🚀 go-pugleaf

Jeff Bishop (jwbishop@OCF.Berkeley.EDU) wrote:
: In article <rv7s3tdq3i577@corp.supernews.com>,
: Craig Berry <cberry@cinenet.net> wrote:
: 
: >: Driving is a priviledge, you have no right to drive. 
: >
: >Amen.
: 
: Yawn.  The B of R is not all-inclusive, and if you don't have a right
: to move about freely, what the hell rights do you have?

You do have the right to move about freely.  Except if you want to move
onto private property.  Or if you try to move into me at high speed.  Or
into a restricted government installation.  Or... 

Most 'rights' aren't as absolute or universal as they might appear at
first.  It's all an extension of 'Your right to swing your fist ends at my
nose'.  Everything is conditional, in shades of grey.

: If there is a serious argument as to why driving shoudl not be a right,
: I'd love to hear it.

Because driving involves guiding tons of steel down narrow paths at high
speeds, and any mistakes have the high potential to kill or injure
innocent bystanders.  It's in society's interest to make sure that those
driving are capable -- physically and mentally -- and qualified to do so.

And yes, bicyclists and joggers can injure bystanders, too; I was hit and
slightly injured by a bicyclist once.  Not fun, but I wasn't a red stain
on the pavement, either, a more typical fate had I been a pedestrian hit
by a car.  Again, shades of grey, matters of degree.  That's how the real
world works. 

: Contrary to popular opinion, stupid signs posted at the DMV
: do not have the force of law, no matter how many people they convince
: to parrot them.

What, "Driving is a privilege?"  Yes, that does have the force of law; not
as that specific phrase, but the vehicle code's requirement that you be
licensed to drive, and the testing required to obtain a license, have that
net effect.

: >: Second, you don't "own" your car, you have a license to operate the
: >: vehicle on public roads.
: >
: >Not quite right.  You do in fact own your car (if it's paid off, of
: >course).  You are perfectly free to do anything with it other than put it
: >on a public street (keep it in the garage, on display in a museum,
: >whatever) without the DMV caring beyond tracking title.
: 
: Unfortunately, that's not true either.  You still have to register it as
: non-operational and pay an annual fee.

I wasn't aware there was a fee for a non-operation vehicle; my impression
was that you simply declared it non-operational and that was that.  My
apologies for the error.

-- 
   |   Craig Berry - cberry@cinenet.net
 --*--    Home Page: http://www.cinenet.net/users/cberry/home.html
   |      "There it is; take it."  - William Mulholland