Comment on I feel like if asbestos was banned today there'd be a huge pro-asbestos movement

• andros_rex@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  “There are 30,000 people that have been killed with seat belts, where they’ve gotten into accidents, the cars were on fire, they’ve been knocked out, they haven’t been able to get out of the vehicle,” he said. “My point is, even if the majority of people are saved, why do we keep forcing people to do things that they feel it’s their own individual right to make a decision?”

  Rhode Island state rep, 2011.

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  • conditional_soup@lemm.ee ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    As a left libertarian, I have a hard time arguing against seatbelt laws. As in, I know they aren’t consistent with my ideology, but the outcomes of having these laws are so much better than not having them. The only thing that I can say against them is that they’re one of the more commonly used bullshit pretexts for initiating traffic stops. I rationalize this trade off and violation of ideals by pointing out that the government has created a fucked up transportation market by enforcing car centrism.

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    • andros_rex@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      I think the argument is more about the impact on others. If you aren’t wearing a seatbelt, you become a projectile that can harm others - both in your car and outside of your car.

      In general, I agree that ideologically it’s a little uncomfortable to dictate personal choices, but when it comes to road safety I think the government has reasonable grounds to enforce certain expectations (same with things like insurance.)

      It is uncomfortable to give police more pretenses to stop people but road safety perhaps is one of those things we could have a hypothetical “good police force” take care of.

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      • shottymcb@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

        Government dictating that citizens MUST give money to a private company who then gives money to the politicians who make that mandate is wildly immoral. Insurance should be a government program.

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      • conditional_soup@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

        Ehhhh… Traffic stops are more often than not excuses to fish for other, more serious violations or initiate a civil asset forfeiture. It’s actually one of the big reasons I’m hugely pro-transit and anti-car-centrism, because it robs the state of a huge excuse for initiating police contacts.

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  • Phoenicianpirate@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    Don’t forget airbags have also killed people.

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• bss03@infosec.pub ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  Where’d you get a picture off all my elder family members in one place!? (j/k)

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