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Stuff from Around Arkansas, January 9

Women’s Work: Via the House Speaker’s site, here’s a KTHV report on women serving in the legislature. Female legislators? Dear heavens! Why, next thing you know we’ll have lady drivers on the roads! (Robert “Robbie” Wills/KTHV)

Reinhold a candidate for federal bench? Sure, let's start that rumor, why not.
Reinhold a candidate for federal bench? Sure, let's start that rumor, why not. All right, Hamilton!

Smoke Signals: Northwest Arkansas legislators don’t like tax hikes, but on the other hand they do want a new medical school facility. Whatever will they do? (Arkansas News Bureau)

Judge Not: Sen. Blanche Lincoln is quietly conducting interviews with federal judgeship hopefuls. I suggest occasional Little Rock resident Judge Reinhold. That’s right, now I’m stealing jokes from “Arrested Development,” and not even the good ones. (Arkansas Times)

Sunshine State: The Tolbert Report offers video interview with Rep. Dan Greenberg on his new FOI bills. It’s interesting enough, but I’ve seen better production values in an al-Qaeda hostage video. (The Tolbert Report)

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6 thoughts on “Stuff from Around Arkansas, January 9

  • I wish I’d see some traction on the bill to prohibit talking on the cell or texting while driving.

    I about fell out of my chair at Christmas when my far-right-wing Aunt came out strongly in favor of it. Seat belt laws were a communist plot to her.

    Reply
  • I’m glad and hopeful that the cell phone ban bill won’t go anywhere. If we ban simpling holding a phone to your head and talking while driving shouldn’t we also ban doing anything else that would keep both of your hands off the wheel (eating, drinking). I guess we should also make sure you don’t talk to the person sitting in the seat next to you while doing any of those things.

    Reply
  • There are huge cognitive differences, as about one million studies have shown.

    Or your own experiences watching other drivers, which you might notice if you’d hang the phone and pay attention.

    I’m all in favor of not having a ban on simply driving around drinking beer.

    If I don’t hurt anyone, the laws are a restriction on my liberty, and if I do, there are existing laws to cover it.

    You may think it’s hyperbole to compare DUI with DUCellPhone, but the danger to other drivers is about the same.

    And I won’t even get into texting. If you think you could drive safely while responding to this blog post, then really nothing is going to change your mind.

    We’ve substituted political theory for practical sense in this country.

    Reply
  • Then again, if we take the libertarian approach, you’d be driving on your own private road and my private police force wouldn’t have to worry about it.

    Just don’t expect to borrow my private fire department to extract you from the wreckage.

    Oh, wait, that’s right – we share the roads.

    Well, then, I guess we’ll just have to create a law, given that the individual responsibility approach really isn’t working with cell phone users.

    They’re really too wrapped up in talking to their boss to worry about small things like driving 10 f***ing MPH in the fast lane.

    Reply
  • David Kinkade

    Joe,
    We already know from an earlier thread that you are actually a sentient dog with remarkable typing skills who has somehow managed to gain access to your owner’s computer. So perhaps we should make a deal: I’ll surrender my right to use a cell phone in the car if you’ll give up your right to hang your head out the window while the car is in motion. Bad dog!
    D.

    Reply
  • I’m not arguing against texting while driving. I’m all for that ban.

    I passed someone the other day who had a book on her steering wheel, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to run off and ask a legislator to pass a law against it. The police already have the authority to give someone a ticket who is not driving safely. If they wanted to they could give a ticket to a woman who was putting on make-up while driving, or reading, or texting, or even talking on their cell phone if they thought it was impairing their driving ability.

    There have been many studies done on driving while talking on a cell phone. But the control group is always driving without a cell phone, and does not compare it to doing other activities like conversing with the other people in the car, or getting onto the kids in the back seat all the while holding a 20oz soda in your hand. So we can claim talking on a cell phone is more dangerous than these other activities, but we don’t have a study that shows that. All we know is that driving while talking on a cell phone is more dangerous than driving and not talking on a cell phone.

    Reply

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