A Presidential Promise

Remember the days when butane lighters were easy to use? There were no safety devices on them that prevented children and the physically challenged from using them. Kids were constantly lighting themselves and others on fire. It was a mess. But we changed all that and made America a better and safer place.

That is why I now propose we apply that same thinking to the vehicles we drive. Today in America anyone who wants to drive a car need only put their key in the ignition and give it a slight twist. The result is millions of Americans who are not physically equipped to handle a motor vehicle are able to drive cars, trucks, motorcycles, and RVs. We need to remove this hazard to the safety of Americans. I propose that all new vehicles sold in the US be equipped with and all existing vehicles be retrofitted with manual starting devices and stripped of their electric starters. If a person is to have the responsibility of operating a motor vehicle we need to ensure they have the physical capability of doing so. If a person does not have the physical strength to manually turn over and start their vehicle with a hand or foot crank (or the mental foresight to park on a hill), do they have what it takes to safely operate that vehicle? Can a person with a small, fragile frame truly understand the problems associated with the maneuvering of a large mass such as a Winnebago or Hummer? Wouldn't they be better suited to a Vespa with a side-car? Or maybe a Schwinn.

We put safety caps on medications to prevent children and the enfeebled from consuming pills that could prove harmful to themselves and others. Shouldn't we do the same with our vehicles? And just think of the reduction in dependence on foreign oil when nobody is able to start their SUV!