Commentsby
Bob Brandon....
Federal Meddling
For years, the federal governmennt
has been cajoling states to pass certain laws, or lose the use of millions
of dollars in highway construction money. It's a kind of bullying
that a lot of states don't appreciate. And so it is in North Carolina,where
the feds were threatening to divert about $170-million if the legislature
failed to approve a law banning open alcoholic beverage containers in vehicles.
This state has pushed the
designated driver policy for years, and apparently, they don't like someone
coming in and trying to tell them how not to kill each other. But
as the old saying goes, Money talks and BS walks...and there was a lot
of BS-ing going on in Raleigh during the debate.
In a state not-known for
it's liberal alcohol laws (there are some counties in NC where you can't
buy cold beer), suddenly we have a cadre of anti-federalists. They're
theatening to sue over what they see as an infringement on state rights
by the Feds. The 10th ammendment to the Constitution says that any
authority not specifically bestowed upon the Federal governmentbelongs
to the states.
But that argument isn't exactly
valid in this instance. For one thing, the highway money is not being
denied to the non-compliant states. Instead the money will go to
highway safety, not road building. Well, it's hard to campaign for
re-election without a shiny new highway or bridge to brag about. So lawmakers
are outraged. How dare they try and blackmale us and force such restrictive
rules upon our people?
Actually, it's been a pretty
successful policy. Thanks to federal meddling, seatbelts are now
required nationwide, and most state's speed limits are lower. As
a result, there are thousands of American drivers and passengers, and
innocent bystanders who are still alive. Moms and dads, kids,friends,
all alive and well, instead of being brutalized by auto accidents.
So to state Senator Frank
Ballance of Warren County, NC, we have to ask..."Is it more important to
be allowed to carry open beer and wine in a car, or to know that your teenager
is home safe, and sound?" With more deaths due to car wrecks than
war, crime and other accidents combined, doesn't it just make good sense
to do everything possible to make driving safer?
If you want freedom to put
your own life in danger, get a bottle of cheap wine, go out in the woods
all alone, and hit yourself over the head with it. At least others
won't have to be affected by your idiotic actions or lack of concern for
public safety. |
