I once worked with a guy who was very high up in our organization. He should have been dealing with concepts and not details, but he was fixated on things like copiers and faxes. One of our other senior staffers finally explained it to me: “He’s been promoted past his abilities. These are the only things he feels comfortable dealing with.”
I thought of that when I read this latest from the Obama administration: their stated intent to ban all cell-phone use while driving, even with hands-free BlueTooth technology:
[Sec’y of Transportation Ray] LaHood, whose campaign against texting and making calls while driving has led to restrictions in 30 states, says his concerns extend to vehicle information and entertainment systems such as Ford Motor Co.’s Sync and General Motors Co.’s OnStar.
“I don’t want people talking on phones, having them up to their ear or texting while they’re driving,” LaHood said in an interview this week. “We need a lot better research on other distractions,” including Bluetooth-enabled hands-free calls and the in-car systems, he said.
Even without a ban, which would have to be implemented by individual states, LaHood’s escalating campaign may limit the growth of vehicle features such as Sync, being added by automakers to attract younger buyers. His push also may reduce calls made from vehicles and the revenue of mobile-phone companies such as Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc.
This is a problem that falls into the realm of the states to deal with, not the feds. But we all know that nanny-staters will use extortion and the threat of a loss of federal highway dollars to get their way, such as the raising of the drinking age and the lowering of speed limits. David Price will be the first to support this move by Obama and LaHood, who, like that guy I knew 30 years ago, are not capable of doing much more than meddle in the lives of Americans.
