General Disrespect for the Law
As we've noted before, the pervasiveness of the "Nanny State" annoys us to no end. Democrats in general think that they can legislate every aspect of people lives and tell them what is and isn't good for them. The foie gras ban and the current attempts to outlaw smoking and transfats are merely extensions of the drive to force helmet laws onto motorcyclists, firework bans, gun locks, gun bans, etc. We believe that people and the market should (for the most part) determine what is and isn't good for themselves. In this respect, we are decidedly Libertarian (not liberal - Libertarian).
You want to ride a motorcycle without some sort of head protection, your choice - but you ought to be responsible for picking up the raised insurance premiums. You want to own a gun? Have at it. We'll debate the merits of some sort of proficiency exam prior to gun ownership, but if you leave the thing lying around with the safety off, don't be blaming society when someone untrained or deranged gets a hold of it. Keep your hands off our guns - we are responsible for our own houses. And stay the hell out of our kitchens, bedrooms, choices of restaurants, bars and a million other things that are no one's business but our own. If we want to eat crap, gain weight, smoke giant freaking cigars and die by 50, that's our business. And if we want to eat wheat germ, whole fiber, drink organic soy products and dine on the blandest food available in the hopes of cheating death for 8 or 9 decades, that's our business, too.
The trouble with all this nitpicking laws is that they engender a certain disrespect for all laws. Various restaurants are already skirting the foie gras "ban" by holding giveaways or flouting the law entirely, knowing that in the event of a court challenge, they'd win out eventually. The same thing is going to happen with any transfat bans. Passing laws that have no real chance of being enforced with any meaningful actions is just another form of "makey-work" - looking busy when in actuality, nothing is getting done. Nothing of any significance that is - like pension reform. Or Social Security reform. Or ethics reform. Or....?
You want to ride a motorcycle without some sort of head protection, your choice - but you ought to be responsible for picking up the raised insurance premiums. You want to own a gun? Have at it. We'll debate the merits of some sort of proficiency exam prior to gun ownership, but if you leave the thing lying around with the safety off, don't be blaming society when someone untrained or deranged gets a hold of it. Keep your hands off our guns - we are responsible for our own houses. And stay the hell out of our kitchens, bedrooms, choices of restaurants, bars and a million other things that are no one's business but our own. If we want to eat crap, gain weight, smoke giant freaking cigars and die by 50, that's our business. And if we want to eat wheat germ, whole fiber, drink organic soy products and dine on the blandest food available in the hopes of cheating death for 8 or 9 decades, that's our business, too.
The trouble with all this nitpicking laws is that they engender a certain disrespect for all laws. Various restaurants are already skirting the foie gras "ban" by holding giveaways or flouting the law entirely, knowing that in the event of a court challenge, they'd win out eventually. The same thing is going to happen with any transfat bans. Passing laws that have no real chance of being enforced with any meaningful actions is just another form of "makey-work" - looking busy when in actuality, nothing is getting done. Nothing of any significance that is - like pension reform. Or Social Security reform. Or ethics reform. Or....?
posted by SCC at 12:01 AM
24 Comments:
Don't forget mandatory seatbelt use. I have nothing against seatbelts and use all the time now but I REALLY resent being told that I MUST wear them. If I choose to, it's my business and no one else's. If I choose not to, it doesn't affect anyone else, so why should "big brother" have any say in the matter?
Excellent points, SCC; it seems that the liberals/democrats believe in big government, tax and spend, we ("the government") know what's best for you ("the people"); we ("the government") will and have to provide for you, since you ("the people") can't do it on your own and for yourselves; everything from gun control, to "rights" for illegal immigrants, to ingredients in food, to where a person can smoke, to.....it seems like a march toward socialism.
Take a ride through the 23rd Ward sometime. The 23rd Ward alderman has seen fit to put stop signs up at almost every intersection in the ward. It's absolutely ridiculous. When I worked in the 008th District (1982-94), I wrote a lot of traffic tickets. If I still worked there now, I would only use the numerous stop signs as probable cause for a stop, as I would not be able to rationalize writing everybody who disobeys the stop signs, as they are now. The unrealistic number of stop signs, basically, discourages people from obeying the law.
LIBERTARIAN! Wow I get so worried about that goof next to me eating wheat germ. I get paranoid that the dust from the wheat will set up in my lungs and kill me. Oh by the way have you ever heard the term catastrophic health insurance. I'll bet you still don't wear a vest, play tackle football without a helmet. How about your kids, they cross the street against the lights. LIBERTARIAN! You're a Neanderthal.
Mandatory seat belts?
How about if i want to drive a car without a windsnhield?
Or withour doors?
Grow up, some laws protect us from our selves!
to 12:47:18,
I'm all for it, just as long as YOU pay all your medical expenses if you fail to buckle up. I'm sure you have to have seen just how much they save lives and people from serious injuries, so no lecture.
To say it doesn't effect anyone, is not being honest. In a truly economic sense, serious injuries or death from car crashes costs everyone. So if you don't want to buckle up, YOU pay for it. Nuff on that.
Does the intersection of Huron and Orleans still have a stop sign? I'm referring of course to traffic on Orleans, not Huron.Years ago they were building a highrise there when a front end loader was backing out and accidentally struck and ran a pedestrian over killing her. It was an accident, a once in a lifetime thing. The cities response however was to put up a stop sign which I believe remains today. I don't know why the city thinks a stop sign at the scene of a construction related accident will improve safety, particularly when the construction is over,but they do.
the law makers are busy turning the law into a joke. each time they pass a feel good unenforceable law, get caught breaking the law themselves or build exclusionary rules into laws for themselves the people lose some respect for law.
