Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site harvard.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!bellcore!decvax!genrad!teddy!panda!talcott!harvard!albert From: albert@harvard.ARPA (David Albert) Newsgroups: net.flame Subject: Re: PISSED OFF (seatbelts) Message-ID: <309@harvard.ARPA> Date: Sun, 20-Jan-85 10:23:20 EST Article-I.D.: harvard.309 Posted: Sun Jan 20 10:23:20 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 23-Jan-85 05:44:26 EST References: <236@calmasd.UUCP> <245@calmasd.UUCP> <932@amdahl.UUCP> <752@loral.UUCP> Organization: Aiken Computation Laboratory, Harvard Lines: 33 > Well, lets see now. Unless your an executive of the R.J. Renolds tobacco > company its a proven fact that ciggarettes will kill more people this year > than not wearing seatbelts will. Why don't we outlaw them? Also, people > have been known to slip and fall in their bathtub, how about passing a law > requiring anti-skid mats in every bathtub, subject to annual inspection > from your local police department. I read in the paper last week that > a construction worker accidently touched a live wire and was electrocuted. > Electricity is dangerous, why don't we outlaw it? > > I realize I'm going > from the rediculous to the sublime, but my question is where does > government regulation end and freedom of choice (or common sence) begin? Government regulation ends (that is, *SHOULD END*) at the point where the personal choices you make do not interfere with the freedom or safety of others. Therefore, if you choose not to use an anti-skid mat in your bathtub, and you fall and die, you are presumably hurting only yourself. (And possibly your family members, if you support them and don't have any life insurance, but the government should probably stay out of family life for the most part). However, if you smoke around me, you are interfering with my health and comfort; therefore, smoking in a public place without the consent of the others around you, should in fact be banned. Similarly, if it can be shown (and I believe it has been, though I can't cite references) that YOUR not wearing a seatbelt endangers ME if we are in an accident, then seatbelts should be mandatory. -- "...sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." David Albert ihnp4!ut-sally!harvard!albert (albert@harvard.ARPA)