I have mixed feelings on that one, but I have to give a nod to Wyden here.

I do not have my work on a website because of the rampant disregard for copyright, and the extreme difficulty in prosecuting such for an individual. Sure, my work isn't seen widely but why would I want it to if what I get is copiers with no pay? What's left is ego and I don't give a whit about that.

I don't really see a connection between the two.

With the car scramblers, it's a battle between the cell phone lobby (which likes people using their phones in cars because those are additional minutes to be billed) and the auto insurance lobby (which doesn't like to have to pay out on accidents caused by dolts who shouldn't be trusted with burned-out matches, much less motor vehicles and communications electronics). It's only getting worse with the number of potential Darwin Award winners who feel that texting while driving is their birthright. Don't get me going with the morons who try watching video with their iPhones on the highway.

Speaking as someone who's avoided more than his fair share of accidents nearly caused by free-range Soylent Green that decide to make right-hand turns from the left lane while yammering away, and who makes a point of shutting off his phone when driving, I'd really like to believe that people would take personal responsibility to prevent this option from happening. I really would. The little "please don't text while driving" disclaimers in cell phone ads, sadly, are about as effective as the "Please drink responsibly" notices on Miller Genuine Draft ads. Sooner or later, some lower-income driver texting or talking is going to take out the child of some rich and powerful individual, and we'll all be punished in the aftermath.

Great idea. Your car has trouble on the freeway, and you have to pull over. But forget about using your cell phone to call for help. (And any number of other emergency situations.)

Look, I agree that people SHOULD NOT be using their phones while driving. Is GPS less distracting? But how about personal responsibility instead of government control? Maybe the government can find a way to prevent us from the distraction of picking our noses while driving, too? That does involve using one hand. Oh, and that thing Mayor Creepy does while driving...

What a great idea:
* prevent people from reporting crimes they see while driving.
* Trapped in your car after an accident - LaHood doesn't want you to be able to call for help.
* Trapped in a snow bank - freeze to death.
* Heart attack in the car - try to crawl out before calling 911

LaHood is just another power hungry idiot. Isn't he also the one that wants us to waste our tine and money taking mass transit.

Isn't he the one who wants to heard us into little smart cage condos to stop sprawl?

Just another example of government being the problem.
BTW, neither party really protect our rights, they just have different sets of rights they protect.

Thanks
JK

Ray Lahood, Federal Transportation Administration, should be fired. His ulterior motive might be to fry people with radiation. Fry them and ask questions later.

Too much government is what I say.

Becoming a damn nanny state. I'd like to see examples about the infringement of copyright websites - how significant?

And, as to distracted drivers - what percentage are phones, GPS, etc.? Does Lahood also plan to ban newspapers, lipstick, cups of coffee, fast food and passenger children under the age of 16 from cars? I'm with the Repubs on this one - there are some places in government we could cut severely.