The Linear Canvas

Recently the US and the Ohio governments made the news by passing new requirements for phone number portability and concealed weapons that made me wonder who is in charge and what are they doing with their time besides this?

The Ohio concealed weapons bill that was passed by the legislature and sent to the governor was more curious to me as its effect would be on the smallest percentage of Ohioan’s. The few thousand that might sign up in Ohio to carry concealed weapons seems to be a waste of time for so much media and legislature attention. The people who would benefit don’t seem happy with the law any more than those that oppose it. The bottom line is although the moral intent of the law is to protect honest citizens, I fear the actual outcome, as often as not, will be to kill them either on purpose or by accident.

The telephone number portability issue enacted by the U.S. government was a right I didn’t know I needed. I personally think that sometimes it is a good idea to change your phone number for various reasons. In addition, if I put my home phone number on my cell phone, I would start getting the telemarketing calls and FAX machine spam calls that I get at home now, during an important meeting and/or all day long. Who is this really meant to help, telemarketers and bill collectors?

Both issues seem to me to be medicine looking for a disease. I don’t need a portable phone number. I don’t need to carry a concealed weapon. Who would be carrying one? Shouldn’t they have special license plates so I know not to flip them the bird after they cut me off on the freeway? None of my friends will be carrying a gun and very few will be going mobile with their home phone number or switching mobile carriers because of it. I would guess that most people will be able to say the same. Even most of the people who agree with the new gun law would never want to really carry a concealed weapon. I can’t believe any law enforcement officer is in favor of this either.

Why is the government wasting so much time on things that concern the least number of us? If I were rich, I’d bribe our elected government officials not to take bribes from special interests and do what’s right instead. It’s unfortunate their regular salaries don’t seem to be keeping them from it.