Yeah forcing you to wear a seat belt in a car is EXACTLY THE SAME as forcing a woman to give birth (or allowing her employer to control her access to birth control or allowing her rapist parental rights when she gives birth to his baby, etc.) /SARCASM. You have to be kidding me. And you absolutely have to be male (and my guess is WHITE).

Here's another thing to think about. Florida and Texas want NO GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS WHATSOEVER. Meanwhile, they want the federal government to clean up and pay for the devastation caused by natural disasters caused by climate change (which they deny) and oh yeah let's not forget the toxic waste mess created by the chemical plant that was flooded and caught on fire and has polluted a huge swath of the air/water/land around it. Nobody wants any regulations until something seriously bad happens and then they want their mess cleaned up. They'll happily take the money then (even when they refused the same financial assistance to states that aren't Republican and irresponsible and actually have rules and regulations that people are expected to follow in a decent and civilized society). The hypocrisy is so staggering it's bigger than the freaking universe.

Oregon is currently spending BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to fight wild fires and Donald Trump has flat out refused to provide any financial assistance to Oregon. This is not how this is supposed to work. This is not how any of this is supposed to work. Rules and regulations exist for a reason. Look at statistics regarding seat belts and how many lives have been saved since the law was created.

I don't give a sh*t about seat belt laws. I care that we have a white supremacist nut job as president, bent on destroying everything this country has fought for in terms of civil rights and protections for the people in this country in the last 100 years. I care that we have given police permission to murder black people on any given day for any given reason, never having to suffer any consequences whatsoever. I care that we have a government owned and operated by the obscenely wealthy and a foreign entity and that hundreds of millions of Americans are being bilked and used and exploited and ignored and destroyed while the nut job in the White House tweets incessantly and the psychopaths in Congress do nothing. I care about the fact that 143 MILLION people have had their personal data breached by a company that basically controls their entire lives, including the ability to get housing, employment, loans of any kind, etc and our government shrugs and says "good luck with that." I care about the fact that the only thing that matters in this society is money. It is the only language our society understands and it is the only thing our society cares about. I care that the nut job in the White House was elected by a fraction of the population and that the entire population is being bilked by said nut job to the tune of BILLIONS OF DOLLARS and people like you want to know how people feel about being subjected to seat belt laws.

The people in this country are so stupid and tuned out it is TRULY INCOMPREHENSIBLE to me. And the people who have been "put in charge" of legislating and managing the local, state, and federal governments are so out of touch with reality, they have no clue how to govern or lead or do anything other than collect their paychecks and any other money being shoved in their pockets by any given special interest group. Forget Oregon, the entire country is going up in flames while we all sit around and bitch about it on social media.

Wow, Christina, you wrote your own IA inside the comments of another IA. Well done. And, "as the world goes up in flames while we all sit around and bitch about it on social media", what are you doing?

It's so that when you crash into a tree with a seatbelt on and just snap your collarbone, the emergency service and medical costs - which we all subsidize through taxes and insurance premiums - are less than all the stitches in your face you will need after going through the windshield, and screws in your bones from hitting the ground, because you weren't wearing a seatbelt. And if you crashed while on the job the employers workers comp costs would be more. If this were truly about freedom then I would get to choose not to pay for the flight-for-life helicopter that got you to the hospital because you were too stupid to wear a seatbelt and smeared yourself across the highway.

The person who wrote this wanted to know what people are thinking, I let them know what I'm thinking. What am I doing? What are YOU doing? I don't owe you or anyone else any explanation or list regarding what I am doing. I participate fully in civic duty. I am a productive participant in society and I want to live in a diverse and fair and civil and humane society. Everything that I am doing has zero effect on what is happening in this country and everything I am NOT doing is not working to mitigate the damage being done. I'm so sure that you making this about me and what I'm doing is changing the world. /SARCASM

Hmm, think you guys need glasses. Says seatbelt "while sitting still"... last I checked people don't flying through windshields while sitting still. Also "NOT even about a woman's right to choose." Seriously, you guys need to take off your PC/SJW/Antifa/Snowflake glasses and read what it actually says. It's this kind of extremist logic that's ruining/ruined this country. Well, I'm off to Europe where people actually think about things before they respond... so you can have it.

