doug russell wrote:
> they pass these dumb laws - they think we're all blithering idiots!!!!
>Trevor responded with the following "How to win friends and influence others"
gem>
If you aren't a blithering idiot, then you should have
no problems with any law.
To which I say> Trevor, this is how you get folks annoyed!!! You apparently
cannot conceive the notion that another's thought, albeit different than
yours, is valid and worthy of appreciation and consideration - only ridicule.
Clearly, I do not consider myself to be a blithering idiot but I do have a
problem with this law. Thus, your statement can only be interpreted to mean
that you consider people like me to be blithering idiots because we have a
problem with this law. How arrogant and irritating!
That aside, your argument sounds suspiciously like an old socialist one where
we are suppose to believe that the government is comprised of benevolent
souls, who know better than we and will consequently tell us how to live -
what bliss!!. IMHO it's abject and unfair meddling in how people carry on
their daily lives. A law mandating that we drive a safe vehicle is fine with
me and is common sense. A law that says I have to pay to prove this on a
regular basis because the state says I cannot be trusted, is not OK with me.
I liken it to the Woody Allan movie (?) where the government required citizens
to wear underwear on the outside of their clothing to prove that it is clean
and not a potential hygiene problem to the wearer or others. Thank you very
much but I'd prefer to skip the dysfunctional, controlling socialism you
advocate. As with most laws of this nature, they are a nuisance to the vast
majority of people. Let the notion of safety be developed through voluntary
testing and education - let the laws be enforced though random testing or when
there is a clear violation.
Not to mention the insanity of requiring a car under factory warrantee, with
hundreds, if not thousands of dollars worth of emissions stuff on it, to
undergo an emissions and safety inspection. Isn't this like being double
taxed????
Trevor, with obvious concern for the limited cognitive capabilities of
mankind, says>
However, there are blithering idiots out there
and the laws serve to protect us all from them.
To which I retort>Get a grip will you!! People are not idiots - they just act
that way sometimes - it's a part time thing and none of us are excluded from
this endeavor at all times. This being a fact of human nature, to what
extreme should we go to protect ourselves? Perhaps we should require that a
state inspector be present in a driver's driveway every time the driver wants
to drive a car. The inspector will be there to certify that the driver has
walked around their vehicle and visually/physically inspected all vehicle
systems prior to getting into the vehicle. Oh, don't forget that the driver
will have to pay a fee for this certification. This will certainly help
protect those among us who have occasion to behave like an idiot!! But what
about those among us who are acting intelligently that day??? Getting warm
fuzzies yet????
Trevor incorrectly notes>
If you think "the safety test" is such a waste, wait a
few months, then go buy the tester a beer and ask them for some
stories of cars people tried to get passed.
I say> When did I say a safety test is a waste of time???? And is there a
reason why I need to wait a few months to buy the tester a beer, if I so
choose, other than it's your utterance????
Trevor is concerned about stories he has heard about> steering racks patched
with
broom handles, throttle linkages fixed with string, who
knows how many rolls of duct tape.
I say> If you purchase the National Inquirer or other such tabloids you will
also hear stories about Martians attacking the earth, Hitler still being alive
somewhere and plotting a comeback, and bigfoot sightings. I'm sure you are
equally concerned about these things as well. I'm equally sure that some
vehicles require more maintenance than an occasional wash and oil change, but
I'll try not to get overly hysterical. If you're that worried Trevor, stay
home and wait for the spaceships to start arriving - btw, if you duct tape the
windows it will block out their x-rays (yet another use for this versatile
material).
Trevor is also concerned about himself and family> out
sharing the roads with just any car that can be made to
move forward under it's own power.
I say> You ought to be more concerned with people's behavior while they're
driving. This seems to be much more problematic than the state of their
vehicle's repair!!!! Would you wager that most driving related injuries are
caused by vehicles in a poor state of repair (e.g., broom stick steering rack
failure) compared to injuries caused by inattentive or belligerent behavior
while driving (no signals and not looking while changing lanes)???? I think
this wager would be ill advised.
I would wager that if each person practiced what they preached to others about
safety and sensible driving, that there would be a lot fewer accidents and
more safe vehicles on the road.
But if I take a lesson from the Trevor school of dysfunctional socialism, I
will rectify this problem by creating a law that will require drivers to stop
at every rest stop or traffic light to prove to some state inspector that
he/she can still drive safely and appropriately. This will be accomplished by
use of a video camera installed in the vehicle. The driver will have to show
the inspector the video tape of the previous few miles driving and answer a
series of multiple choice questions. After the driver has paid the inspection
fee and passed the examination, he/she will be permitted to drive to the next
inspection point (at the next rest stop or traffic light). Oh, you will have
to pay for the video equipment and tapes and must wait if the inspectors are
on break. That warm fuzzy feeling start yet?????
Do you want to be driving on a rough two lane highway
knowing that the car coming at you could have that
broomhandle for a steering rack? He's one pothole
away from finding out whether the car prefers to
veer uncontrollably to the left or to the right at
60mph.
I say> I don't know - after all this I'm kinda stumped here. I'm still
undecided as to whether motherhood and apple pie are good things or bad
things.
Trevor concludes with an apparent reference about shortsightedness>
Whether it's a safety law or an environmental law, it
doesn't make sense if you don't look past the end of your
bumpers.
I say> Trevor, you have made it quite obvious that you are the controlling
socialist type and your temperament is insulting and annoying. Your directive
half witted "we know better" superiority platitudes might play well with
peasants, serfs and the occasional bovine but it plays thin with the 3rd grade
education plus crowd. Please stop it, you are behaving like a pest and a twit
- 'end of your bumpers' indeed!!!.
Trevor Boicey
Ottawa, Canada
tboicey@brit.ca
http://www.brit.ca/~tboicey/
Dr. "Don't tread on me" Doug
Who has a bunch of 69 MGs steadfast in their common belief that some among us,
on balance, spend more time behaving like blithering idiots than intelligent
folk.
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