ENOUGH WITH SAFETY LAWS...

         How many of you are getting tired of all these laws the government creates to protect us from ourselves?  I like to call these the “Safety laws.”  It seems every day more and more of these types of laws are showing up in our society.  Laws that are intended to protect us from our own behavior such as safety belts, drug solicitation, non-smoking, riding a motorcycle without a helmet and even J-Walking, are just a few of these laws that are there only for OUR protection against ourselves. Since these laws are made for us, why does it seem like sometimes these laws punish us more than they save us?  I certainly understand that there must be laws to protect us from hurting others.  But if we are adults and want to take the chance in safety, why should the government interfere in our right of free will.  Should we care if big brother believes if something is too dangerous to do?  How far will our government go to protect us from ourselves?  At what point will they make McDonald’s illegal to eat?  I mean they have already banned trans fats and even Big Gulps in some cities.  I guess (once again) I am forced to ask the obvious questions.  
     If the government continues to do everything to save us from ourselves at what point will our lives just become boring and suck?  I mean, what if the government bans roller coasters to prevent heart attacks, hiking in the mountains to prevent falls, hang gliding, kite surfing, even swimming in the ocean, to prevent accidents, contact sports like football, baseball, basketball, soccer, etc.   Remember when we had lawn darts and the slip and slide?  If these were banned for our safety’s sake, would life even be worth living?  Well the truth is, it is happening right in front of our eyes.  We are even getting cars that drive themselves and jobs that work themselves to prevent accidents.  As a country, we are seemingly writing off the fun in everyday life because of safety laws.  Seems to me our government intends to continue to add more safety laws.  Rather than remove some of the pointless ones they already have on the books.
     I would even challenge the government and say that some of these laws that are intended to protect us may in fact hurt us. Have you ever heard of the Peltzman effect?  It states that people may react to a safety regulation by increasing other risky behaviors, and/or offsetting some or all the benefits of the regulation.  Maybe I drive faster because I am wearing a helmet or safety belt.  Or maybe I don’t look out for cars when I am within the safety of a crosswalk.  Anyway, it is something to think about, right?
     I like to view the initiator of these laws as an old gentleman by the name of “Buzz Killington.”  Maybe this gentleman was lazy or just had a ton of passive aggressive feelings towards people who like to “grab life by the horns.”  It doesn’t take a genius to see some of these laws are against our American Freedoms.  
     I believe in law and order like most good-hearted Americans.  The catch the government doesn’t seem to understand is that the laws must be RESPECTED for them to have ORDER.  I believe laws should be made to protect people from others who may want to harm them or their property.  But, I do believe our individual liberty and rights should permit us to do whatever we want as long as it doesn’t cause harm to others.  Protecting a person from themselves breeds the legislation of morality and the taking away of one’s liberty.  Respecting law is a must for the American people to survive.  The more laws our government enacts to protect us from ourselves, the more they will lose the respect of the American people.   I love my country.  But I will forever hate Mr. Buzz Killington who is trying to take the fun and thrill out of our lives.

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