The American Spectator

Reader Mail

Bits and Pieces

12.16.04 @ 12:01AM

(Page 6 of 6)

If Jim is concerned about the busses in his town, tell him not to be. The bus companies will have to buy the busses from his town and win competitive bids cheaper then, both, all of the competition and the town. I assure Jim that with a twenty to thirty percent margin to work with, those busses will provide incentive to someone not afraid to be out from under the nanny care of the government to come up with a more cost effective mode of travel for him and his neighbors.
-- Morgan (last name left off because I still work with those government agencies)
California

OUT THE OF THE BOX
Re: Unsigned's letter("Boxed In") in Reader Mail's Big Matters:

The unsigned letter commenting on my letter published 12/13 contains an important misperception. The Event Data Recorders (EDR) are one black box, similar to the Flight Data Recorders (FDR) found in airplanes, that have proven their value in accident reconstruction. The separate black box that records speed and location is the Global Positioning System (GPS). Rental car companies can detect the fact that you were speeding by downloading data from the GPS, which you thought was there to provide you with an electronic map on the dashboard. The EDR does not become an issue until you do something stupid such as inflating the air bags. Given that the driver has likely hit something and has at least a minimal possibility of an injury claim (can you say whiplash?), it is important to have an ambulance chaser repellent.

Given that cell phones are being improved to provide location information for 911 calls, I suppose someone with unlimited resources and access to the records could reconstruct where you've been when you walk around! But it would take a very determined party to succeed. If you are a paranoid, I doubt this will give you comfort! Life is a balancing act. Lead a blameless life and you won't have too many worries that you will be blamed.
-- Bruce Thompson

Letter to the Editor

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