Aesop Missed This Fable
Posted by: Mark Patlan | 08/25/2008 11:25 AM
It was entertaining to read Jim Silva's touching tribute to termed-out Assemblyman Bill Maze, R-Visalia. In case you missed it, Silva recounted the story of how Maze "once attended an auction to buy a thoroughbred and came away with a
mule, which he rode home -- even after the mule threw him off and broke
his arm." Hopefully, Silva saw the irony in the tale.
Bill Maze is, of course, the genius behind a bit of nanny state legislation working its way through the Legislature - the lap dog ban. Maze reportedly authored his nanny state bill after seeing a motorist on the road with dogs on his lap - no public safety statistics or other evidence needed when it comes to nanny state legislation.
There is a silver lining in this tale, however - indeed, a fable. Too often GOP voters go to the auction to buy an elephant and come away with a mule or a rhino. And they continue to ride the beast even after it throws them under the bus. A fable for the ages.
Bill Maze is, of course, the genius behind a bit of nanny state legislation working its way through the Legislature - the lap dog ban. Maze reportedly authored his nanny state bill after seeing a motorist on the road with dogs on his lap - no public safety statistics or other evidence needed when it comes to nanny state legislation.
There is a silver lining in this tale, however - indeed, a fable. Too often GOP voters go to the auction to buy an elephant and come away with a mule or a rhino. And they continue to ride the beast even after it throws them under the bus. A fable for the ages.
Mr. Ayer registered as a Republican to be electable in an interim election with no incumbents. He did...
Why do people like Mark Patlin think it's OK to do something other than drive, while driving a car?
If you want to pet your dog, stay home and pet your stupid dog.
However, please don't screw up my commute with your silly foibles such as petting a dog, yacking on the phone or texting your secretary.
Your right to do silly things in your car stops when it interferes with my right to get home on time or in one piece.
You inadvertently put your finger on the very issue. When does something become a public safety issue to the extent that expanding the police state is necessary?
For Bill Maze and like-minded individuals (including, apparently, yourself), people's behavior becomes a public safety issue based on hunches, intuitions, or anecdotes (such as Maze seeing someone with dogs on his lap) - not cold, hard facts.
There has been no evidence presented that lap dogs must be banned because of the number of lap dog-related accidents or deaths.
One might even argue that such behavior is already handled under tort law, where a driver would be liable for lap dog-related accidents under a negligence theory if the lap dog distracted the driver, causing an accident, because distraction by lap dogs is reasonably foreseeable. But it only becomes a problem when there is an accident causing damage.
So, the situation seems handled under negligence law, and resort to expansion of the police state is neither necessary nor desirable.