Why Politics is at Loggerheads

In the late 1970's a gubernatorial candidate in Wyoming blamed that state's high single-car accident rate on speed limits being set too low. In the mind of this candidate, drivers were on the look out for police rather than watching the road. The solution proposed was raising or abolishing speed limits. It seemed simple enough. Too many single car crashes? Then drive faster.

I was reminded of this story this week in the wake of the tragic death of a motorcycle rider in Onondaga, New York, killed when he went over the handlebars of his bike, hitting his head on the pavement. The biker, Philip A. Contos, was participating in a ride to protest helmet laws. While many noted the irony, one commentator noted that had their been no helmet laws to protest, the protest ride would not have been needed and Mr. Contos would still be alive.

!

One need not follow the news too closely to see other examples of tortured logic in public discourse. For example, if the Federal deficit is indeed the greatest threat facing us in the future (which it is given that human caused climate change doesn't exist), then we should clearly take an absolute stand against seeking increased Federal revenues. Perhaps Mr. Contos was not the only one who's been riding around without a helmet.