I had an interesting conversation with my car mechanic this morning. As he was changing the oil in my car we chatted about things mechanical. I always listen to people who know more than I do, so when we’re talking about cars with a car mechanic, I ask questions to gain some of his wisdom. We were discussing the longevity of cars and what could be done to get maximum mileage. Getting so many miles to the gallon is a hot topic these days but how long your car can be expected to last is something that has always been of interest to me. If I can get my car to last a half million miles, I want to know what I can do to make this happen. I don’t want my car to wear out because I’m doing something to ruin it. So, I engage whatever experts I can find in conversation.

I told him that I always drive carefully, never spinning the wheels, no short stops, no speeding, and no undue acceleration. I drive with the flow of traffic, I pay attention to all sides, front, and back of my car all the time. I exercise courtesy whenever I can. For example, if I see another car behind me blink his lights (a universal request) I will move over to let him pass. I’m trying to exercise good driving skills and courtesy, but I’m also saving my car’s long term existence. The mechanic listened to all this, agreed with me on all points, but then he alerted me to a new “law” that has been enacted recently. He said that driving safely and courteously, as in the way I described above, could get me a ticket for – road rage! I asked him to explain what he meant because this sounded like the most idiotic thing that I have ever heard. Has this society gone so far down the toilet that driving safely equals road rage? He explained to me that if I was driving at, say, the speed limit in the left lane, and someone else is speeding up behind me, that I would be in his way and he would get the road rage because I was there. So, it could happen that I could be cited because someone else is breaking the law. What about the speeder? Now, understand that I’m not talking about an emergency vehicle going to help someone. I’m talking about average drivers just speeding. I wonder what’s going on in this apathetic society. It appears that the folks who take pains to stay within the rules, are being singled out for punishment. The scofflaws in every segment of our society are seen as normal. Or, could it be that the ever-growing legions of criminals (of all types) are sending a message? Are they saying something like, “Hey, stupid Americans, when are you going to learn that all your idiotic laws are wrecking the lives of the people that they are supposed to protect?!” Want a positive solution? Tune in next time when Sam Post will reveal how to undo this madness. So says Sam Post.