I urge NO on any ban on cell phone use while driving

I just sent the following message to my state legislators.

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To: Senator Greg Walker; Representative Sean Eberhart
Cc: Representative Eric Allan Koch; Representative Milo Smith
Sent: Wed, 27 Jan 2010, 1:32 pm EST
Subject: I urge NO on any ban on cell phone use while driving

Thank you for your service to the citizens of Indiana.

I urge you to vote NO on any measure to criminalize the use of cell phones or other electronic devices while driving.

I am all for holding each driver in Indiana accountable for controlling his vehicle in as safe a manner as possible, and punishing any who carelessly or recklessly cause personal or property damage while operating a motor vehicle.

I am opposed to trying to micromanage the Indiana driver by criminalizing, before the fact, specific types of potentially-risky driving behavior.

I know this is a somewhat trendy and politically-popular form of legislation, but I urge you to resist it.

As the following link points out, distracted drivers are a leading cause of motor vehicle accidents.

Distracted Drivers Cause Motor Vehicle Accidents - Smart Motorist

Many of the factors contributing to driver distraction and accidents which are listed in this article have been around a lot longer than the cell phone.

To be consistent in micromanaging our state's drivers, the legislature would need to start working their way through the list of risky behaviors. E.g., drinking, eating, adjusting the radio, picking up something that has fallen on the floor, having an argument with a passenger, driving with too little rest, checking the map, looking at the GPS screen, using a laptop computer (i.e., police officers), adjusting the climate control, reading, shaving, applying make-up, combing hair, anger at other drivers or traffic conditions.

It would be inconsistent to skip any of these that are as risky as responsible cell phone use, but a number of items on this list would be politically quite a bit less popular to be prohibited than cell phone use.

I urge you to stay away from this slippery slope.

Just hold drivers accountable for their results and leave it to each driver to determine the most practical means of arriving safely at his destination.

Sincerely,
Bill Starr
Columbus, Indiana

Marilyn vos Savant Reforms Health Care

Excellent, common sense health care reform proposals from Marilyn vos Savant (1996).

Repeal the 17th Amendment: Marilyn vos Savant Reforms Health Care

Man uses stun gun during downtown Columbus fight

The local paper reports today that a local man was arrested for using a stun gun during a fight.

He was charged with battery with a deadly weapon, a Class C felony.

Funny how it's a "deadly weapon" in "civilian" hands, but law enforcement and the manufacturer promote the stun gun as being in the "less than lethal" category.

Man uses stun gun during downtown Columbus fight

Why Indiana children wait for the school bus in the dark

After reading a couple of recent letters to the editor from fellow Hoosiers, I remembered that I wanted to do an update corresponding to my "earliest sunset of the year" post on December 7.

In the South Bend Tribune on January 12 (When will Indiana students see the light?), Angela Warren-Manns wrote:

"I am concerned for my son who has to be out in the dark to go to school in the morning. This is bizarre for us because where we are from in New Jersey, it is light outside around 7 a.m. We have also lived in Texas, California and Maryland and they are also the same as New Jersey: light around 7 a.m. It just doesn't make sense to me that Indiana is on Eastern time. The sun certainly does not agree with it."

Ms. Warren-Manns is quite correct. The average sunrise time for places due east and west of South Bend on January 12 is 7:25 am. Civil twilight (when there is sufficient natural light for terrestrial objects to be clearly distinguished) is about 7 am this time of year for places in the geographically correct time zone.

In the Montgomery County (Crawfordsville) newspaper (Who makes decision on delays, closing?), Buddy Posthauer writes:

"My daughter has not had very much experience driving under these conditions... She could have taken the bus which picks her up about one hour earlier than when she drives, which it is pitch dark, and although this is not the schools fault, thanks to the time change, no child should be standing along side a busy and dangerous highway in the dark, even if the weather is good. It was just a few years ago I could not leave for work on time because a gentleman lost his life after a head on collision right where the kids have to stand in the dark to wait on the bus, which is much more dangerous in bad weather."

What both of these letters have in common is that they highlight the increased risk to Indiana children on their way to school this time of year because of observing eastern time.

Except for a few counties in the northwest and southwest corners, all of Indiana has been in the geographically incorrect eastern time zone since the 1960s.

January 4 marks the latest sunrise of the year.

The natural clock time (aka Local Mean Time) for sunrise in Indianapolis on January 4 is 7:22 am. This would be the sunrise time on January 4 if Indianapolis had ended up at the middle of a time zone like Philadelphia or Peoria did.

The table below compares the sunrise time on January 4 in Indianapolis with other United States cities located in their geographically-correct time zone.

