Safety Inspections by Eric Peters

Safety Inspections by Eric Peters:

"One of the hallmarks of the Clover Mind is acceptance as an article of faith that most people are too dumb to do that which is in their self-interest without the prod of “the law.”

Vehicle safety inspections are a case in point. Many states require you to waste an hour or more (in some cases a lot more) of your time every year – for every vehicle you own – waiting in line to have the vehicle given a once-over at an Officially Authorized service station. In return for your time (and money) you get an ugly little sticker for the windshield, your permission slip (well, one of them) to continue operating the vehicle.

The argument, as presented by Clovers, is that people would never check their brakes, or drive around on bald tires, were it not for these annual safety inspections. In other words, people (in the Clovers’ worldview) are just too dumb to keep track of such things for themselves. And in a way, they’re right. But not for the reasons they think.

Cloverism breeds Clovers.

That is, the taking away of personal responsibility by “for your own good” laws tends to breed people (Clovers) increasingly incapable of exercising either personal initiative or personal responsibility. Instead, they Wait to be Told What to Do."