Editorial

Uncommon Sense Wins The Battle
Over Politically Correct Fear Mongering

The final curtain was descending, and it seemed clear to everyone, including those of us at The Bradley Report, that in short order wearing a seat belt would become a primary offense in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts House of Representatives passed the measure by two votes in January (76 to 74), and it easily cleared the state Senate in late April. All that remained was for House to bring it up for final enactment, and it would then go to Gov. Mitt Romney, who already stated he would sign it.

But the final enactment turned out to be an entirely new show!

When the House of Representatives took up the primary seat belt law for its final enactment, the script was suddenly different and a new drama emerged. Four state reps who had been absent when the vote was taken in January were present this time, and they turned out to be opposed to making the seatbelt law a primary offense.

Three lawmakers who had voted for it in January, but had since changed their minds joined them: Reps. Jeffrey Perry, R-Sandwich; Kathi-Anne Reinstein, D-Revere, and Robert Coughlin, D-Dedham. It is hard to admit a mistake and shift sides, so these representatives deserve individual recognition for their ability to consider new information and to reevaluate past actions.

Several other reps who’d been absent in January supported the idea of a primary offense, so in the end the forces who wanted to upgrade the seatbelt law to a primary stop offense retained their 76 votes, but the reps who opposed this intrusive but politically correct measure saw their ranks swell to 80, and the bill went down to a well deserved defeat. This second act, this ultimate plot twist that opened a new drama, again shows why Massachusetts still stands so tall among the other states in the nation.

Deep at its core the Commonwealth has a collective memory, and that memory involves recalling that the American Revolution took place to afford average people the right to control their own lives. It is this core that keeps Massachusetts marching to its own drum, despite thick, swirling and powerful forces of hardball liberalism, including a smug fifth column of politically correct ideologues.

But don’t expect this battle is over. Those who believe it’s possible to create cradle to grave security, so long as people are willing to give up personal freedoms and individual decision-making, will return again. such people are so convinced of their righteousness that they don’t see anything wrong is disregarding the democratic process, such as the statewide ballot decision against any mandatory seatbelt law; that’s why they went to the legislature in the first place and pushed to make a secondary offense seatbelt law that would be enforceable only after a motorist was stopped for another reason.

They promised at that point that they would never return to make the seatbelt law a primary offense, but such promises are just words to those who believe they are so absolutely correct that it is appropriate to force others to follow their dictates. It would be naïve not to expect they will return, in a year or two, and try again.

But for now, 80 state representatives had the courage to stand against them.