[chrispycsuf]

how is government officials enforcing a law that is the most basic law on the books for car drivers bad...how does it lead to a police state....that makes no sense...maybe you need to review your definition of socialism. The dept of transportation is saving lives and i applaud them for it.

[Atlas Sneezed]

>>how is government officials enforcing a law that is the most basic law on the books for car drivers bad...

It's not about PUBLIC safety. Reread from the article:

"Each of us owns himself, and it follows that we should have the liberty to take risks with our own lives but not that of others. That means it's a legitimate use of state power to mandate that cars have working brakes because if my car has poorly functioning brakes, I risk the lives of others and I have no right to do so. If I don't wear a seatbelt I risk my own life, which is well within my rights."

>>how does it lead to a police state...

If you don't get the connection with cops in night vision gear pulling people over who are having no effect on PUBLIC safety, then I 'm not sure my explanations would help. Didn't you read the very brief article?:

"Government officials, if given power to control us, soon become zealots. Last year, Maryland state troopers were equipped with night vision goggles, similar to those used by our servicemen in Iraq, to catch night riders not wearing seatbelts. Maryland state troopers boasted that they bagged 44 drivers traveling unbuckled under the cover of darkness."

[Atlas Sneezed]

The dept of transportation is saving lives and i applaud them for it.

---

Do you tolerate any government intrusion into private lives if it "saves lives"? Maybe you missed this part of the article, too:

"If we accept the notion that government ought to protect us from ourselves, we're on a steep slippery slope. Obesity is a major contributor to hypertension, coronary disease and diabetes, and leads not only to many premature deaths but billions of dollars in health care costs. Should government enforce, depending on a person's height, sex and age, a daily 1,400 to 2,000-calorie intake limit? There's absolutely no dietary reason to add salt to our meals. High salt consumption can lead to high blood pressure, which can then lead to stroke, heart attack, osteoporosis and asthma. Should government outlaw adding salt to meals? While you might think that these government mandates would never happen, be advised that there are busybody groups currently pushing for government mandates on how much and what we can eat."

[RobRoy]

"The dept of transportation is saving lives and i applaud them for it."

They are a nanny state and I DON'T applaud them for it. No matter. You are obviously a woman. Women value "security" over individual freedom while men tend to reverse the priorities.

Preserving life at all costs is not the ultimate goal, otherwise men would not have fought and died for the liberties you enjoy, but are being etched away in the name of "safety". By all means, tell people belts are safer. Show them statistics. Plead with them to put their cars in carseats. Just don't make it the law!

[JoeSixPack1]

The most basic law?? Are you insane or just been locked up for a few years?

[CSM]

"The dept of transportation is saving lives and i applaud them for it."

If the government is tasked with saving me from my own poor choices, then I am no longer an individual. Instead, I am owned by the state.

[Gabz]

The dept of transportation is saving lives and i applaud them for it.

apparently not, according to an article in my local paper this morning.

According to The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, 922 persons were killed in 837 motor vehicle related crashes in 2004. Of those, 421 persons were unrestrained.

You do the math, more people died while wearing seat belts than while not.

[hosepipe]

[ The dept of transportation is saving lives and i applaud them for it. ]

The Dept of Transportations job/charter is not to save lives..

Its to maintain roads(and other things) and to hand out serious obscene graft to many contractors paying obscene Union wages and to inflate costs to eat up the obscene gasoline and other energy taxes which make literally EVERYTHING ELSE go up in price too.. From a budget always bloated as bad as many entitlements..

Thats what THEY DO.. Saving lives is not on their charter.. Being a parasite on lives of the citizens IS what they do..

The Seat Belt Law is as ridiculous as the Miranda Law, purely government overreaching by liberal socialist fascists.. They are quite INSANE you know..