Observations, August, 2013

Observation No. 1

People punish honesty.

Observation No. 2:

Our machines, our computers, our pocket phones, more than anything, are turning us into a nation of cowards.

We don't face situations we've created or people that we ought to otherwise face. Instead, we ignore them if they call or we text back, if/when forced into a "conversation."

Put the phone down

When driving, please ignore your phone.  Put it down, turn it off, do whatever you have to do.





Just drive the car.

Thank you.


Take the pledge now:  It Can Wait: Texting & Driving

Texting and driving: A prediction

I'm amazed at the frequency with which I see people texting and driving as I go down streets and highways. It's nearly constant. And it got me to thinking. I believe that either one more, huge accident is going to take place, like the one on the East side of the state that involved a school bus, or a series of accidents will and suddenly, the nation will be ready for tough laws on texting while driving. It seems that's what it's going to take. We'll see, eh? Here's how the laws were, state by state, in 2009:

Links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texting_while_driving; http://www.caranddriver.com/features/texting-while-driving-how-dangerous-is-it; http://www.edgarsnyder.com/car-accident/cell-phone/statistics.html

Talk about over-legislating

Okay, here we go.  This is what the Libertarians and maybe the Tea Party members are complaining about.  Talk about too much government.

Two states--Arkansas and New York, if you can believe that--are considering making walking or running while you text illegal:

2 states take aim at distracted walkers, runners

By ANDREW DeMILLO, Associated Press

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Attention texting pedestrians and iPod-obsessed runners on the street: You may soon get unplugged.

After targeting drivers who paid more attention to their phone calls and text messages than the road, lawmakers in Arkansas and New York are now looking to crack down on pedestrians equally distracted by their own electronic gadgets.

Lawmakers in both states have proposed restrictions on using cell phones and music players such as iPods by people running and walking on the street or sidewalk. The apparent message: Distracted pedestrians are dangerous.

Right.

And who's going to police this?  The police?  They don't have enough to do?

My Conservative, long-dead, I believe Republican uncle once made a terrific statement I never forgot:  "You can't legislate us to utopia."

I didn't agree with a lot of his politics but I certainly agreed with that one.

Naturally, that came to mind here, with these goofy ideas.

Link:  http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110124/ap_on_re_us/us_distracted_walkers

I'm so old...

I remember when phones were only in homes and businesses.

...I remember when phones were only that--telephones.

...I remember when phones couldn't text.

Heck, I remember when there was no such thing as "texting'.

Is this the only way we can legislate now?

Dum-dum legislation seems to be the only thing the Obama Administration can come up with right now.

First, it's been "leaked out" from the White House that the President is going to recommend we freeze Federal spending for the next 3 years, in an effort to keep deficits and spending down.

This seems pretty easy to pass and sure to please the opposing Party, if only because it's throwing them an economic "bone", so to speak.

The American people have been shown in polls to be against these big deficits we're running up so this is what what they came up with.

Whatever.

There are people chiming in on it, for and against. Some say it will help keep deficits down. Others say we shouldn't try to keep spending down too much, since we're in a deep recession.

We'll find out who's right, soon enough.

The other easy government we were given came yesterday when the President and White House got a law to make texting for commercial vehicles illegal.

Talk about an easy one.

Who could be against this?

We're in 2 wars and the worst recession in 80 years and this is the legislation we get from our government.

I'm still a supporter of this President, to be sure, but I hope we're doing what we can be doing on all the right things.

It feels like Nero is fiddling sometimes, to me.

To be sure you know: How you can help Haiti and Haitians

From the US State Department: you can text "HAITI" to "90999" and a donation of $10 will be given automatically to the Red Cross to help with relief efforts, charged to your cell phone bill.

And this from UPS: UPS is shipping anything under 50lbs for free to Haiti. You can send food clothes or shoes...

and American Airlines is taking doctors and nurses to Haiti for free.

Please call 212-697-9767. Spread the word...Red Cross needs Creole speaking volunteers for a 24hr phone bank. Call Mr. Wilfrid @ 305-776-6900.

Spread the word.