Story originally printed in the Winona Daily News or online at www.winonadailynews.com
Published - Thursday, May 01, 2008
More MADDness
While driving east on Third Street, yes, ’twas Third, a westbound driver caught my eye.
She was holding a white poodle inside the car while the mutt stood head out the window — a fairly dangerous and irresponsible activity and as stupid as driving while cell-phoning.
Interestingly enough, Minnesota is poised to further restrict novice teen drivers. The Minneapolis Star Tribune pictured two lads who believe such laws make sense. Maybe? Maybe not.
Clearly, responsible people listened to parents/mentors who passed on their manners and (moral) rules along with the reasons for guidelines. Responsible people understand other people deserve respect — as Jim Eddy recently reminded — and certain obligations ride along with life.
The truth is, restrictions are not needed by responsible people and do nothing to curb offensive and stupid misbehavior. Dennis Challeen notes this well in his publication, “Winning at Losing.” Silly laws are the product of what normal, ordinary, responsible people — “NORP” — think about bad behavior.
Laws do not alter habitually bad actors precisely because these goof-ups are not normal. Chronic drunks, boom-box drivers, drivers who use their cell phone, spouse/child abusers, left-lane laggards, lap-dog drivers and so on, do not get it (responsibility). How can laws alter their behavior? Yet, normal, ordinary, responsible people keep writing laws to flog offenders, while the state grows proportionately to the surrendering of our individual responsibilities.
Minnesota is near the top of the list of drunken driver states. More evidence that MADD is a scam on normal, ordinary, responsible people. Stupid people continue being stupid. Incidentally, the death/injury rates from drunk driving incidents are higher elsewhere. MADDness promotes special interest pressure, political manipulation and false “alcohol-related” stats.
In all, common sense is the missing attribute. Like growing corn for fuel, the neighbor with a barking dog, wandering cat or weed cultivator, some “stupids” like MADD and chronic offenders will never get it. Generally, common sense cannot be taught, so we pussy-foot about with half-baked justice instead of encouraging common sense rules to create a “halo-effect” that extends responsibility.
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