How much do you think it cost automakers to add seat-belts to their cars? Probably not that much, when compared with the overall cost of the car. This made it seem incredible to some of the public, for a time, that car manufacturers wouldn't be fighting legislation to force them to add seat-belts in good faith.
But, there was, and always is, a lager issue at hand. To the auto industry seat belts represented public responsibility for the overall safety of their product.
To lose that battle wouldn't just cost them in nylon and the cost of steal buckles, it would represent ... creep. Creep towards the notion that they were in part responsible for the thousands who died in car crashes each year.
@futurebird Did you also read Jessie Singer's There Are No Accidents recently?
No, but I should check that out. I was just watching RFK in his congressional hearing.
And thinking about how, even to me, it seemed implausible that this could just be about not wanting to pay for universal vaccines for everyone. That there are people who are alarmed and horrified by people getting yearly vaccines for the flu because if they admit it saves lives ... what else will the public demand?
Better for every mother to "do her own research" and feel frightened.
I can understand the scared and confused antivaxer mom more easily than I can understand those in insurance, government who look at the modest (relatively speaking) cost of a vaccine, or clean water, or public toilets or seat-belts and quail because they think "What else will the rabble demand?"
After all, there are so many simple things we could do that could save many lives.
And so they muddy the waters, keep the "debate" rolling just to save a blood-soaked dollar.
This is the only way to understand how President Trump deserves a prize for the rapid development of the COVID vaccine, but also COVID was fake, but also it was a bio-weapon, but also it's the vaccines... all of them now, that cause disease.
It's not coherent, it's fear of responsibility.
Why?
They don't want to pay for it. All of these clowns were first in line for the damn shots and I don't know why that didn't tell everyone exactly what was going on.
Sorry for ranting but this is a lot to process. I don't like to think people are evil cheapskates, but some people are. You can learn this by studying history.
If we get to look back on this it will teach the same lesson.
I think the bigger issue is one of perceived truth. Their exist a click of people that seems to belive society in its entirety is political theatre, the so called big government.
That is the only way I have been able to rationalise the belief that banning abortion, vaccines, or what have you could classify as small government.
