What's in a motto?

Contributed by Auggie
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I see where New Hampshire is still the only state in the nation without a mandatory seat-belt law for adults. As far as I can tell, the biggest obstacle to passing a law is the state motto which is "live free or die". Ok then. I'm not sure that wearing a seat belt falls within the spirit of the motto, but like any law, bill of rights etc., one can twist the meaning any way they want to make the point they want.

State Senator Peter Bragdon engages in a little extreme extrapolation (see earlier post Non sequiturs), when he argues "Some of the most serious accidents happen while people are walking. Should we require people to wear helmets while walking?" Again, if I had the opportunity I would return the insanity and say "So Pete, why do you have any traffic laws at all? Who has the right to tell you how fast to go or when you should stop?" And you wonder why it's called the 'Peter Principle'?

Look, I don't really know if seat belt laws make a difference or not because they are difficult to enforce. But I just find it bewildering that a state motto would influence a law making decision. Remember, the motto doesn't necessarily describe the state's culture - it was made the motto by government officials, and now it's being used by officials in their decision making process.

Freedom to Smoke

I love freedom. I support freedom. Freedom is fun.

I think everyone should be free to do any thing they want, even if it is harmful to themselves, as long as two conditions are met. First, the chooser of the freedom in question must have reached an age when they can make the decision responsibly. Second, they must be able to enjoy the chosen freedom without harming others or disrespecting others' freedom.

To choose smoking and meet these conditions, smokers obviously need to be sure they are not harming the health of their children and/or family members via second hand smoke. Difficult but manageable I would think.

More difficult and less manageable is how to choose smoking without consuming more than one's fair share of health care expenses. We know smoking is very unhealthy and that it leads to many costly medical conditions. The burden that smokers put on society to pay for their poor health is enormous. I know that medical insurance premiums are higher for smokers but "smoking habits" are one of the most famously misreported lifestyle choices in the history of the medical insurance industry. Let's be honest; non-smokers pay for the majority of smoker-related health care problems and, since smoking is a choice, those who choose it impinge on the freedom of those who do not.

I support freedom but smoking is not free and is difficult to do freely.