Stop Trying to Stop Me

St. Charles County is discussing whether or not it should ban bicycles from certain roads. I am not sure how I feel about this.

Apparently people enjoy riding their bicycles on the hilly, two-lane roads in southern St. Charles County. I am not into bicycle riding. I have ridden on the Katy Trail and number of times. It was enjoyable. It was mostly flat and not too challenging. That is about all I need.

A few years ago my brother-in-law was involved in bicycle racing. He would tell stories of going out into St. Charles County and riding his bike for miles. None of his accounts included stories of near collisions with vehicles.

Apparently it is the drivers of automobiles were complaining. The struggle between bicyclists and motorists has been going on for years. Granted there are bicyclists who do not follow the rules. They do put themselves, and others, at risk. But so do drivers of automobiles. Why not ban automobiles from those highways?

I thought that we were in a time when we wanted less government intrusion into our lives. But maybe I am wrong. As usual, we only seem to want less government intrusion into our lives. We don't care whether or not the government intrudes into the lives of others. And therein lies the problem.

Government says we have to wear helmets when we ride motorcycles. Government says we have to wear seatbelts when we ride in cars. Government says we cannot text and drive. Government says we cannot smoke marijuana. I know a lot of people who would not wear a helmet when they ride their motorcycles if they had a choice. I know a lot of people who would not wear seatbelts when riding in a car if they had a choice. I know a lot of people who would smoke marijuana if they had a choice. Government has taken away those choices.

An interesting sidebar to this whole issue is that there is now a debate between governments as to who can regulate this. The Missouri Department of Transportation says that it makes the rules. St. Charles County says it can make the rules. Why do there have to be rules?

The people who form the country established a Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights was supposed to protect the citizens from government. We are a government of the people. It becomes clear to me, as each day goes by, that we really need to be protected from ourselves.

There seems to be an overwhelming urge for a delayed everything. There seems to be an overwhelming urge to complain about government regulation of everything. It really is hypocrisy. People only want to regulate the conduct of others. But they do not want others regulating their conduct.

Government should stay out of this.