didn't wear the belts.  But when the NHTSA or somebody put in
the ignition interlock, it didn't take Congress long to put a
halt to it.

"Learn to live with 55"?  Put yourself back to 1944 and tell
the world "Learn to live with Auschwitz."  It's really only
a matter of degree.  Just because the government does something,
that doesn't make it right.  The current situation on the
interstates scares me because it gives the police a perfect
opportunity for selective enforcement.  When the whole stream
of traffic is moving at 70 mph, the police can pick out anybody
they choose, pull them over, and issue a ticket that can end
up costing many hundreds of dollars in fines and insurance
surcharges.  The choice of who to ticket may as well be based
on the color of your car, the length of your hair, or how
many tickets the officer needs to issue to look productive.

[calming down, and misquoting from someone I've forgotten]
"Democracy is a very poor form of government, but all the
others are so much worse."

Jim Beckman   AT&TISL, South Plainfield, NJ   eisx!jeb