Nobrainer’s Think Tank

I’ve said it. You’ve said it. Our mothers have said it. Our fathers have said it. Our fathers’ brothers’ cousins’ nephews’ former roommates have said. And it’s stupid. There shouldn’t be a law.

Why? Because people who make laws say that. They believe it. Then they make a law. It’s usually a stupid law.

For example, mandating child car seats. They’re expensive, bulky, and not necessarily a major safety improvement. And they’re often misused. From an article in the St. Paul Pioneer Press:

The Minnesota Safety Council estimates more than 80 percent of child car seats used in Minnesota are not properly installed.

I was just about mention that Freakonomics talked about car seats and their worthlessness a bit. So I just went to their blog to search for any content they had about car seats. Well “search” turned into the 2nd visible post on their blog today. Consumer Reports recently found:

When we crash-tested infant car seats at the higher speeds vehicles routinely withstand, most failed disastrously. The car seats twisted violently or flew off their bases, in one case hurling a test dummy 30 feet across the lab.

CONGRATULATIONS! You just spent your money on a government mandated piece of shit! But remember, car seats are for “the greater good” and “for the children” and “for the future.”

But there was another article that caught my attention today. In part it was because a drunk crashed his truck and collapsed a whole bridge. But as I read it commented on his BAC.

A preliminary breath test at the crash site showed Campbell’s blood-alcohol content at .21, nearly three times the legal limit of .08. He blew .13 after completing field sobriety tests and a Datamaster test showed .147.

Hows that for accuracy and precision! Do the police use the average? The min? The max? The median? The mode? The average was .162 with a standard deviation of .042… or about 25% of the average. Hey, it’s close enough for government work!

And I almost forgot to rant about other stupid legislation, such as nutrition labels and movie, tv, and video game ratings. What has this information done? Made us fatter and focus on adult, R-rated, and most extreme video games. FUCK YEAH!