Monday, April 21, 2008

They Can Have my Car When They Pry it from my Cold Dead Hands

Not much action on the blog of late. Are you guys all at the MTV beach house for Spring Break or what?

With regards to gun control in America, I uncovered an interesting bit of info today while researching how to get a truck driver's license in Europe:

Until 1913, beginning with New Jersey, people in the US were not required to pass any tests or have a license to operate a motor vehicle.

Public outcry over the number of fatalities associated with unlicensed drivers eventually forced all states to adopt laws requiring licensing. And guess which countries were held up as examples of statutes successfully ensuring roadways and eventually used as a models for stricter American "auto control" legislation?

That's right, good old France and Germany...

3 comments:

  1. Speaking of cars...

    Enjoy this post from DailyKos, which includes handy links addressing the McCain (and Clinton) proposed gas tax moratorium.

    With all the continued talk about "independence from foreign oil," we might want to start thinking of pertroleum in terms of a "vice" like cigarettes and increase the gas tax.

    My only problem with this idea is that it still hurts people at the bottom, and we don't have enough investment in mass transit systems that would be a necessary alternative to personal automobiles.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yeah, forgot the link:

    http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/4/28/03322/1182/827/504632

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  3. One last time, with link broken in two so everyonecan see the whole thing. Might have to cut and paste twice.

    http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/
    2008/4/28/03322/1182/827/504632

    ReplyDelete