This Will Not Stand Man!

This aggression will not stand! Ok, wanna know what the hell I'm talking about?

Speed limits are inherently bad things. No, really, I just said that. It's not that I want a world where everyone drives around at breakneck speed for the hell of it, but rather that, on evidence, speed limits actually contribute to bad driving, accidents, and... speeding. It's a simple idea, tell a person that the maximum speed at which they can drive is, and they'll drive faster. It really doesn't matter how fast that speed is, it's the limitation itself. Tell them they can do what they want, and most people will moderate themselves, because most people can reason, and don't want to die.

Politicians and police though, do not like it when people control themselves. Politicians and police officers see controlling people as their job. It also helps that people who need to be controlled usually end up paying for the privilege of being told what to do. The more political control is accepted by a population, the more lucrative it becomes. So is it any wonder that politicians will go to extreme lengths in a democracy to convince people to give over more authority to lawmakers and executives?

Speed limits and intrusive automotive safety laws are really just my pet peeve because they affect me more than some of the other controls constantly being sought. I don't really like guns, so it's sometimes hard for me to empathize with gun owners. Still, I do own one gun left to me by my grandfather, who got it from his father. It's obviously important to me as an heirloom, and I'm thus lucky that it doesn't infringe on any recently implemented gun-control (there's that word again) laws in California, because I'm not eager to give it to the government. My car is even more important to me personally, and I'm at the point of being sick and tired of being told how and when, and how much to use it. Here are just a few of the things that governments are doing to ensure that their citizens do not enjoy the freedom of travel that is one of the most important factors in a free society.

1. Speed Cameras, Red Light Cameras: Why doesn't this idea make everyone nervous? Really, really nervous? It should, you're now being watched almost constantly throughout your day. And with this technology, you haven't the opportunity to confront the arresting officer at the time of the supposed infraction. Add to that, the fact that many cities have been caught shortening red lights, a dangerous safety infraction, and that, where the profits turn out to be less than anticipated, the programs have been canceled or deactivated.

2. Toll Road Timing: This is really sneaky. Timing people between toll booths so see if you're speeding, if it doesn't take you long enough to get from point-a to point-b, you'll find your toll cost has increased by the cost of a speeding ticket. Of course, that's why you, as a motorist, have paid for this gigantic, non taxpayer-supported superhighway, so that you don't get anywhere too quickly. Toll roads are preposterous anyway, but screwing over their customers (because that's what we are) like this is totally out of line... and quite lucrative I'm sure.

3. ISA: These three, harmless looking letters are an acronym for "Intelligent Speed Adaptation," which is Orwellian for a GPS controlled speed limiter. Your car will know where it is at all times through that nav-system you paid $1,500 to have stuck on the dash of your G37 coupe because you're too lazy to look at a map (you get what you pay for). By comparing the information from the satellite to the information about area speed limits stored in the nav-system, the car will know how fast it's supposed to be going, and won't let you travel any faster. This really falls down as a safety system when you imagine a highway full of drivers, brains in neutral, foot to the floor, and then throw in say, an errant squirrel... And how long do you think it will be before the police can access your system's records to see where you've been in the last year? And how does the government make money off this idea you ask? Well, do you really think they're going to let just anyone manufacture, install, and maintain such a system? There's so much licencing and taxation possible with this idea that California legislators must be sniffing around like dogs in heat at the very thought...

4. Seat Belt Laws: This is admittedly a sticky one as I personally can't imagine why anyone would drive around without one of these on, but the fact is, it shouldn't be a law, and the fact that it is has nothing to do with reducing highway deaths. This revealed by the fact that any states are considering upgrading their seatbelt laws to the status of primary offense, allowing officers to pull over motorists without other cause, as a way of covering state budget gaps! That's right, they're admitting that it has nothing to do with keeping you safe and everything to do with taking your money.

So, that's just a few of the says that your life is fast becoming the business of politicians, people who can't figure out anything better to do with their lives, than tell other people how to live theirs. How much control do we really want to give them?