Rush Hour Libertarians
by digby
I was in rush hour the other observing some self-centered dude blocking four lanes and snarling traffic for blocks to spare himself a minor inconvenience and it occurred to me that the logical result of our recent embrace of vulgar libertarianism is a total breakdown of social order. Even in rush hour traffic where it’s vital to everyone’s survival that we observe certain norms, there always seems to be some entitled, selfish ass in an expensive car making it worse for everyone else these days.
Imagine my surprise when I got home and read this:
A state lawmaker from Marietta is sponsoring a bill that seeks to do away with Georgia driver’s licenses.
State Rep. Bobby Franklin, R-Marietta, has filed House Bill 7, calling it the “Right to Travel Act.”
In his bill, Franklin states, “Free people have a common law and constitutional right to travel on the roads and highways that are provided by their government for that purpose. Licensing of drivers cannot be required of free people, because taking on the restrictions of a license requires the surrender of an inalienable right.”
Franklin told CBS Atlanta News that driver’s licenses are a throw back to oppressive times. “Agents of the state demanding your papers,” he said. “We’re getting that way here.”
CBS Atlanta’s Rebekka Schramm asked Franklin, “How are we going to keep up with who’s who and who’s on the roads and who’s not supposed to be on the roads?”
“That’s a great question,” Franklin said. “And I would have to answer that with a question, ‘Why do you need to know who’s who?’”
“What about 12-14-year-olds who want to drive? What would stop them?” Schramm asked.
“Well, what’s stopping them now anyway?” Franklin answered.
Sure, the guy’s a crank. (He’s also the one who want to make a law that they call rape victims “accusers.”) But really he’s just following crude, anti-government individualism to its logical conclusion. Why should the state have the right to tell a person they must demonstrate that they understand the traffic laws and know how to drive? The only reason is to protect the common good. And that’s just not something a lot of Americans believe in anymore.
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