Wednesday, February 14, 2007

I'm in "Hot Pursuit!"

Oregon lawmakers are apparently considering dueling bills to ban the use of cell phones while driving. Few of us haven't seen some bonehead driving poorly while putting on makeup, eating or talking on a cell and at first glance this would seem like a good idea. But here are a few points I think they need to keep in mind before they do this-



  • One of the reasons cell phones have come to become so popular is in response to the realities of life in 21st century America. We simply don't have much free time anymore, spending the majority of our time at work. As a result we try and squeeze more into less. I would like to see lawmakers address the fact we're able to spend less and less time at home or at leisure before they take up the cell phone issue.

  • We already have laws on the books covering speeding and reckless driving. Enforce 'em.

  • To expand on the point above: as a commuter the biggest threat I face daily is from those who go too slow or too fast for traffic. I would like to see those people ticketed.

  • Technology will soon make this issue moot. Bluetooth and voice recognition have advanced to the point where you won't have to use your hands at all to make a phone call in your car. Once this technology becomes widespread I don't see how the government can regulate it.

5 comments:

Don Snabulus said...

When the legislature gets to the point where they are debate cell phones or speed limits in schoolyards at 2am on a Saturday, it is a good indication that it time to send them home for the season.

Same thing with the police. Once it gets to the point where 2/3 of the force is involved in revenue generation instead of public safety, it is time to cut the budget. I'm sorry, Salem/Kaiser doesn't need a SWAT tank for the police force either.

Dean Wormer said...

Yeah, but the scary thing is they just got started.

THIS is the important stuff? Why not spend time on fixing Measure 37 first? Morons.

Salem doesn't just need a tank. They need to buy a blackhawk. They've got the People's Republic of Eugenistan to their immediate south.

Overdroid said...

Arnold Schwartzenneger is promising Californians universal health care. Don't you wish you had cool local politicians like us that could travel in time and are merely a fleshy shell covering a robotic core?

Also, I personally would worry more about the fascists in Portlandistein, those people do a lot of saber rattling.

Also, you should check out Swinebread's blog. Apparently he has us involved in some sort of competition.

Selba said...

Hi... first time in here! Just go through this blog, many interesting topics.

Ok.. I'm going to start to read them now :)

Swinebread said...

Cel phone use should be banned in cars...

...except when I want to use it.

Hey Selba, you're in the right spot for politics