Frog slowly boiling
Folks, as you know, I often talk about statism, or in other words, the all encompassing state,
“the belief that, for whatever reason, a government should control either economic or social policy or both to some degree.
Here in Finland, as in elsewhere in the EU and in Europe, the oppressive intrusion of the nanny welfare state into the private lives of its subjects (they can no longer be regarded as citizens anymore), has become normalized. There are hardly any breaches of individual rights and sovereignty that raises an eyebrow. Attacks on individual rights that would have decades ago, landed a politician into hot water, no longer causes people to be outraged.
In Finland, police are able to stop a motorist on a whim, there’s no such thing as ‘probable cause’, the honest belief that a law is being violated. Nope, here it’s enough for the police to stop you simply because you might be violating the law, having no suspicion from your driving ablilities whatsoever.
NOTE: Even if the transport minister gets her way, and you purchase a new car, it won’t stop you from being stopped by the police and having one of their tubes shoved in your mouth. The statist government knows no limits, it will always find new ways to intrude upon the rights of the individual.
Transport minister wants breathalyser ignition locks on all new cars
Expert says devices are being improved all the time and could be mandatory feature soon
Minister of Transport Merja Kyllönen (Left Alliance) wants to make breathalyser ignition locks a mandatory feature on all new cars in the coming years. Kyllönen made her comments on Friday as she accepted the memos of two working groups that had taken on the issue of traffic safety.
One of the working groups considered the possibilities of an ignition lock and the other examined other questions of traffic safety.
“Driving while intoxicated is a serious crime, and the consequences need to correspond to that. If we can reduce drink driving with the help of technical devices, those means need to be taken into use”, Kyllönen says.
Making the breathalyser ignition locks a standard feature is a question for the entire European Union. The chairman of the working group, special representative Tero Jokilehto, believes that the plan will be implemented in the future. He says that Finland has been advancing the issue.
“The devices still need to be developed. Nowadays they cannot detect other intoxicating substances than alcohol. The techniques for their use are also being constantly developed.”
Nowadays the ignition locks cost about EUR 1,500 when installed. They can also be rented.
“When the locks start being installed as a part of mass production, the cost will not be a problem”, Jokilehto says.
Even in the USA big nanny statism dictates what people are not allowed to ingest. You’re not even safe from the big state nannies in your own home. Growing a little marijuana for yourself can get your front door smashed down by armed police and your ass hauled off to jail.
Americans are routinely forced to pee in plastic cups at their workplace to prove to the nannies that they don’t use things they’re not allowed to. Not much different from being forced to blow in a tube by a traffic cop.
So much for “the land of the free.”
Frank Clough, you are absolutely right, the US is indeed on the skids to a European style nanny state, with all of the controls over the people you mention. But you yourself has stated that you’re in fact a lib, I’m glad to see however that you also agree that there’s an over reach by the state, but that is the nature of liberal statism, so it appears that you’re in quandary, a real dilemma.
On the one hand you’re a lib, but on the other you say you’re against big government intrusion into your private affairs. Looks like you want to pick and choose for yourself, which individual rights the state can violate of others.
Instead of focusing attention on pot growing or peeing in a cup (the latter is a matter of private businesses not government), how about looking at the attack of the state upon your own liberty, your personal property rights? What you earn for your living, is in fact your liberty, and the government takes that liberty away each and every year and distributes it to someone who didn’t earn it.
The US under successive leftist Dem and liberal Republican administrations have pushed the US into a post constitutional phase, it’s just that Finland is that much more far gone.
This is a view of the future ‘nanny state’ in ‘Big Brothers’ ‘New World Order’.
I consider myself left-liberal but my commitment to individual freedom often puts me in conflict with most left wingers. I often find myself in conflict with conservatives as well over the issue of individual freedom, so I take flak from both sides.
Apart from taking a large slice of my income in the form of tax, both direct and indirect, the government leaves my property alone. I’ve always regarded paying tax as contributing to the social infrastructure that I use and benefit from, like roads, health care, police service, fire service etc. I don’t mind resources being used to help those unfortunates who cannot help themselves as long as this help is not abused.
The USA is a different place than Europe with different social culture and as an European I can’t really comment on American society and politics, apart from saying that the potential candidate I admire most is Ron Paul just because of his commitment to individual liberty.
Hi Frank Clough, I’m not just talking about real estate, your wealth, is your property rights. Your property rights is in fact your liberty. that’s what is under attack by liberals and RINO republicans. I have no problem with paying taxes, taxes that are meant to fund government expenditures described by the constitution. When it is in fact robbing you of your liberty, is when those taxes are raised to distribute wealth to others. The vast majority of entitlement programs steal wealth from the individual (over 51% of Americans do not pay any income tax at all, the rest support the entire system) which further erodes the economy by taking wealth creating dollars out of the investment community and distributes it among those who did nothing to earn it. Distribution of wealth by the government will ALWAYS be abused, as well as being highly immoral, further depletes the economy.
What I least admire about Ron Paul, is that he’s a neo-Confederate, and not that enthused about the US constitution, contrary to what he says publicly, as well as his producing highly bigoted/racist newsletters signed off by himself over the years. I do appreciate your attraction to individual freedom. I suggest that you listen to the Mark Levin radio podcasts to find out more about the founding philosophy behind it.
https://www.marklevinshow.com/sectional.asp?id=32930