This got me to thinking how horrible an idea this is when licenses are suspended for reasons other then violating driving laws.
According to the reporter, "..some states have begun suspending driver’s licenses for unsatisfied debts stemming from any criminal case, from misdemeanors like marijuana possession to felonies.."
As the article goes on to point out it's no wonder so many people are driving while their license is under suspension. Seems to me the punishment doesn't fit the crime. It also seems to me if we take away someone's means to support themselves there's little chance they will ever have the opportunity to make good on the debts they owe. We must remember not all these people have alternative transportation available. Most employers won't hire someone without a car. Not everyone lives in a high density area where public transportation is readily available. Ever check out the bus schedules to where you work in the Lehigh Valley?
I have no problem taking away drivers privileges from jerks behind the wheel. I do have a problem with blackmailing people with the threat of removing their privileges on entirely unrelated matters. Taking away a persons means of a livelihood does neither they nor the persons they owe any good. It only serves to kick a person already down more then they need be. I find this to be not only revengeful but spiteful as well. Both should have no place in what we'd like to think of as justice within our system.
I dread to think how far this could go now that we've cracked this door open.
Just What If? Although Elon made the statement somewhat tongue-in-cheek it does cause someone to wonder. Let's take a few moments to consider this hypothesis.
It's an absolute fact data stored in strands of DNA forms all the cells in the human body. This is true from our toenails, to all our organs including the brain itself. Let's focus on the brain. All of us are born with a brain that already knows how to control the muscles in our heart, lungs, intestines and other vital organs. In a few weeks our vocal cords and eyesight begins to be further refined. Preprogrammed as it were.
So here we are now with a basic data unit in our head. With at least rudimentary information a human will need to get started. After that everything anyone will ever see, touch, smell or experience lie external to the grey blob residing in darkness within our skull. Everything it relies on for information comes only to it through external sensory inputs. I called it a grey blob because that's all it is. It's entirely dependent on data coming in from outside itself. It's entire function is to process those signals into something that makes sense.
Now let's go off the rails with this far out hypothesis Let's suppose someone wishes to create a artificial intelligence of some kind made up of biological material. The first step might be to form strands of chemicals (DNA) that would replicate and create the individual parts necessary to make it a self functioning unit. One that not only had intelligence but the capability of reproducing other units like itself so you didn't have to fret about storing your society's history and information. It could be possible our DNA contains hidden messages from our designers yet to be discovered. This until they felt the time would be be appropriate to reveal itself.
A important consideration. You'd want it to be intelligent but not too much so that it could become a threat and over take it's designers. In other words you would give it limited capacity. Even if it were capable of recognizing it's own existence it wouldn't be much more capable beyond that. Hopefully not either destroying themselves before such a time humans evolved enough enabling them to decode their creators' hidden messages. Could our purpose be to store information for beings currently beyond our comprehension?
Just for a hoot let's take this a step further You could design it's algorithms (brain) to support it's hypothesizes. In other words if enough of these organic units imagined something might exist it would become so due to it's in-common design. Oh let's say like a incomprehensively large unending universe or endlessly smaller masses disappearing into what only can be described as quantum theories. These are all so-called things it could conceive then perceive as it's physical reality.
Human understanding has always questioned reality and it's place in it. Perhaps this hypothesis can explain some of these mysteries. Scholars throughout the ages hinted all answers lie within. This most certainly would clarify what they were trying to tell us, wouldn't it?.
Crazy Talk? Perhaps--but as per usual I'll leave you some videos to ponder..
After millions of years why is it only in the last 30 or 40 years humans advanced this rapidly?
Could all be revealed soon?
I call this blog "Lehigh Valley Clancularius Introspectives" for a reason. It's because you'll never know what I come up with next. Please follow me via email (right sidebar) or through an RSS feed. Even if it's only one or two items you find of interest to you. Thanks, LVCI
TED Talks In this powerful, personal talk, author and academic Juan Enriquez shares stories from inside the immigration crisis at the US-Mexico border...
If this doesn't punch you in the gut nothing will.
Although these where made many years ago much of what they said still applies to this very day. We have a long way to go to change the direction this nation is headed. It's not time to celebrate but rather reflect on where we've gone wrong. To rededicate ourselves to realistically see what happening and turn things around before it's too late. To deny otherwise will not alter the fate to which we are advancing towards.
Here is some of the finest dancing to ever come out of Hollywood. These videos prove no matter the era, great dance chorography can live far beyond it's intended time.
