This is a tough one!

There is this article in the Republic today about loop 101 speeding cameras. Like a lot of people, I find this solution dubious, even if it is effective. In general, our society seems to be moving towards diminished freedom to ensure safety. This is another example... Part of me believes that the effectiveness of the cameras justify their existence. I don't like people flying by me on the highway at 100mph+ speeds. I would like to see tighter enforcement of reckless driving. These cameras in vacuum would be fine, but they don't exist alone. There are part of larger movement to restrict freedom for a variety of both good and bad reasons.

There are smoking bans (which I like), bans on spanking in CA, speeding cameras, red-light cameras, federal warrantless wiretapping and on and on. The problem at the moment is that technology is moving faster than our laws and societal ethics. Our society needs to have a serious conversation about what freedoms are important enough to keep and which freedoms we are willing to water down or give up. The problem is that being free means sometimes excepting risk.

Think about motorcycle helmet laws. They make really good public policy sense, but I am against them because I think they intrude on personal freedom. I always wear a helmet when I ride, but I think others should have the option. Where is the line drawn when it comes to safety and freedom? If don't start thinking about this, we will end up with a haphazardly built system that will not properly protect freedom or provide for proper safety.