On eastern time, Indy sticks out from the pack like a sore thumb. It will be back in the normal range again whenever Indiana goes back to central time.

Sunrise times on Monday, 4 January 2010

8:06, Indianapolis (eastern time)

7:23, Philadelphia (middle of eastern time zone)
7:23, Peoria (middle of central time zone)
7:21, Denver (middle of mountain time zone)
7:20, Reno (middle of Pacific time zone)
7:20, New York City
7:18, Chicago
7:14, Boston
7:06, Indianapolis (if returned back to central time)
6:59, Nashville TN (nearly due south of Indy)
6:52, Las Vegas

Ref: http://www.usno.navy.mil/USNO/astronomical-applications/data-services/rs-one-year-us/

Vote NO on a constitutional convention

I just wrote the following message to my state legislators urging them to oppose any call for a constitutional convention.

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To: Senator Greg Walker; Representative Sean Eberhart
Cc: Representative Eric Allan Koch; Representative Milo Smith
Subject: I urge NO on a constitutional convention

Thank you for your service to the citizens of Indiana.

Please vote NO on any resolution in the Indiana general assembly that petitions Congress to call a constitutional convention (as provided for by Article V of the U.S. Constitution).

I also urge you to vote YES on any resolution to rescind the 1979 resolution of the Indiana general assembly that favored a national constitutional convention.

I've become aware that several organizations are contacting state legislators to promote resolutions petitioning Congress to convene a constitutional convention, so this issue appears likely to come up in our general assembly, if it hasn't already.

Since leading constitutional scholars say a constitutional convention could not be restricted as to the amendments it could consider and propose, I am very concerned that such a convention could lead to proposing one or more amendments that could have a very harmful effect on our freedoms under the U.S. Constitution.

One need look no further than our own country's history to see that a convention called for the purpose of updating the Articles of Confederation ended up leading to an entirely new form of government instead.

With the current state of citizen knowledge of the precepts of liberty in the United States, the odds are not in favor of getting a better government than we have now if this situation should arise in our lifetime.

Although it would take three-quarters of the 50 states to ratify any proposed amendments, the biased news media and other opinion-molding institutions could easily help enable the ratification of undesirable amendments.

I understand that conservatives are split on this issue, but I am among those who feels that the risks posed by a constitutional convention far outweigh the possible benefits.

For more background information on this issue, I highly recommend the following items:

(1) "Beware of Article V," a 36-minute video free to view at
http://www.jbs.org/news-center/birchtube/69

This video was created specifically for helping state legislators understand the negative aspects of convening a constitutional convention.

(2) "Dangers of a Constitutional Convention," an article free to view at
http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/constitution/1241

(3) "Another Endorsement of a Constitutional Convention on Glenn Beck," an article free to view at
http://www.jbs.org/us-constitution-blog/5638

Please be sure to vote NO on any resolution calling for a national constitutional convention for the purpose of amending the U.S. Constitution.

Sincerely,
Bill Starr
Columbus, Indiana
Wed, 30 Dec 2009, 1:16 pm EST

Moral Criticisms of the Market

Ken Ewert does a great job of addressing moral criticisms often leveled against the free market by Christians.

Moral Criticisms of the Market

Postal Employees Live It Up | Cato @ Liberty

"Of course, private companies spend money on conferences, meetings, and events. But they don’t force people to buy their products or use their services. The USPS has a government-granted monopoly over first-class mail. It’s time to put an end to the government mail monopoly, and this audit is one more reason why." -- Tad DeHaven

Postal Employees Live It Up | Cato @ Liberty

Your Neighbor’s Contract You Can’t Refuse

A modern-day parable.

"A contract forced on someone else is not a contract. It is force. Every day, we pay for services we never requested, for prices never agreed to, from people we never met."

Your Neighbor’s Contract You Can’t Refuse

Chuck Baldwin: ‘Anger With Federal Government Not Enough’ | Independent Political Report

If conservatives/constitutionalists/libertarians would spend as much time and energy influencing elections and policies at the State and local levels as they attempt to do at the national level, we could turn this floundering ship of state around. -- Chuck Baldwin

For a fictional version of Mr. Baldwin's proposal, I recommend reading "Molôn Labé!".

Molon Labe! - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Chuck Baldwin: ‘Anger With Federal Government Not Enough’ | Independent Political Report

Which Comes First: Interventionism or Terrorism? by Jacob G. Hornberger

"The intervention comes first. The anger, hatred, resentment, and retaliation come second, followed by cockamamie explanations from the U.S. Empire and its chorus of interventionist supporters as to what has motivated the terrorists to strike." -- Jacob Hornberger

Which Comes First: Interventionism or Terrorism? by Jacob G. Hornberger

Sustainability: An Assault on Economics - Tyler A. Watts - Mises Institute

Excellent explanation of how prices trump "sustainability" in conserving scarce resources.

