Amazing how fast this year went by, huh? Another turn of the wheel, doubly significant because the anniversary of my birth happens this month as well.
It tickles me that I got certain Fundie members of my family referring to the Holiday as Yule instead of Christmas this year. But only out of ignorance, unfortunately. They think it's just an old-fashioned word for Christmas, just as they truly seem to believe that Jesus is the “Reason for the Season” and would caution everyone to remember that.
This season, I have been blessed with a number of things to rejoice in as well as a thing or two to grumble about. And since it's more fun to grumble than to rejoice, I'll do my grumbling here, and remember to rejoice with my kids later.
First of all, um, I won't say why exactly, but I found it necessary to do some research this week on what to do when you have a RAGING YEAST INFECTION of monumental proportions. One good thing about a forced lifestyle of abstinence is that you can diagnose your own yeast infections and not worry that it's a STD instead.
But the thing I most want to grumble about today is that bit of disguised fascism known as the Seatbelt Law. Yes, I got a ticket. Actually, I got two this year, and I am really ticked off.
In Texas, they repealed the helmet law because the Bikers got together and collectively raised Holy Hell about it. I guess that particular collective is one whose wrath even the most arrogant politicians are prudent enough to steer clear of. Bikers are not known for tolerating restrictions on their personal freedoms.
The rest of us, however—our willingness to be led like sheep, our tendency to impose our own moral standards onto others, our self-righteous contentment any time we can force other people to behave in ways that we agree with, all are legendary. So it's no surprise that “mainstream” people have failed to join forces and oppose this law.
Most people probably think the seatbelt law was passed to save lives. The truth is, seatbelt laws were put in place as a result of lobby pressure by auto manufacturers who did not want the expense of federally mandated airbag requirements in their vehicles. The federal government said “Okay, you don't want the airbag requirements? Then get to work pressuring the state governments to pass seatbelt laws. If all 50 states pass such a law, we won't enact the airbag legislation.” So the auto makers did a wonderful job of stirring up lots of seatbelt propaganda, which is why we're all so familiar with the crash test dummies, and they succeeded in getting the states to pass these laws. Then the federal government reneged and passed the airbag legislation anyway. Politics is a lovely business in our country, isn't it?
Is it safer to wear a seatbelt? Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. I've seen some contradictory research on that matter. As you know, statistics can be made to tell whatever tale the teller wants told. But if you believe wearing a seatbelt is safer, by all means do so! And if you believe eating a low fat diet is healthier, then go right ahead! But don't pass a law that says the government can write me a ticket if I choose to accept the risk of a heart attack and eat Big Macs. It's probably safer not to jump out of airplanes, but I don't see the government making it illegal to go skydiving!
Everyone has heard the statistics about how much safer it is to wear a seatbelt and we've all seen the poor crash test dummies getting whacked around in those crash simulations. But we've never seen a simulation in which the car catches on fire and the crash test dummy is forced to burn to death because he is unable to escape the seatbelt. We've never seen a crash test dummy forced to watch her child burn, crying and screaming in terror, because she can't get to him to get the seatbelt off. We've never seen a crash test dummy seatbelted in, when the car is flipped over and submerged in water, disorienting the dummy and preventing him from releasing the seatbelt before he loses consciousness and drowns.
I believe each individual should have the right to choose which risk is acceptable. For me, having a wreck and depending on the airbag for protection is an acceptable risk, but being strapped to a burning or sinking car is not an acceptable risk. I don't understand why we have given the government the right to force me to take one risk in order to protect me from the other.
Did you know that drivers and passengers in emergency vehicles are exempt from the seatbelt law and for this reason, police officers are exempt? Did you know that 95% of police officers choose not to wear a seatbelt? (I'm quoting that statistic from memory, and I can't find the reference now. Please, if you have it, feel free to correct me.) The most common reasons given are 1) fear of being trapped in the vehicle, as described above; and 2) need for quick escape and ease of maneuverability. Interesting that these police officers can make those kinds of choices for themselves while giving the rest of us tickets when we try to make those same choices.
Primary enforcement means that police officers can pull you over and write you a ticket for no other reason than your failure to wear the Belt of Death and Terror. To me, at best, this hypocrisy is bad karma and at worst, harassment. It doesn't take a genius to figure out these seatbelt tickets are paying their salaries.
What if, all of a sudden, every driver on the road decided to start obeying all the traffic laws and there were no offenses for which the police could write tickets? Why, that would be a happy day for law enforcement, wouldn't it? After all, that is their goal, to get everyone to obey the laws, isn't it? It would mean a reduction in the police force by at least a third, and I'm sure those police officers would understand and consider it a worthwhile sacrifice, giving up their jobs, having safer roads and so many lives saved.
Right….what would happen is, among other things, the speed limits would then be reduced to artificially low numbers, as I'm sure you have found to be the case in neighborhoods you are familiar with, am I right? They will get citation revenue from us one way or another and it has nothing to do with safer roads or saving lives.
Let’s learn a lesson from the Bikers and repeal those seatbelt laws, folks! They are an outrageous infringement on our personal freedom and an insult to our intelligence. After all, if we all have good enough sense to make choices each day for our own health and safety, do we need the law to do it for us?
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