From: Steve Grammont (islander@midmaine.com)
Date: Sun Apr 28 2002 - 13:49:37 PDT
Hi Carl,
I think every state has its own laundry list of ding-dong legislation
like in California. I think what happens in CA just gets
disproportionate media attention. Not saying that CA is not the worst
state in the Union in terms of restrictions (it might very well be), but
it is certainly not the only one which steps in on behalf of public
safety/interest.
>MTBE. For those of you outside CA, MTBE was some asshole's idea to
>oxygenate fuel and reduce emissions.
MTBE is used in many States as part of compliance with the Federal Clean
Air Act. Here in Maine MTBE is mandated for much of the state because we
only have one major highway which is JAMMED with tourists in the summer.
But last year MTBE was mandated by the EPA for a phase out over (I
think) 3 years. So in 2 more years there will be no MTBE at any pump in
any state. And although I for one agree with the need for the Clean Air
Act, I also will give a little shout for joy when MTBE is gone from my
life completely.
>Prop 187. I'm trying hard not to explode on this one, so I'll keep it
>simple. Proposition 187 passed, the people wanted it, and the next
>business day a judge ruled it "unconstitutional." Great, so why do we
>vote again?
I will not comment on 187 specifically (been too long since I heard
anything about that one), but you should not gripe about the check and
balance system of the Constitution. It is there for a reason. Otherwise
you could get a majority of whites voting in laws restricting the rights
of minorities to their heart's content. Oh, like prohibiting them from
eating in the same restaurants, using the same drinking fountains, etc.
These are, of course, real examples and not paranoid delusions :-)
Sometimes the will of the people does not reflect the letter or the
spirit of the Constitution, and that is why the Courts are there. Again,
I can not comment on what this has to do with 187, just that the
mechanism itself is one that should be cherished even if you do not agree
with its conclusions 100% of the time.
As for gun and knife regulations, pretty much all states have them. Some
are even more restrictive than what CA has to deal with, although perhaps
not in totality (i.e. CA might "win" the contest simply by volume).
Just a reminder that the world is a pretty interesting and messed up
place all at the same time. Not just California :-) For example...
Here in Maine someone dies hitting a Moose and a bunch of people start
campaigning to have the moose hunting permits doubled without any concern
about biological realities of such a thing. Yet when someone gets killed
by a drunken driver it is apparently "just one of those things we have to
learn to live with". Certainly nobody is out there campaigning to have
random mortorists shot and killed on the off chance they might tip back
one too many. Instead some think we should put Moose on the Endangered
Species List and save 6 people a year while dozens more are killed from a
beer too many. Good thinking!
Steve
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