Rick Perry Slows Down Progress. Again.

            While Democrat and Republican legislators cannot seem to agree on any of the pressing issues facing them recently, one law seems to have gained almost complete bipartisan accord in the Texas House lately: a ban on texting while driving.  Texting while driving has been shown to affect a driver’s ability to safely control a vehicle, and has been responsible for numerous accidents, even deaths.  It is a risky, unnecessary act that many feel should be penalized in order to deter drivers from doing it.  As such, a law has been proposed to enforce a fine of up to $100 for any driver caught texting while driving.  A similar measure has been put into action in 39 other states, as well as 25 Texas cities (Austin being the first).  The statewide ban has received support from both political parties, and has been popular among a majority of legislators.  Nonetheless, the bill is expected to be vetoed by Governor Rick Perry.

                According to this editorial, Rick Perry is expected to veto this bill, much like he vetoed a similar bill two years ago.  While Perry does agree that texting while driving is dangerous and irresponsible, he does not feel it is the government’s duty to regulate what people do.  True to his small-government platform, Perry does not want the government to have the right to tell people what is and is not safe, calling the bill “a government effort to micromanage the behavior of adults”. 

                This editorial, written by the Editorial Board of the Austin Statesman, does a great job of not letting such a foolish comment and flimsy argument by Mr. Perry go unridiculed.  They point out that by encouraging or discouraging certain actions, managing behavior is exactly what laws are designed to do.  They also question his logic by questioning how laws prohibiting drunk driving or requiring seatbelts are legitimate but a law barring texting while driving is somehow “micromanagement”.

                While this editorial is aimed at Governor Rick Perry, imploring him to sign the texting ban bill when it makes it to his desk, the broader audience is readers who may still feel on the fence towards texting while driving.  Some readers may feel texting while driving is their right, and the government has no place in dictating their behavior; others may simply not be aware of how risky this behavior is.  The article presents hard facts and information from studies to provide indisputable proof that texting while driving causes accidents, and has been responsible for numerous deaths.  With such high credibility and impassioned plea in favor of a law that seemingly should pass through unquestioned, it is hard not to agree with the authors that the ban on texting while driving should be signed by Mr. Perry.