Buckle up, buckle under, or buckle down...

There are a lot of things in our lives that I think are really good ideas. I try to keep my weight at a reasonable limit. I don't drink to much caffeine, and I don't drink any alcohol. I go to church just about every Sunday, and I kiss my wife every morning when I leave for work. Sometimes I even kiss her when I stay home.

Like I say, I think these are some pretty good ideas. I don't think they would make very good laws. I feel the same way about adults wearing seat belts. Good idea, bad law.

Back on July 1st, 2007, one of those really bad laws that required pick-up truck drivers to wear a seat belt took effect. The new law did allow a few exemptions, however. One of those exemptions was for "..a newspaper motor route carrier or newspaper bundle hauler who stops to make deliveries from a vehicle." Since I delivered Libertarian Party newspapers from time to time, I was glad to learn that at at least sometimes I wouldn't be committing a violation if I was driving without my seat belt fastened.

Last February, while I was heading out to deliver a few copies of the January edition of the LP News, a young Wayne County Sheriff's Deputy stopped me for not wearing my seat belt. When I explained the law to him, he told me he thought the law only applied to postal workers in government vehicles. He was wrong.

After four months and three trips to Richmond, I had my day in court. The prosecuting attorney said the motor route didn't start until I made my first delivery. I read the above exemption several times, but I couldn't find that clause in it anywhere. Unfortunately, the judge agreed with prosecutor, and just as unfortunately, they were both as wrong as the young officer. The judge told me to give the clerk $25.00.

Thomas Jefferson said that "It is the natural tendency for government to grow and liberty to yield." I suppose he was right. It's also the natural tendency for government to interpret laws to give the government more power, and to allow the citizens less freedom. Kind of makes you want to buckle down and fight a little harder.

I guess I'll be considered in violation a little more often than I used to consider myself in violation, but life goes on. And I've known for a long time that freedom isn't free.

Sometimes it costs $25.00

May the force be with you... or them...

George Washington hit the nail on the head when he said, "Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." Every once in a while we are reminded just how true that is.

A few years ago, a young man in Cincinnati who made a habit out of driving without a license or seatbelt, also made the mistake of not showing up for court when he should have. Right or wrong, his actions were eventually met with the final option, deadly force.

Anytime we pass a law giving the government control over some portion of our lives, we also give them the power to enforce that law. By force, if necessary. If Timothy Thomas had simply paid his traffic ticket, no force would have been necessary. But when he didn't pay the ticket, a warrant for his arrest was issued. When he decided he didn't want to be arrested, he was shot.

That's probably part of the reason most people just go ahead and pay seatbelt tickets, even if they disagree with seatbelt laws.

It's also a good reason to limit the amount of power the government has over us, so they don't have so many reasons to shoot.

I saw this story today about a man who let his yard grow to tall. Apparently Christopher Rhymes had an aversion to mowing his yard. After it got about a foot and a half tall, the Indianapolis Office of Code Enforcement sent someone in to mow it for him. Reportedly, Mr. Rhymes took offense, pointed a shotgun at the government's appointed lawnkeeper, and the Special Weapons And Tactics team was called in to quell the uprising. Luckily, no one was killed before Mr. Rhymes decided to give up.

It doesn't sound like Mr. Rhymes thought things out to well. Maybe he didn't want to. Maybe he couldn't. Or maybe he was just having a bad day.

Whatever the reason, I'm glad he gave up. If he hadn't, eventually the government would have killed him.

Then they would have went ahead and mowed his yard.