How do you feel about the "safety police" governing our society today?

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   shynslyposted 14 years ago

   How do you feel about the "safety police" governing our society today?
   
   I don't have a problem with common sense laws that protect us from each other, like no texting while driving, but it does irritate me that we have so many laws governing personal behavior, such as seat belt or helmet laws. Do you agree with these kinds of legislation, or are we being treated like 5 year olds?

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   Mark Ewbieposted 14 years ago

   I think it is easy to mock and resent these laws.  Individual freedom and all that.  But personally to follow your examples - I believe that seat belts and helmets save lives and injuries.

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3. 60

   shynslyposted 14 years ago

   The fact they save lives is true enough, but it still begs the question, if under most common sense scenarios... it's only the adult individual's safety at risk, why do we feel like we need to play "mommy" and dictate their behavior to them?
   
   I personally despise pot, and I'm not even 100% sure why as I have no "bad experiences" or anything to base my feelings off of, I just do. That being said, I do think it should be legal and regulated/taxed just like alcohol, as I admit, unlike crack or meth, pretty safe to say a "pot head" isn't generally going to pose much of a hazard to anyone else (driving not withstanding).
   
   Have we really regressed that much, to have completely lost touch with the sense of personal freedom and responsibility that used to make the U.S. great, that we now need to be treated like children and have our personal behaviors legislated to us?

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   Wayne Brownposted 14 years ago

   Such laws are the symbolic effort to show those who are still living that the government is taking responsible action to minimize needless death as a result of foolish choices on the part of an individual or group.  Spoken in another way, "the government is attempting to protect a fool from himself".  Basically, that is an impossible task unless you employ the following guidelines....assign an armed guard to the person with instructions that the guard is to shot him/her if they attempt anything stupid.  Government, as a result of political gaming, and to some extent, as a result of an expectant public, has embraced the art of symbolic law to demonstrate their concerns and to wash their hands of the blood of fools. WB

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5. 60

   Right On Timeposted 14 years ago

   There are idiots out there among us who need to be treated like 5 year olds.

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6. 60

   MickSposted 14 years ago

   It countries that have a general 'free' health service, injuries and deaths from road accidents put a strain on health and social services, that strain is still there, perhaps in a lesser form, but still there, in countries that don't have, general 'free' health services.  By passing legislation that requires the use of car seat belts or helmets when using a motor cycle, the government is helping ease that strain.
   I agree though, the health and safety Nazis, along with the food Nazis, and the politically correct Nazis, are acquiring far too much power in society.

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   Old Empresarioposted 14 years ago

   The government can inform me of the benefits of wearing a seatbelt if it wants; but the government has no right to protect me from myself. The cops will issue citations for not wearing a seatbelt. Next they give you a ticket for leaving your car door unlocked in a parking lot. If you don't pay the citations, you will go to jail. All of this because you didn't do anything. You did not steal or assault anyone, yet you are in jail. And then there are the airports...The laws everywhere will continue to get worse and the American people will love it.

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8. 53

   Andy the Greatposted 14 years ago

   I can make an argument for seat belt laws. It's a little less clear cut for helmets, but I could stretch it.
   
   Seat belts prevent you from becoming a projectile outside of your car, which could injure a bystander.
   
   Helmets aren't going to save a bystander, and might even cause more harm. I'd be more inclined to require helmets under the age of 18, since there's no problem with treating children like children, but adults should be allowed to not wear one if they don't want to.
   
   That said, I don't have a serious problem with either law. I could take it or leave it. I'd wear my seatbelt without a law. Helmets? They aren't required where I live anyway.

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9. 59

   onlinearticlespkposted 14 years ago

   Legislation is important but all laws are not practicles to implement.

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10. 60

    Jangaplanetposted 14 years ago

    I never felt safe around police even though everyone has forgotten that we employ them. The truth is that a seatbelt is being inforced  for the insurance companies so that they do not need to pay up when accidents happen.(It is to protect them) Think about it, why should a cop stop you if you are not wearing a seatbelt? there is no injured party so then why ticket? It is not prevent you from getting hurt!(there is no injured party yet!) It is simply for insurance companies. I am not saying you should not wear a seatbelt, but what i am saying is that it is my choice not theirs. But it is like everything else ,you need to ask permision to the governement  to be able to make a lawful choice! so yes everyone is a child , thats why your governed? government means looked after. But if we call them by there real job titles (employees) they wont like there jobs . Everyone forgot that your the master and they are the servants, not the other way around. Cops serve you ,they only forgot that! plus you need to understand that wearing a seatbelt is not a law ,it is a statute.Again noone knows anything so they took advatage of you.

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11. 59

    Jarnposted 14 years ago

    I dislike these laws because it goes against Darwin's theory and weakens the genepool as a whole. If an idiot decides to do a hundred on a rice-rocket down a busy highway buck-naked, that's fine with me. I'd post the crash to Youtube in a heartbeat. But I would rather have him not live to pass his genetics along before he ends up dead just because the government decided he needed to be nursemaided.

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