John Robinson's article, "Rejection of seat-belt bill is a matter of life and death," reinforces my perception that we citizens are just too dumb to make correct choices without government intervention. The phrase, in his article, that really dumbfounded me was "the current law has little enforcement muscle. . . " I thought that was the idea, being a free citizen of the United States, to be free from heavy enforcement muscle.
The need to use safety belts goes without saying. The need to impose upon the people additional monitoring, by men wearing guns, makes me wonder where this kind of thinking will lead us. Mr. Robinson, flippantly, responds to the restriction of freedom complaint, by saying such freedom can lead to death crashing into a tree at 50 mph. Seat belts and accidental death are not the issue as I see it.Citizens know that when the need to act sensibly comes we use our common sense. We do not need armed enforcers or another "Big Brother" looking over our shoulders.
One last thought: Driving is a right unless you are not licensed to do so. Seat-belt usage is a matter of personal freedom. The construction of roads and highways are paid for by the citizens, not by any government. Governments have no money. Citizens expect laws to be created through their representatives that will protect and promote their rights to domestic tranquility. To say that driving is a privilege only and not a right is not consistent.
The dictionary defines privilege as: any of the rights common to all citizens under a modern constitutional government. Laws should be created to protect our rights, not free us from the potential accidents or higher insurance costs. Let's hope common sense prevails.
John Leasure
West Jordan