George Carlin once joked during a stand-up routine that he hated people who walked down the street with a Walkman and headphones. "They're trying to tune the world out," he said, then mimed driving over said pedestrian with his car. "Well tune this out, buddy!"
That was more than a decade ago, but technology continues to fuel our ability to tune out the world. We're a nation on the go and we like to take our technology with us.
New York Senator Carl Kruger (D) wants it to stop, at least in New York. He plans to introduce legislation which would make it illegal to use any electronic device while crossing a street, effectively limiting use of such devices by pedestrians and cyclists outside city parks.
The ban is necessary because these products distract people from the potential hazards of urban life, Kruger said. Never mind the fact that his legislation provides no real way for the ban to be enforced if it passed, or that Kruger hasn't bothered to back up his claims that use of electronic devices is leading to a "nationwide problem" of incidents of death by automobile.
Welcome to the United Nanny States of America.
Though Kruger's plan is unlikely to ever make it past the planning stages, it brings to mind an unnerving trend in this country. We're losing our right to make decisions as our government ramps up more "for your own good" brand of legislation.
We've forgotten that Prohibition failed in the 1920s as city after city across the country, including Muncie, passes legislation restricting smokers and where they can indulge their habit. Some at Ball State want the entire university to be smoke free, even outdoors. Other legislators want it to be illegal for you to smoke in your car if a child is nearby.
What's next? Smokers can't smoke in a building, on the street, in their cars or in their homes, but the government will still be glad to sell a pack to you with huge taxes attached.
I don't even smoke and it makes me want to light up.
Then we've allowed legislators to limit what we eat. Under the guise of protecting us from our gluttonous tendencies, cities across the nation have banned trans-fats, or considered doing so, in a rush to jump on the Nannywagon. They're unenforceable, toothless embarrassing bans, yes, but they also encroach on our right to make decisions for ourselves.
Where's it going to stop? Is the nation going to consider banning poultry because we "might" have a bird flu pandemic? Will we ban beef in order to prevent mad cow disease even though there's never been a human case reported in the United States?
It's time to let our legislators know that we're not going to let our government encroach on the most basic right provided under democracy: our right to live our lives as we choose. Stand up and tell your leaders that we're tired of these "for your own good" laws.
Otherwise you might find yourself unable to listen to your MP3 player on the way to class because your government thinks you're too stupid to look both ways before crossing the street.
Write to Jonathan at jonathansanders@justice.com
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