The government’s job is to protect the American people, and we obviously need traffic laws to protect people from hurting one another. Traffic laws are a necessity so that everyone knows what to expect and we have the fewest number of deaths on our highways and streets. Luckily, automotive deaths have been reduced drastically over the last decade, and that’s a wonderful thing, a tribute to our hard work and efforts to promote safer driving.
Still, there are many who complain that some of the laws that are forced upon us take away our individual rights and they are not fair. Milton Friedman the famous libertarian economist who wrote the book with his wife Marianne titled “Free to Choose” explained in his book that traffic laws, and requirements for such things as a bumper on your car are okay, because they protect the other guy in case you get into an accident. But what is not okay is to make motorcycle riders wear a helmet, or people to wear a seatbelt in their own car to protect themselves.
In other words, it is a choice to protect yourself wearing a seatbelt, and it is a choice to protect your noggin and wear a helmet so you don’t splatter your brains all over the sidewalk if you crash your motorcycle. However it should not be a choice to not put a bumper on your car and cause serious damage or injury to other drivers when it wasn’t their fault. Are you beginning to see the point? In many regards and philosophically speaking seat belts are somewhat unconstitutional. That is to say it’s not government’s job to protect you from yourself, it could be said to be government’s job to protect you from outside influences, someone else hurting you.
Many people may not understand the simplicity of my argument here. One could say that if people didn’t wear seatbelts, and they got into an accident and had a serious injury, then all the people would have to pay more taxes because they might get free hospital care. But free hospital care is a socialist trend, and it’s nothing what our founding fathers would have expected. Therefore the taxpayers shouldn’t pay for your hospital either that is your own responsibility. You can buy insurance if you want too, but should be forced too, again free-market philosophy, and liberty argument.
You see what happens is every time we give away free stuff at the taxpayer’s expense we have to make more laws to keep those costs reduced. Eventually we make so many silly and ridiculous laws that only a stupid person would ever wish to live in that society. Personally, I feel that it is unfortunate that California is busy writing seatbelt tickets, because I don’t think it is not the government’s business whether I wear one or not, that’s my business. Do you see my point? Nevertheless, you have to wear a seatbelt, whether it’s unconstitutional are not, it’s the law. Please consider all this and think on it.