—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 25, 1973
10
The Seat Belt Controversy
If you want to start a good, heated
debate among a group of people, try raising
the question of whether mandatory seat
belt laws should be enacted requiring
motorists to wear seat belts and enforcing
stiff fines against those caught unbuckled.
Generally, this is one subject on which
everyone’s got a pretty definite idea.
Those who favor the belting laws
generally feel that if an individual doesn’t
have the sense to take good care of himself,
then he should be forced to do so. These
people, as a rule, wear belts. Often the view
is taken by these individuals that if they
were involved m an accident which
resulted in the death of a person not
wearing a belt in another car, they would
carry a burden of guilt on their minds
which they would not have if the other
individual had taken proper care of him
self, worn a belt and survived the accident.
In other words, in this view, drivers have a
moral responsibility toward each other to
protect themselves and their passengers
to the maximum degree Many take the
view that seat belt laws should be passed
simply because they would save lives and
reduce injuries. In the United States, safety
experts are estimating that anywhere from
10,000 to 20,000 of the more than 55,000
people killed on the nation’s highways
could be saved if belts were used
On the other side of the fence, the in
dividualistic traits of the American people,
which unquestionably have been one of our
great strengths as a nation, come into play
Those opposing compulsion and fines to
force use of seat belts express outrage
over the invasion of privacy involved in
legislation which would require them to
wear belts in the privacy of their own
automobiles The feeling is that an in
dividual is hurting no one but himself. If he
chooses not to wear a belt, he should have
that right
Quite obviously, there will be no meeting
of the minds between these two groups.
The rugged individualists in our midst may,
before too long, have an opportunity to find
out if they have the courage and deter
mination to stand by their convictions. In
this safety-conscious age, federal pressure
is mounting to force the individual states to
pass mandatory seat belt laws. A Wall
Street Journal article assessing the
situation reports that the pressure is
coming in the form of an “.. .implied threat
to withhold some highway-aid money from
the states if they don’t act, and it may offer
a generous dollar bonus if they do.” The
Journal article states that buckle-up bills
The Spirit o
It seems as though it was only yesterday
that our nation’s schools let out for
summer vacation, and families began
summertime activities. But now the
season’s last three-day holiday-labor Day
weekend-is almost upon us, and
youngsters will soon be returning to the
classroom
The good times of the Labor Day
weekend for all America mark a time of
change Suddenly the Fall season is upon
us and the pace quickens. Family attention
shifts from plans for play to preparation for
work Youngsters will be trading in their
water skis and swim fins for textbooks and
MESA, ARIZ, TRIBUNE “See where a
bit of a squeeze is developing in the matter
of go-juice for chariots, clear across the
nation It’d be a good idea to start thinking
in terms of saving gas whenever possible
Combine shopping trips, try walking if
you’re next door to a grocery, keep your
"Grassroots
were introduced in 21 legislatures this
year, and as a result of federal pressure,
state officials . .who only two years ago
could hardly care less, are keenly in
terested now.”
The pressure for buckle-up legislation
has come from many directions. It
originated in the general atmosphere of
consumer protection, which has in
creasingly made government responsible
for the safety of the individual, regardless
of whether that responsibility resulted in
diminishing the individual citizen’s per
sonal freedom or options for action. In this
atmosphere, there has been growing public
awareness of the need for finding ways to
improve highway safety. Auto makers have
tended to get behind seat belt legislation
as an alternative to the requirement that
air bags be installed in automobiles.
Problems associated with this safety
device are considerable. Also, voluntary
bucke-up campaigns have failed, and it is
estimated that only about 20 percent of the
nation’s drivers currently use seat belts
and only some 4 percent fasten shoulder
harnesses, if they are available. What it all
boils down to, really, is a matter of prin
ciple. How far should the government go in
requiring that the individual do or not do
certain things in the interest of his own
safety or well-being? For instance, it is
generally recognized that smoking is not
healthful and probably contributes to the
development of serious diseases in many
individuals involving the heart, lungs and
circulatory system Should the government
prohibit smoking 7 Should it prohibit the
excessive use of alcohol? Should it outlaw
auto racing or other dangerous sports
events or require that overweight people
go on diets, or perhaps that all of us should
be compelled to take part in state
conducted exercise and body conditioning
programs? More poeple die from bad
habits of eating and smoking and physical
laziness than anything else. Some contend
that a precedent would be set by seat belt
legislation which would give “Big Brother”
another major access to impose his will
upon our way of life as individuals.
Well, that's the story. If you have an
opinion one way or the other, write your
congressman or state legislator and let him
know what you think. In this issue, as in any
other, that is the best way to insure that
the laws of the land bear some resem
blance to what you would like to see them
be In the meanwhile, why not buckle up? It
really is safer.
Labor Day
pencils, and parents will be exchanging
their camping gear and barbecue sets for a
renewed dedication to career or school--at
least, that's the way it should be. In closing
the book on Summer, we all should
rededicate ourselves to earning the fruits
of labor and study by which we hope to be
better able to provide for the support of
ourselves and loved ones while con
tributing to our country’s well-being.
