cell phone ban...

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Except in extreme cases, you don't punish people for something that might happen one day.

THIS IS MY BIGGEST FUCKING PROBLEM. PEOPLE ARE SO CONCERNED ABOUT THE "could have" or "might happen" and over react.

i MIGHT hit a kid while driving through a school zone while talking on a cell phone. i also might hit that same kid while checking out the hot high school chick in the short skirt while cruising through the same area. guess what? there is ALREADY A FUCKING LAW to take care of that. there doesn't need to be another. how about taking away the monetary fine and imposing a point system instead? oh yeah, they need they money to make us safe.

a total ban of cell phones won't kill me or anyone else, although our country has grown to a level of productivity based on in car talking. if we discontinue this usage it will further shrink our financial output.

it is like the seat belt laws. i never wore a seat belt. ever. not even after i wrecked and tipped my truck on its side. the law didn't matter. in all the years i drove without a seatbelt, i got one ticket. i wear one now because i have 2 kids and a wife and i drive a jeep with no roof on it. the fact that someone made a law has absolutely ZERO to do with me wearing a seatbelt.

basically we need to stop worrying about the "could of" and "mights" and stop letting the 10% of stupid people rule the 90% of people who can think. as a sales trainer, I get this ALL THE TIME. i bring out a word track or sales concept and one of the sales people will say "i had this guy who did this, this, and that." one guy in 5 years... yeah, lets train for that one guy and forget the other 4,000 customers that this works with.

i am tired - so i am going to go to bed before they make a law that says i have to get 8 hrs of sleep at night so when i drive to work i will be attentive enough to operate my motor vehicle.

JK-fredd0 wrote:

a total ban of cell phones won't kill me or anyone else, although our
country has grown to a level of productivity based on in car talking.
if we discontinue this usage it will further shrink our financial
output.

WHAT? You're saying there's a direct correlation between talking on a cellphone while driving and GDP?

I'm calling BS on that, unless you've got hard facts to back it up.

!c

Personally, I don't do much business on the phone in the car. But there are certainly a lot of people who do.

Deacon wrote:

Personally, I don't do much business on the phone in the car. But there are certainly a lot of people who do.

That still doesn't imply any correlation between real productivity and cellphone talking in cars, additionally, even if it did, it would not imply causality. The presumption that because a person does their work on a phone, that if they had the phone in their car, and are talking on it - they are being productive, doesn't quite follow.

Additionally, if it were the case that "talking on cellphones in cars" increases productivity, we should see a spike in productivity starting at the point where cellphones became readily available, and then an increase in velocity of productivity greater than that which occurred before the mass affordability of the cellular phone. And, the numbers don't wash.

One could easily feign some semblance of affinity for the issues if they were to say "productivity levels are increased by technology" (They, in fact are - considering that productivity is a measure of units output per hour worked; technology allows fewer humans [less hours] to produce more output [units].) - but to state so specifically that a singular technology, used in a singular setting, at a singular time that does NOT automate human effort is directly related to productivity is eye-rolling territory.

And then to make the hyperbolic leap that a law to ban cellphone usage while driving reduces the productivity of our nation... Man, where do I start with that one?

I might make a converse argument - that we spend too much time communicating, and too little time producing.

!c

Holy shit..... Is this thread sill going......

I likes reading Church's stuff....makes me feel somehow more smarter...getting to see all those words that I doesn't see in a normal day

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And then to make the hyperbolic leap that a law to ban cellphone usage while driving reduces the productivity of our nation... Man, where do I start with that one?

same leap is being made to outlaw them... that was my point thank you for picking up on it.

This thread is showing quite a bit of heat So what have we learned here?

the govt really has no clue...

could not bring myself to read every post so forgive me if i restate something someone else said ....

it's easy to see both sides. everyone being punished for some dumb shit who can't drive for crap anyways and his bad driving is multiplied by using a cell... sux balls.

CPS, AT&T, and some other companies have drivers that need their cell phones while driving. We employ a courrier and he sure as hell better answer his phone if we call him to do a pickup or cancel a pickup at the last minute.

however, as a parent and someone who has almost been hit, run off the road, and been cut off several times by some ass on their cellphone, i can't help but to see the merit in the proposed law.

it's the same for most laws out there. it's for the greater good. it's not the best solution, but it's the one that makes the most sense and is the easiest to implement and enforce.

killing is against the law and not everyone will kill someone or wants to. but if it is my kid in that schoolzone some dumb F'k hits because he was on his phone or checking out some hot chick or some other bullshit reason, i might have to make the exception. and if i did, i would be fully prepared for the consequences.

Quote :

killing is against the law and not everyone will kill someone or wants to. but if it is my kid in that schoolzone some dumb F'k hits because he was on his phone or checking out some hot chick or some other bullshit reason, i might have to make the exception. and if i did, i would be fully prepared for the consequences.

i guess my biggest point is there are already laws that are there to punish people who are not paying attention while driving. adding a specific form of not paying attention is a waste because ANYTHING that causes you to not pay attention and have an accident while driving is against the law.

i read it as, talking on cellphone while in school zone - bad, but go ahead and eat the colache while drinking your starbucks and doing your makeup and reading a book.

i feel the same way about drunk driving. it is illegal to drive drunk - why not just put the police right outside the bars / clubs and have them breathalize people as they are leaving? it would cut down GREATLY on drunk driving.

JK-fredd0 wrote:

i guess my biggest point is there are already laws that are there to punish people who are not paying attention while driving. adding a specific form of not paying attention is a waste because ANYTHING that causes you to not pay attention and have an accident while driving is against the law.

i read it as, talking on cellphone while in school zone - bad, but go ahead and eat the colache while drinking your starbucks and doing your makeup and reading a book.

i feel the same way about drunk driving. it is illegal to drive drunk - why not just put the police right outside the bars / clubs and have them breathalize people as they are leaving? it would cut down GREATLY on drunk driving.

There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power government has is the power to
crack down on criminals. When there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One
declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live
without breaking laws.


— Ayn Rand


DON'T WE HAVE ENOUGH LAWS ALREADY

Next it will be illegal to drink coffee or talk on a CB while driving. Mom always told me to stay out of the street and watch for cars. Maybe parents being parents by educating and disciplining their kids would help.

Oh, wait. We can't discipline our kids anymore. It is also against the law. Just give them some positive reinforcement for not getting hit by a car.