Opinion


Easy Ways For Tennessee To Save Some Money

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

I can think of a way for the state of Tennessee to immediately save hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars annually. Stop paying for those stupid, irritating radio and TV commercials that repeatedly remind us not to drink and drive or heaven forbid not wear a seat belt. When they passed the law requiring us to wear seat belts we were promised that we would never be pulled over just for not having our seat belt on. Now it is abundantly clear this is a more serious offense than murder or rape.

I can’t imagine how much it must cost the state to produce these commercials and then how much does it cost to run them over and over and over and over again all over radio and TV? Don’t drink and drive or we will nail you, click it or ticket, 100 days of summer heat, we’ll be everywhere man and on and on. These commercials are a total waste of time and our money. Do you really think a drunk driver has ever gotten behind the wheel of his car and then thought, “Oh gee, I better not drink and drive because of that stupid commercial.” We are not children. I do not need to be told by Big Brother every 15 minutes that he is watching me and that they will be everywhere, and I do no need to see anymore commercials depicting red neck looking cops with their dark glasses on at night peeking into my car window with a flashlight like the Gestapo.

We get it by now. Don’t drink and drive. It does not take an untold amount of taxpayer money and the constant media bombardment to drive home the point. It sure does not help public relations between the public and the police that are supposed to be there to serve and protect, not harass and intrude. In America you should never be stopped and required to show your papers before you can proceed if you are driving down the street minding your own business. When is America going to stand up and put a stop to our ever growing government and its daily intrusions into our lives?

Mike Howard


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