Stay Informed
April 30, 2001
What's Up?
Our Supreme Court says it’s all right
for the police to handcuff, arrest and jail an American
citizen for not wearing their seat belt. The American citizen
on the receiving end of this government policy was a mother of
three who was forcibly taken from her children during a
routine traffic stop. Does
this shock you? Does
this cause you some alarm?
Do you feel comfortable?
Are you wondering exactly how is it we
got to this point? This
all began when some “expert” somewhere down the line
concluded that wearing a seat belt, in most cases, would
reduce the risk of serious injury or death. Maybe people weren’t listening to him. Or, maybe our government decided people weren’t listening
fast enough or good enough.
So, our politicians, enacted a law to protect stupid
people from themselves for the greater good of us all.
I don’t recall the specifics, but I am certain they
justified this restraint on individual liberty by claiming it
would somehow reduce the tax burden on the American people.
It would save us some money somewhere along the line.
People don’t want to pay the price for the stupidity
of others. We do enough stupid things on our own, I guess.
So to all those people who believe it is unwise to wear
a seat belt, or that they need not bother, because they
believe today is their lucky day, and to those people who
simply believe God calls your number when it is up, watch out.
Our government has no tolerance for “stupid”
people. “Stupid” people are a financial drain on society.
Now, in this particular case, I happen to
agree with the expert. I
wear my seat belt and have taught my children to “buckle
up.” I do this
for my sake and the sake of those I love.
I don’t know about air bags yet.
They have killed people.
What I don’t agree with is that the
government has the right to punish people for stupidity.
What I don’t agree with is the requirement that the
American people subject themselves to regulation by experts
for the greater good of us all.
People should have the right to decide certain things
for themselves. It’s
our life, after all. Not
the government’s.
Here’s another case in point. About a year ago a friend of mine told me of a story she had
seen on 20/20 or 60 minutes, or one of those investigative
reporter type shows. She
described a doctor who, through his education, training and
research had concluded fat is bad for you.
It causes heart attacks.
This doctor had studied fast foods and concluded that
the “Big Mac” was a heart attack waiting to happen.
But, he didn’t seem satisfied to simply report his
findings to the American people and let each of us decide how
many Big Macs we would eat in our lifetime.
No, he advocated putting a tax on Big Macs in order to
cajole “stupid” people who didn’t care about their
health, to kick the habit.
And, if they didn’t kick the habit, they would have
to pay for their own stupidity.
It would cost them more money to kill themselves.
This hasn’t been passed into law yet.
But, precedents are in place.
And, it is apparent that there is an attitude in
government that presumes the American people are simply too
stupid to make good, responsible decisions and order the
personal affairs of their own lives.
So, once again, watch out.
In other news, two second graders from
Irvington, New Jersey were charged with terrorist acts for
playing cops and robbers with a paper gun.
And, children across America are being suspended from
school for bringing in cough drops or aspirin given to them by
their “stupid” parents.
More on this later.
We would like to know what you think and
would encourage you to e-mail us with your thoughts on this
subject.
This is George Smith reminding you to stay informed and
stay involved. Continue
investing in your relationship with your government.
Because from everything we have seen, you will get a
great return on this investment.
Past Editions
Apr. 23, 2001
Apr. 10, 2001
Mar. 12, 2001
Mar. 5, 2001
Feb. 19, 2001
Feb. 12, 2001
Feb. 5, 2001 |