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Ban Distractions: People, Cars
Pennsylvania Representative Joseph Markosek intends to propose on ban on using a cell phone while driving. I must urge everyone to oppose such a law, which is a misguided (if well-meaning) restriction on the rights of free American people. Lawmakers across the country are knocking down straw men in the name of our safety, and it’s time to send a message that we won’t stand for illogical, ineffective legislation.
This quote from the Times Herald indicates that this law is being proposed to fix the enforcement limitations on the recent texting ban.
Barry Ciccocioppo, Markosek’s communications director, said the ban is being introduced to help police enforce the current ban on texting while driving.
“Somebody can have a phone in their hand and say they weren’t texting, they were dialing a number,” he said. – http://www.timesherald.com/article/20120917/NEWS03/120919610/pa-lawmakers-to-consider-phone-ban-for-drivers&pager=full_story
And yet, according to the press release, “Exceptions to the prohibitions would include… when initiating a phone call,” so Ciccocioppo’s hypothetical situation would persist. Also in the Times Herald article, it was noted that there is no evidence showing that laws against cell phone use actually result in fewer traffic accidents. Additionally, reading a text message on a phone is no different from reading a billboard, your GPS, a construction sign, or the display on your radio, yet every effort is being made to protect the legality of everything that doesn’t involve a phone.
The press release highlights the main public concerns. Amidst the rhetoric of appeals to children’s welfare, Markosek said, “People should have their hands on the wheel and be focused on the road when they are driving.” This offhanded conflation of focused drivers with hands-free drivers is the most glaring fallacy. With no other laws about where a driver’s hands can be, or what they can be touching, singling out cell phone use raises a red flag. If the purpose of the proposed law is to keep drivers’ hands on the wheel and eyes on the road, we expect to gain nothing by specifying an individual item that is not allowed to be in a driver’s hand, especially when there are several exceptions to that rule.
“I have been an active proponent of legislation to eliminate distracted drivers to help make Pennsylvania a safer place,” said Rep. Eugene DePasquale, D-York County. “I sincerely believe the texting ban was an important first step toward eliminating the dangerous practice of distracted driving on our roadways. Now it is time to take another step toward safety.” – http://www.pahouse.com/PR/025090512.asp
Echoed in all three of the quotes above is the fallacy that banning a single source of distraction will prevent distracted driving. This last quote perhaps recognizes that more needs to be done, but no further plan is discussed. The disconnect between intended goals and proposed legislation is growing enormously across the nation, and we’re paying for it with our liberties. In an era when large sodas are being banned in NYC to fight obesity, photo ID is being required in PA to fight non-existent voter fraud, and Americans are being terrified by the TSA to fight terrorism, our ability to be secure in our persons is being infringed upon by legislators’ quixotic and ineffective crusades, stemming from a lack of logic and critical thought.
Round 2
It’s not that a representative government has to exactly match the demographics of its citizens, but such great variations certainly don’t foster confidence in its integrity.
Sources:
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/directory/demographics.tt?catid=all
Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District
I’ve been perusing Wikipedia and government sites for information. I’d like to share some things, mostly as notes for myself. Please note that I’m referring only to the federal government.
A 34-year-old cannot become President; a 35-year-old can. Our current president is 50 years old. The median age at inauguration is nearly 55. The youngest president in history was Teddy Roosevelt, who was almost 43 at inauguration.
A 29-year-old cannot become Senator; a 30-year-old can. Currently, the median age of Senators in 62 years. The youngest Senator is more than 40 years old.
A 24-year-old cannot become Representative; a 25-year-old can. Currently, the median age of members of the House is 58. The youngest member of the House is more than 30 years old.
According to data from the 2010 census, the median age of people in the US is 37.2. Almost half of the nation’s population (40.8%) is under the age of 30. If you’re in the habit of excluding people from the counts for being under 18, the country is almost 17% within the ages of 18-29. If you’re in favor of the age requirements for US House of Representatives, 6.8% of the population is 25-29 years old. With a total of 435 members, 6.8% of the House equates to 30 Representatives. That’s 30 representatives under 30 years old that don’t currently exist. It’s representation of 40.8% of our nation’s population neglected.