This rededication should be the real
significance of Labor Day. It should lend
greater enjoyment as well as meaning to
this season’s last chance for a Summer
family outing
Opinion"
car tuned up to get the best gas mileage
possible, establish gas-saving driving
habits by avoiding jackrabbit starts and
the like Drive with the traffic flow on ar
terial streets where signals are syn
chronized Might even try a bike
sometimes” '
| NOW IS
I THE TIME .. .
Max Smith
County Agr. Agent
Telephone 394-6851
TO RECOGNIZE STAGE
OF MATURITY
The silage' making season is
approaching for many livestock
and dairy producers. Many acres
of com are headed for the silo and
represent valuable feed
nutrients. Cutting corn or
sorghum at the proper stage of
maturity is very important. The
early dent stage for corn should
be the goal and the dough stage
for the sudan-sorghum mixtures.
Too much moisture may still be
in sopie crops at this stage of
grain maturity. Corn made into
silage prior to the dent stage may
have higher protein content but
the total feed value will be lower.
Corn beyond the dent stage may
be made into silage but some
water may be needed to provide
sufficient moisture. The making
of most any crop into silage is one
of the best methods of preserving
maximum amounts of feed
nutrients.
TO ADD PROTEIN TO CORN
SILAGE
We are aware of many
available additives that are
represented to improve the
feeding value of corn silage;
some of these may have some
merit under unusual conditions
but it is doubtful if many of them
actually improve the corn silage.
However, one fact is certain and
that is the need for more protein
in corn silage. The adding of
materials such as urea or
anhydrous ammonia at the silo-at
filling time has considerable
WRONG COMPANY
Background Scripture Matthew 12 43-
45, Mark 2 13 17, Luke 15 11*32,
1 Corinthians 9 19-23, Galations
5525 through 6 5
Devotional Reading James 1 22 27.
About six years ago my wife
and I became involved in an ecu
menical coffee house ministry in
a nearby city. Beyond providing
a good atmosphere for refresh
ment, “The Source,” as our cof
fee house was called, served ag a
place where peo
ple could meet for
fellowship and, at
times, to minister
to one another’s
needs. It was an
attempt to reach
out beyond the
four walls of the
Rev. Althouse churches.
The “tax collectors and sinners”
Many of us were dismayed
when the local council of churches
refused support or recogmtion of
this ministry on the grounds that
the coffee house might be fre
quented by the “wrong kinds of
people.” The coffee house was lo
cated on the town’s main street
and there was a good possibility
that it would be frequented by
alcoholics, drug addicts, and peo
ple of unsavory character. To
many of us, even worse than the
refusal to support us, was the ap
parent outlook and attitude of
many church people towards
those who might be termed “the
wrong company.”
Actually, Jesus himself was on
the receiving end of this kind of
criticism. “Why docs he eat with
merit; these forms of non
protein-nitrogen are cheaper
than other kinds of protein and
can be of great benefit if applied
according to instructions. Also, it
is very important that the cattle
be introduced to this kind of
silage very gradually in order to
prevent toxic and digestive
disorders.
TO MANAGE ALFALFA
CAREFULLY
The fall management of alfalfa
fields that are to be carried over
for another year is very im
portant; this includes fer
tilization, disease and insect
control, and time of removal of
final cutting. Needless to say the
crop should be fertilized once or
twice per season; insects should
be controlled at all times.
Diseases are hard to control but
resistant strains should be
considered. The final cutting this
fall should be timed so that the
root reserves are not drained
from the plants. Research work
indicates that any cutting made
in September in this part of the
state should be at least 50 percent
of the plants in blossom and then
not take the crop during the last
half of September. If the plants
are not 50 percent in bloom by the
middle of September, then it is
suggested that the grower wait
until after a killing frost Alfalfa
is a very important crop con
sidering the protein needs and
prices; careful management is
very important this fall.
tax collectors and sinners’” asked
the scribes and pharisees (Mark
2:16). Nor is this an isolated re
action; Jesus was frequently cri
ticized for his association with
people whom the “righteous” re
garded as sinful and unworthy of
any contact whatsoever. People
were frequently indignant that he
would associate and even help
prostitutes, drunkards, lepers,
collaborators with the enemy,
criminals, etc.
His reason for coming
They were no less shocked
when he reminded them of the
true nature of his mission (and
theirs if they followed him):
“Those who are well have no
need for a physician, but those
who are sick; I came not to call
the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark
2:17). If these people were really
so immoral, than they needed him
all the more. Unlike the Old
Testament religion, the heart of
Christianity is not judgement, but
redemption The New Testament
is no less concerned with human
sin, but it is even more concerned
for sinners Christ came into the
world to save sinners, to redeem
people with stained lives, not
simply to gather up and certify
the righteous
Unfortunately, many of us are
too often afflicted with the unre
demptive attitude of Jonah. Jonah
agreed to preach to the people of
Nineveh' and pronounce God’s
judgement upon them He was
surprised, however, to find that
these godless people heeded his
preaching and repented, thus sav
ing the city and themselves. Jo
nah would have preferred for
God to rain down fire and brim
stone upon them and, angered by
this turn of events, he sulked in
steamy silence
Too many people, like Jonah,
would rather use the Gospel to
“divide the sheep from the goats,”
to pronounce judgement upon sin
ners, and enjoy their divine pun
ishment But the purpose of the
Gospel, as Jesus demonstrated so
clearly, is to save and redeem
those whom we frequently judge
to be “the wrong company.”