I don't have a problem with mandatory seat belt usage. They save lives, especially the lives of coppers. Think about all the coppers in recent years that have DIED due to being ejected out of their squads from crashes. Think of the suffering of their families, their kids. Anything that helps us all get home after a tour of duty I'm all for. If YOU had the responsibility of completing the IOD's, notifying the families that their loved ones were injured/deceased, you'd feel different about seat belt usage, trust me. If I never have to attend another funeral for a copper killed in a traffic accident, that would be just fine.
we have rights, but we also had "duties" too many to list so let's just say you had a duty to be a good citizen, now with the government legislating every part of our life it has taken away from the desire, or need to be a good citizen in some people's minds.
Just read Bill O'Reilly's book "The Culture Warrior." Decent book. Light reading. All about the secular nanny state.
The neo-cons believe in big gov't also. They have said it time and time again. Bush spends WAY more than the Democrats. The Republican Revolution and the Contract with America started in 1994 w/ Newt Gingrich. It was a good idea but Clinton harassed Gingrich and Gingrich balked... and Gingrich failed miserably. Now the Republicans are on the Neo-con big government bandwagon. Socialism weakens a country. Look at France and England. The French just protested a French government effort to allow French business to fire a worker if the worker constantly screws up in the first 2 years of employment. Jac Chirac repealed the law. The French economy is in the dumper ... no growth. The Frenchman has NO chance to better himself through hard work. Americans can be fired for just about anything. It is a tremendous (and underrated) strength of our country; business’ ability to fire incompetent workers. It is the opposite of gov't protection ... it is gov't non-interference and it is the only way to live. Frenchman have become weak and soft due to their gov't coddling them. And besides that a socialist gov't has NEVER been known to work. What a sickening and weak turn Europe has taken. They have lost their influence. Man was made to struggle and succeed, well most men. Support your church and remember, the media’s attempt to portray the socialist as the majority in this country is a complete smoke-screen. Liberalism is a failed idealism just like communism. Socialism will be proven the same.
Why should the average citizen follow the rules since most off-duty cops don't. (run red lights,park in alleys or on fireplugs, tow zones etc...)
libertarianism.
i read what it is and
that sounds awesome. sorry SCC but me and the monkey are joinging your crew.
libertarianism all the way.
woot!!!!!
When these new breed supervisors don't respect the P.O.'s or respect themselves. How do you expect anyone else to respect us??
Anonymous said...
Why should the average citizen follow the rules since most off-duty cops don't. (run red lights,park in alleys or on fireplugs, tow zones etc...)
1/15/2007 12:00:24 PM
Amen brother.Alot of coppers set a bad example to the public.Badging your way out of a PIMP ticket is one thing.But driving shit faced and blowing off stop signs and other traffic controls is juvenile.
The public knows that traffic enforcement as presently conducted is for revenue generation,not public safety.Lead by example.Daley,aldercreatures are not good leadership models.
Anonymous said...
Why should the average citizen follow the rules since most off-duty cops don't. (run red lights,park in alleys or on fireplugs, tow zones etc...)
1/15/2007 12:00:24 PM
What a lot of citizens don't realize is many times a job comes up that requires us to get there in a hurry, but lights and sirens is not the best thing. So for that I wish they'd understand it, especially if they need help.
HOWEVER, that's only once in a while, most times it's true, coppers blow stop signs and red lights as a matter of course. What really irks the shit out of me is, where are you going in such a hurry?
You're pushing a beat car for a tour of duty, going everywhere, and NOWHERE, so why the need to blow a light or stopsign? You're driving around for the tour, so why do that?
I understand how people get pissed, and they're right. If you're not going to a job, just wait for the damn light to change and stop for the sign. It's not going to make a differance anyway during the tour. Hell, you may even save yourself a preventable accident and having to come up with some bullshit excuse down the road.
I believe we are fast approaching becoming a nazi run country. Yes, laws are put forth for the protection of the citizens, however, it is really getting ridiculous. We are being told what we can eat by Aldermen? Huh? Who made Ed Burke responsible for me? I don't need aldermen telling me what kinds of foods are or are not good for me. I am 21+, and feel that I can choose for myself. The biggest problem I have, however, is with the smoking ban. Yes, I am a smoker...Yes, I know smoking is bad....Yes, I believe everyone should have the right to eat their meal without breathing in second hand smoke. However, if it is that bad...Then make smoking ILLEGAL!!! Don't sell the cigarettes. OOPS, nope, can't do that. Where would all the tax revenue that is being charged for cigarettes come from? Let businesses that buy their own property, pay property taxes, state and federal taxes, and all the other hundreds of taxes, make the choice if they want a smoking establishment or not. If the choice was given, smokers would choose to patronize smoking establishments and non-smokers chould choose to patronize non-smoking establishments.. Kinda makes sense huh?
0308
You mean you never drove a car without doors?! It's awesome!
When these new breed supervisors don't respect the P.O.'s or respect themselves. How do you expect anyone else to respect us??
1/15/2007 02:56:52 PM
Maybe it is because they were raised in the suburbs and have no concept of how to deal with others, or is because when they were in school they got pushed into the lockers and had lunch money taken then their Father came to school and they took his lunch money? The new breed is a lost generation! Old school bosses understood the concept of reciprocation new ones don't simple as that! to much education no street smarts!
I've heard "gloves" in 009 is doing a great job. Keep up the good work Dave
We should really check those cars with FOP medallions and hat bands that park illegal. It makes us look like jag-offs to the public. A computer check sometimes shows they are not the police, so ticket them.
you have the right to eat crap , but not the right to drive a car , therefore seat belt laws are constitutional
Oh ya! The off-duty cop running red lights, shooting guns in the air outside taverns. Getting drunk all the time, pissing in the street. What should the public think??
<< Home