By the way, why does it always come back to race with you guys? How does skin color even enter into this discussion? I'm thinking conflation has a lot to do with it.

"I'm not trolling I just wanted to see what people will say." This is the very definition of trolling. And of course the reader assumes that IA is white because black people who get stopped for seatbelt or broken tail light etc. are ten times more likely to be jailed or shot in these kinds of situations. Getting a ticket for no seatbelt while stationary is white people problems.

Also, people over there never talk about race (they have back people but they just don't feel the need to focus on skin color so much) so it's never really an issue!

I should say that people don't feel the need to argue about it. Racism is not just an American problem, it's not "in our DNA". It's also not specific to any "race" unless of course you acknowledge that we're all part of the same race - the human race...

@ sinkorswim, how about: "It's so that when you *are moving* and crash into a tree with a seatbelt *,and this zero tolerance law assumes the high probability that you either were just moving or are about to*." Does this explanation of the motivation for such a law make sense to you now? You did a good job with your eyes, but did not connect obvious dots with your brain. Good luck in Europe.

sinkorswim, "Also, people over there never talk about race (they have back people but they just don't feel the need to focus on skin color so much) so it's never really an issue!" Holy crap, this is such an out of touch statement. England, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Belguim; discussions and arguments about race are very prevalent in these countries and more. Immigration issues, extreme nationalism and xenophobia, terrorist attacks, and EU expansion fuel the topic of race at all levels - and not just about black people. Many more races reside in Europe. I just can't get over how ignorant your comment is. Yikes. Yes, good luck in Europe, you'll need it.

Thanks for proving my point fellas. I hope someday you find peace and learn not to be in such a hurry to judge others.

I'm not going to argue with you guys but, to prove that I mean it when I say that I want you to be at peace, I'll explain what I mean. I don't think it's fair for the government to fine us for something that we MIGHT do. That proves my point about our freedoms being eroded away.

As for racism in Europe, I did try to explain my point on that a little better if you had read on. It's not that race is not a problem in Europe. My point was that people don't focus on it so much in their day-to-day lives. When I was in Spain teaching English my students, as well as teachers and local friends, didn't even know that race was such a big deal in America. In Europe people laugh at things that we take very seriously when it comes to this topic. The reason is because it hasn't been politicized there in the same way as it has here. People there don't have a stigma about race as we do. I hope that clarifies my point a little better.

On a side note, I think what you read in the news and what you experience on the ground are a bit different. I do think what Shibby pointed out about the situation over there is true in a broad sense but, unlike in America, people don't seem to be interested in arguing about these things. They may comment on them, or even discuss them a bit, but in my experience they don't care enough to argue.

not be in such a hurry to judge others... from the person who calls anyone who doesn't agree with them an antifa snowflake. mmm hmmm...

i'm not gonna argue but I'll backpedal like a mofo for hours

Nah, that was banter, Matey. Just trying to toughen you up so that you'll form a sense of humor and come out of your safe space. I'm not backpedaling... If you take the time to read what I wrote you MIGHT see that. The reward will be that this petty arguing becomes constructive dialogue. Give it a try, you won't regret it.

lol, six sentences of backpedaling. sinkorswim is a melted snowflake

Wow look what I missed in 2 days! Only thing I will add at this point is that when you insult anti-fascists that makes you a fascist by definition. That is all.

Let's see, yours was "inept anarchists" in May of this year. that is quite a profound statement, so you really have me there. And a few months later you have made 121 comments. Holy crap, get a life

!!! <- just to match your passion

insulting an anti-fascist makes you a fascist? I'd love to know what dictionary this definition is in. There's a huge moderate middle of America that think both the antifa and right wing are idiots - they can call you that without being fascists. Just learn to dish it out AND take it, you'll be fine.

no, read the comment about doing the Lord's work. just forgot the word "in." you are certainly a gold medal I, Anonymous commenter, truly dedicated, on the ball and keeping everyone in check; really giving us hobbyists something to aspire too. I have a job so won't be able to keep up with your volume, but please do set up a gofundme so we can help you fight the good fight.