Re: California front plates - yikes!

[Neal Tovsen <ntovsen@piper.hamline.edu>]

On Tue, 5 Oct 1999, Brad Sheridan wrote:
> Uh, much of society already lacks the capability to do the right thing
> because it is the right thing. Or do I just have an extremely negative view
> of people? :)

Unfortunately, I agree with you. Maybe I'm just stuck-up, but I don't
believe myself to be in that group. When the opportunity to do the right
thing is removed, it is removed from *everybody*, not just the idiots. I'd
rather put up with the idiots (and try to educate them) than loose my
freedom and rights.
> 
>    If the driver decides not to run a light because a cop is there, he is
> not doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do, hes doing it
> because he doesn't want to get punished. Whether its a live cop, or one at
> a desk a few miles away, its a fear of punishment that keeps the driver
> from breaking the law, and endangering lives.

You're absolutely right. But live cops can't be everywhere all the time,
so %90 percent of the time, people stop at red lights because they know
it promotes safety and is just plain common sense (the "right thing to
do").

> Are you saying we should get
> rid of police, as they take away our responsiblity to do the right thing
> because it is the right thing? All the cameras do is make one cop able to
> watch alot of intersections, as opposed to just sitting and waiting at one.
> Either with the cop or the camera, you are being watched.

Absolutely not. I believe that cops exist to police the idiots and protect
the rest of us from them, but that they don't need to be everywhere at
once. There is a HUGE difference between knowing there is a small
liklihood that if I do something illegal, I'll get caught, and living in a
constant fear that if I don't put my blinker on 100 ft. before a turn I
WILL get punished. As I said, 90% of the people do the right thing 90% of
the time, even when there's no cops around. I'd rather deal with the 10%
who are idiots (which, I realize, risks my own life at times) than live my
life with someone watching me 24 hours a day, waiting for me to screw up.
Maybe that's just me...

Neal


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