Do we really need all that safety stuff?

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by IamIan

Because what people want to do has an effect on other people ... Our world and our society is a very interconnected web .. We do not function as islands of isolation from the rest of the world and the rest of our species.

What do you care if I pee in my end of the swimming pool???

I agree with your points, and at the same time lean more Libertarian than most.

Freedom = Responsibility

If people want to be free, they must also be allowed to fail. However, if the goal is to eliminate failure, then we can't be free.

[gone-ot]

Originally Posted by RedDevil

There used to be a whole bunch that did not care about safety equipment in their cars but they all died in car accidents, thanks to Darwin.

Or would you think the safety stuff is related to Intelligent Design ?

Unfortunately "Darwin Awards" don't always get "awarded" to those who deserve them but sadly to mere bystanders who just happened to be "in the way."

[Hersbird]

There are 100s of things the majority wants that are squashed by the government all the time. Then there are 100s of things small minorities want that are forced on everyone by the government. People being able to vote with their dollars to get what they want in the market is a nice idea, but it doesn't happen that way. Maybe with smart phones but not with highly government regulated things like cars. Good news is with net "neutrality" maybe we can get the government to decide what the majority wants there as well. That is if they every actually publish the rules they voted on without letting anybody read.

[Frank Lee]

Originally Posted by IamIan

Further it doesn't seem to me to be the government separate from the people ... as if the government is imposing something the majority are against .. Instead it seems to me the people themselves are the ones driving and applying the pressure ... the state and federal governments are complying with the pressure that the people push for.

Not so much the people as it is the special interest groups. They make a lot of noise and wave a lot of money around. The people are for the most part apathetic so they basically don't count.

Originally Posted by RedDevil
There used to be a whole bunch that did not care about safety equipment in their cars but they all died in car accidents, thanks to Darwin.

I think not. I survived not only growing up riding in cars with no safety features at all except safety glass, but many decades later I'm still driving 'em!

Manual steering
Non-power four wheel drum brakes with single-circuit master cylinder
No radial tires
No ABS
No seat belts
No air bags
No traction control
No sonar braking
No cruise control
No nanny computer tattle-tale
No On-Star
No head rests
No collapsible steering column
Pointy hard switches and other dashboard features
No padded dash
No tire pressure monitoring system
No baby-on-board sign
No third brake light
No 2.5 or 5 mph bumpers
No crush zones
No door beams
No moose-proof A-pillars
No limited-slip differential
No halogen or other types of high-output bulbs
No day/night mirror
No passenger side mirror

...and so on. And if there was a new car similarly (not)equipped (Tata Nano?) I wouldn't hesitate to get in it. Heck, I'd cruise a B&S Flyer or a Model T.



I must just be from another era... one where peanuts and dirt couldn't kill anyone.

[RedDevil]

I loved my '85 Civic, which was very basic. It had seatbelts and safety glass but not much else.
But I would not take it to work, nor drive it with the wife and kids anymore.
I would choose safety equipment if I could half afford it.

Making safety stuff mandatory instead of optional allows them to be mass produced and preinstalled, so much cheaper.
Having freedom to choose them will raise the cost and put it out of reach for many.

When I started my professional career my colleagues had the freedom to choose whether they'd smoke behind their desks or not.
Sometimes I could hardly see the opposing wall of our tiny room.
When I got home I had to put my clothes in an airtight bag and shower, just to be able to eat my dinner without that overpowering smell.
I'm so glad to have the freedom to breath freely now.

One mans freedom is another mans chain.
I rather have airbags for chains than crutches.

[Frank Lee]

Parents Who Let Kids Walk Home Alone Found Responsible for Neglect | Bethesda-Chevy Chase, MD Patch

This is good?

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

Parents Who Let Kids Walk Home Alone Found Responsible for Neglect | Bethesda-Chevy Chase, MD Patch

Oh boy, you've opened a can of worms now...

I figured the parents had been charged with neglect because something bad happened to their children, but that isn't the case. What a silly way to waste time and money about nothing.

[RedDevil]

Off topic?

[Frank Lee]

Started by some nosey tattle-tale who didn't bother to find out what was going on. But that's OK, the authorities know what's best.

Coddling- on topic.

[gone-ot]

Originally Posted by RedDevil

Off topic?

Ah-h-h, but the real question is: "...SAFETY for whose sake?" Is it more for the "industry" pushing it or is it truly for the consumers who have to "pay" to have it "...pushed..." (in)to them?

Apathy is how the "mass" tells the gooberment "...leave us alone..." but of course, der gooberment don't listen and does what it WANTs more-so than what's NEEDED or asked for.