Ontario Cell Phone Ban

It might be free of charge to call 911 on your cell phone but don't get caught doing it while your car is in motion, or you could be the one facing charges.

Ever since the first cell phone was used by motorists in Ontario the controversy and debate over their use has been a hot topic. Does talking on a cell phone while operating a motor vehicle make you a worse driver and a hazard on the roads? I can't believe I'm going to say this but "yes it does".

Now let me explain that. I have been a regular user of my cell phone while driving since I first bought a cell phone some 12 + years ago. I have not had an accident. I have not caused an accident and I have not come close to being in an accident.

Maybe I've just been lucky but I honestly think what I stated in my blog post of March 10, 2007 still rings true today. People who are good drivers can operate a motor vehicle and converse on a cell phone at the same time. A bad driver is just made that much worse when they're talking on the phone or doing something other than paying attention to the road.

In case you hadn't heard, the Liberal government at Queen's Park will be introducing a long sought bill to ban not only cell phone use behind the wheel in Ontario, but all electronic distractions in your car.

The bill will be introduced at 1:45pm next Tuesday (Oct. 28/08).

It's not clear yet exactly what will be in the legislation, expected to be brought out for first reading by Transport Minister Jim Bradley, but there are reports it will prohibit all use of phones, BlackBerrys and GPS devices by drivers in this province, with the possible exception of hand's-free devices.

It appears the law will only apply to those behind the wheel and not passengers in the front or back seat.

If this becomes a law I will comply...but the Liberals (who I voted for last election) will not get another vote from me ever. Are they going to pay for the new $140 earpiece so I can still use my phone? I highly doubt it. That's right though, you'll still be able to talk on the phone...just not with the phone in your hand up to your ear. You'll be able to use one of those goofy looking in your ear dohickey's.

Don't get me wrong. I think it's a smart idea for drivers to not talk on the phone while driving but why should I be penalized for no reason. I haven't had a problem driving and talking. In fact, I've come closer to getting into a fender bender by trying to change the radio.

If it's a matter of pubic safety, then I'm all for it but why stop at cell phones and other hand held electronics. Lets stop all stupidity behind the wheel. Make the law cover drivers eating food or drinking beverages. How about women checking their make-up or applying lipstick. Why not ban talking to any of the passengers in the vehicle. That can be a distraction as well.

I am sick of the government meddling in my life and telling me what I can and can't do. It may be a good idea but this penalizes me when I haven't done anything wrong. My MPP has done nothing for me and while I like Lou Rinaldi as a person, I can no longer support him or his party of choice. I am a Liberal supporter no more!

So, while I'm driving my way to the electronics store to by a new hands-free Jawbone, I think I'll call Lou to tell him what I think of his boss Dalton.

Spanks But No Spanks

Just when I think the boneheads in the Canadian government can’t get anymore foolish and the Liberal Party can’t shoot themselves in the foot anymore, along comes another policy or item to prove me wrong.

A proposed law that could see parents charged for spanking their children is heading to the House of Commons after clearing a major hurdle in the Senate. Are these idiots serious? Now they want to tell parents how they can discipline their children. As if the youth of today isn’t in bad enough shape as it is, now the government is going to step in and screw the future of our county up even more than they have already.

I say leave the parenting to the parents. Do we really need to walk down the aisle of Walmart and see more parents counting to three in a futile attempt to stop a four-year-olds tantrum. “Stop it or I’ll count to three. One….two…three….OK, I’m going to count to three again and hope you stop screaming this time.” What a farce!

Before you pass judgement on me, let me clarify what I consider to be spanking. I feel like somewhat of an expert having felt the “hand of dad” many times in my youth. There is a difference between spanking and beating and if you don’t think there is, then you likely have bigger issues that I can’t help you with.

A spanking is quite simply a last resort. It’s an open-handed smack across the buttocks of a child. The spank is not at full force but just hard enough to get the point across that if you misbehave, you have to expect a consequence. I have to wonder how many of today’s young criminals were disciplined with the “Timeout” method. Of course now they’ve moved from the “Timeout” to simply just “Doing Time”.

Children today and in days gone by who were spanked aren't spanked on a whim. They catch hell when they cross a line that first started with dialogue and ultimately came to the bottom line when the child failed to take note of the direction or warning. The misbehaviour we see today in some of our youth is in no small part due to the desertion of time-honoured methods of discipline.

I certainly do not condone punching, pinching, beating or hitting anywhere else and any parents that subject their children to this cruelty deserve to be jailed. Does the government actually think a new law will stop them from doing it? Child abuse is already illegal but it happens any way.

They don’t call a spank a “love tap” for nothing and parents should never spank simply out of anger but as a way to discipline bad behaviour. I knew when I was spanked that I had done something wrong and you can bet I never did it again. I’d also say I turned out free of any emotional scars.

When did the Liberal government decide that they have the right to tell Canadian parents how to raise their children? I'm not saying everyone should spank their kids. And I don't think spanking is the first option when disciplining your children. But I don't think the government has the right to dictate what happens inside the individual Canadian family. Spanking is not abuse and a simple smack to the bottom isn't going to scar a child for life but it might teach them to be respectful and responsible for their actions....something many of today's youth are sorely lacking.

So what is this proposed law exactly? Bill S-209, which needs House approval to be made into law, proposes to eliminate Section 43 of Canada's Criminal Code, which allows parents, teachers and caregivers to use reasonable force to discipline a child and correct their behaviour. Liberal Senator Céline Hervieux-Payette first introduced the bill in December 2004, shortly after the Supreme Court denied a challenge to Section 43 and upheld the right of adults to physically discipline children between the ages of two and 12.

The Senate mulled over the bill for more than three years and in response to concerns, the bill was amended to allow parents and caregivers to use force in very specific situations — such as when a caregiver wants to immediately stop a child who is about to do something dangerous that could cause serious harm. Routine discipline and using spanking as premeditated punishment wouldn’t be allowed.

When I read this and hear that the Liberal Party is supporting it, it makes my decision quite easy come next election. I used to vote Liberal but the same mismanagement and poor decision making that lost them the power in the House of Commons and led to their electing their worst leader in the history of the party…Mr. Stéphane Dion, will undoubtedly lose them even more votes. The Liberal Party is quite simply a sinking ship in my mind and by supporting this new proposed bill, they’re just crashing into another iceberg.

If spanking is as terrible as its opponents make it out to be, how did millions of kids in Canada manage to survive and grow up normally throughout the past decades when it was common? If society wasn't so laissez-faire, kids weren't taught rights without responsibilities, and parents weren't scared of discipline we'd have fewer cases of out of control kids getting into far greater trouble than those of previous generations.

I am getting sick and tired of the continual government invasion in my life. The Conservatives want to tell us how and when I watch TV, listen to music, use the internet, etc. The Liberals want to tell us how to raise our children. Personally, I think they can all go to hell. The sad part is none of these politicians will be around in another 40 years to see how badly they really screwed things up. The good news is the messed up and undisciplined kids today will have their own even more messed up and undisciplined kids to deal with in the future. I believe they call that “poetic justice”.

Now if you you’ll excuse me, I’m probably going to be in trouble for writing this so I’m going to discipline myself. I just have to decide if I need a “time-out” or a “3-count”.