Buckle Up!

I don't know how many cities and towns and counties around the country have seat belt laws (have you noticed they've morphed into "safety" belts?) but I'd guess MOST of them. Some places are so Big Brother that they can stop you JUST BECAUSE the cop doesn't see you wearing one, while most places I've lived so far are only allowed to ticket for seat belts if there was another infraction or accident as the primary reason for the traffic stop.

Seat belt rules on military bases have been around much longer than the civilian world, so we made it a habit long ago that the durn thing is on before we leave the driveway. This center-conservative libertarian-leaning Constitutionalist woman doesn't AGREE with the laws, but to the best of my ability, I try to follow the Law of the Land, if for no other reason than I don' t have a lot of money to be throwing away on fines. And it IS just as if I were throwing money out the window, except if I threw it out the window, someone who REALLY NEEDS it might find it and use it for something worthwhile.

What brings this up is a friend of mine was recently ticketed for not wearing her seat belt. The fine is $99! Her income is from unemployment and odd jobs, so this hundred bucks is a HUGE chunk of her monthly pay. Even those of us with really good jobs don't need to be THROWING MONEY AWAY like this. Your Government - at every level - takes your money in enough different ways that you can't control. Don't give 'em extra just because you're lazy or your dress might wrinkle!