Sustainability: An Assault on Economics - Tyler A. Watts - Mises Institute

Earliest sunset of the year December 7

December 7 marks the earliest sunset of the year. (December 21 is the shortest day and January 4, 2010 is the latest sunrise, but that oddness is another story).

The natural clock time (aka Local Mean Time) for sunset in Indianapolis is 4:35 pm. This would be our sunset time today if Indianapolis had happened to end up at the middle of a time zone like Philadelphia or Peoria did.

The table below compares sunrise time today in Indianapolis with other United States cities located in their geographically-correct time zone.

You can see that Indy sticks out like a sore thumb on eastern time, but will be back in with the rest of the pack again if or when Indiana goes back to central time.

Sunset times on Monday, 7 December 2009

5:20, Indianapolis (eastern time)


4:35, Philadelphia (middle of eastern time zone)
4:35, Denver (middle of mountain time zone)
4:35, Reno (middle of Pacific time zone)
4:32, Nashville TN (nearly due south of Indy)
4:31, Peoria (middle of central time zone)
4:28, New York City
4:26, Las Vegas
4:20, Indianapolis (if returned back to central time)
4:20, Chicago
4:12, Boston
3:54, Bangor, Maine

Ref: http://www.usno.navy.mil/USNO/astronomical-applications/data-services/rs-one-year-us/

Congressman Ron Paul - Who Wants War? - Texas Straight Talk

Great arguments from Ron Paul against escalating the undeclared war in Afghanistan.

Congressman Ron Paul - Who Wants War? - Texas Straight Talk

Let’s Not Make a Federal Case Out of It! « J. Neil Schulman

Schulman helps put a few "outrages" back in perspective.

Let’s Not Make a Federal Case Out of It! « J. Neil Schulman

Does High Cholesterol REALLY Cause Heart Disease?

Some arguments against the conventional wisdom on cholesterol and statin treatment.

Does High Cholesterol REALLY Cause Heart Disease?

Letter to Congressmen: Support our troops; bring them home

Following is the message I just sent to my congressmen.


I urge you to vote NO to any funding for increasing U.S. troop presence anywhere overseas, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, or Iran.

I think it is time to really support our troops by bringing them home, out of harm's way, from the far-flung overseas reaches of the U.S. empire, and getting them back to work producing goods and services that the American people want and will pay for voluntarily.

I am all for maintaining a sufficient, constitution-sized, armed service to defend U.S. borders, but as far as overseas occupations and operations, I favor the defense policy of John Quincy Adams, and urge you to do likewise.

"Wherever the standard of freedom and Independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will America's heart, her benedictions and her prayers be. But she goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own." (U.S. House of Representatives, 4 July 1821)

John Quincy Adams on U.S. Foreign Policy (1821)

Thank you for your service to our state and country.

Sincerely,
Bill Starr
Columbus, Indiana


Contact U.S. Congressman Mike Pence : 6th District Of Indiana
- Fri, 4 Dec 2009, 1:24 pm EST

Contact Richard G. Lugar, United States Senator for Indiana
- Fri, 4 Dec 2009, 1:27 pm EST

Contact Indiana Senator Evan Bayh
- Fri, 4 Dec 2009, 1:29 pm EST

Can the County Sheriff Save the Constitution?

A practical decentralized approach to begin to shake off unconstitutional United States federal government usurpations.

Can the County Sheriff Save the Constitution?

A Penchant for Controlling Others - Llewellyn H. Rockwell Jr. - Mises Institute

Good arguments from Lew Rockwell against banning texting while driving.

A Penchant for Controlling Others - Llewellyn H. Rockwell Jr. - Mises Institute

The Economics of Recycling by Floy Lilley

Informed voluntary recycling conserves resources and raises our wealth. However, forcing people to recycle routinely makes society worse off. Floy Lilley

The Economics of Recycling by Floy Lilley

Mugwumps: public moralists of the ... - Google Books

I just finished reading this book.

Not too long of a read, and sheds some interesting light on the public debates of the late 1800s over the issues of sound money, tariffs, civil service reform, and imperialism.

I find myself in sympathy with the Mugwumps on their political views on these issues, but I find it a somewhat sad book.

The Mugwumps come across to me as men who urged the adoption of Christian morality in public life, but without basing it on the power of a Christian foundation.

Mugwumps: public moralists of the ... - Google Books