Why can't we still do that? Why can't we order airbags as an option?
Many reasons but what it all comes down to in this day and age is a willingness to accept whatever the government mandates. After all, they are only looking out for our welfare.
Okay, enough soapbox.
Mark
Because then too many people will make the wrong decision.
I used to think poeple will make the right decision for themselves but in the past five years I've changed my mind. I've come to realize that most people don't put enough thought into their decisions and end up doing stupid things. Like taking out mortgages on homes they can't afford, buying $40k trucks when they can't afford 12 MPG, or refusing to wear a helmet becaue they think they cause neck injuries, or spending money on booze and cigarettes instead of health insurance. These are just a few examples, the list could seemingly go on forever.
Sure .. I think a few of us are capable of weighing the pro's and con's and actually benefit from the ability to choose whether to buy seat belts etc. but by far most of the people in our society would rather go for the short-term benefit, while justifying thier behavior. Like my wife's college-educated friend who refuses to wear a seat belt because if he drives into a lake she thinks she'll be trapped ... doi ... my brother's friend who thinks health insurance should be cheaper for smokers because they die sooner (and he smokes .. no surprise there..) .. wtf ... ?!? and a fellow rider (a really nice guy but not the sharpest tool in the shed) who actually believes the Affordable Care Act has made health insurance cheaper and keeps thinking he's "getting money from the government" when he gets a tax REFUND. Or the mother of the 12-year-old we are mentoring ... just had another kid (third one, third baby-daddy) when she could barely afford the two first ones, and realized now she doesn't have to work because welfare and child-support pays better (I hope she doesn't quit school). Ugh.
The movie "Idiocracy" was terrible but I think there was an element of truth to it. Likewise .. "People" magazine is read more than newspapers or books.
At my core I'm a libertarian, but over the years I've realized that most of the people in our country would not be able to function in a truly libertarian political system. It isn't easy reconciling that with the liberal notion that people are stupid and government has to make important decisions for them.
Oh right, mandatory driving technologies...
Despite the instrusions on personal freedoms and increased costs of vehicles, one can't look away from how technology has made our roads much safer. That's despite many more cars going significantly faster with more dolts driving.
