Today I saw a bumper sticker that disturbed me.
It read "Report an unbuckled child" and gave a phone number to call if you decided you wanted to tattle on your neighbor.
I wondered if this could be real-if our society had really de-evolved to this-snitching as a public service.
So I did an internet search, and guess what?
We have de-evolved to this! In twenty states!
Twenty states where the walking dead are willing to become stool pigeons when they themselves were probably raised in a day and age where the was nothing in the car to buckle! And they came out of it okay!
Accoring to http://www.lawforkids.org/, if you want to be a rat, you can turn in your neighbor for this horrible offense.
The Phoenix Police Department has a hotline number set up to take these reports.
If you observe a child under the age of 5 not properly restrained while riding in a car, you can call 1-800-505-2229(BABY). They ask that you leave the following information:
1) The vehicle license number and state.
2) The city you are in when you observed the child not being buckled up.
3) Where the child was sitting in the vehicle.
A packet of useful information will then be mailed to the registered owner stating that their vehicle was observed transporting an unbuckled child. The material describes the hazards of transporting an unbuckled child under the age of 5, and encourages the owner to purchase a child restraint system. However, because the program is designed to provide information to those who might need it most, the information reported is not provided to the police, insurance companies, or to the Arizona Motor Vehicle Division.
Our tax dollars at work.
The "Baby On Board" stickers used to piss me off-this just makes me want to go nuts!
People! Fifty years ago there was a baby boom, and there were no seat belts, car seats, bicycle helmets, roller skating helmets, bicycle lights, reflective gear, warning labels or parental advisory stickers.
The cildren of the sixties turned on, tuned out, smoked anything that would burn, ingested anything that might get you high and drank if it smelled like it might get you drunk.
And now you are all worried about preservatives in your potato chips and ratting out your neighbors for not buckling in their kid.
Anyone who has ever called that number, I wish you had listened to Roger Daltry and died before you got old!
But tell me this one thing-why with all of this protection for their own good, are today's children DUMBER (lower SAT scores-look 'em up) and less self-reliant?
When I was growing up, the lowest form of life was a rat. Even our parents told us that nobody likes a rat. People who would willingly call a number like this are rats. They think they are being helpful and educating the parent in the other car, but don't let them kid you even as they're kidding themselves.
They're a rat.
And nobody likes a rat.
UHHH-MM!... I'm gonna tell on your for publicly denigrating this important service. Yer gonna be in TRUUUUU-BLE!
ReplyDelete>>.....Anyone who has ever called that number, I wish you had listened to Roger Daltry and died before you got old!
Ha!-Ha! That literally made me Laugh Out Loud.
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
Penn Jillette posted this on Twitter, and ohhhh how apropos it is - be sure to enlarge so you can compare the things we're supposed to be tattling on with the reality. http://i.imgur.com/coeUe.jpg
ReplyDeleteWhen my daughter was born the mandatory carseat laws had just taken effect; but after 1 1/2 a seatbelt was allowed in the back. Now the gov't says the kid has to be in at least a booster seat until they're at least what, 4'8" I think? Yeah, some adults aren't even that tall. Idiocracy is a documentary.
So it's okay if someone is a bad parent and disobeys laws? We didn't have a lot of things back in the 50's, that doesn't mean it was better back then. A lot of folks that didn't wear seat belts back then are DEAD now due to accidents. I know some people have a problem with seat belts and baby car seats, but it does save lives. I see and hear about it all the time on the news. There's a rollover, and someone gets killed and guess what? They weren't wearing their seat belt. Now it may not matter to anyone really if this poor sap died or not, but it also causes indigent healthcare and high hospital bills and since a lot of people DON'T have medical insurance, guess who picks up the tab for that? Right tax payers. Call the damn number....
ReplyDeleteEL VOX ~
ReplyDeleteIs there ANY part of your life that you feel is none of the Federal Government's business?
What are your thoughts on the system of government that our Founding Father's designed, which - as I hope you know - did not at all resemble the form of government that we have today!
(What we have today far exceeds the level of tyranny that our Founders were willing to VIOLENTLY rebel against!)
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
EV-
ReplyDeleteI do not disagree with you that seat belts save lives.
I have a problem with the Federal government mandating seat belts.
Let's put aside for a moment the Fed's absolute usurping of constitutional authority to provide medical care at all, and say that Medicaid is ok.
I would rather see a law that says if you are in an accident and you are not wearing a seat belt, Medicaid will not cover your medical bills.
That preserves the freedom of the individual and establishes responsibility with the individual.
Two of the foundations of this country that have somehow gone missing.
And on your first comment about it being okay if someone disobeys laws. Let's set aside our disagreement on the constitutionality, validity or necessity of seat belt laws.
Are you defending the act of reporting another driver for an unbuckled child?
I guess we grew up in different worlds, my friend.
In Philadelphia, it's considered bad form to drop a dime on another. The street version of the golden rule.
I think we are not so far apart on some of the concepts as much as we disagree on how much intrusion the Federal government should have into our lives.
LC