Dear Honorable Congressperson;
Is it not flat immoral to tell people how they may – or may not – use the fuel which they buy?? Yet, that is precisely what any effort to lower speed limits in the name of energy savings would presume do. No matter how much (or little) a person may otherwise do to conserve fuel, a lowered speed limit would force them to perform that politically-determined conservation measure, every time they drive on a highway.
One should never ask the government to tell their neighbor to do (or not do) anything which they are not willing to ask of their neighbor, face-to-face, should they?
Among other harms in mandating a lower speed limit to save fuel, such a decree de-values the time of people’s lives – saying in effect that the extra travel time they spend isn’t worth as much as the fuel savings. Does anyone have the right to impose by force of law their idea of the value of their neighbors’ time?
And apart from these ethical considerations, remember Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, where the scope of Congressional legislative authority is spelled out. Every one of the seventeen specific subjects of Article 1 Section 8 is about affairs involving relations between two or more of the States, between one or more(or all) of the States and another country, or a few other specifically-designated matters best dealt with uniformly nationwide. None of these “federal” subjects has anything to do with any ordinary affairs, which are to be handled independently by each state .
Many people who were active volunteers in Ron Paul’s Presidential campaign this year remain highly alert and quite active, working to restore a much stricter observance of Constitutional principles by all parts of the federal government – especially the legislative and executive branches. They’re watching their Representatives, and likely would notice any attempt to sneak something as odious to them as another federally-mandated highway speed limit past! Now there are websites like OpenCongress.org . So it’s much easier to keep an eye on their Representatives these days – and to detect and expose parliamentary maneuvering & other such “shenanigans”!
Please realize that any action, whether a procedural maneuver or overt vote, which you may make in support of any Congressional attempt to re-impose any “Federal” speed limit (of whatever numerical value), or your participation in any other Congressional action which could result in lower speed limits on any highways, is likely to be noted, and widely publicized among your Constituents.
Also, better be sure to read and understand the entire contents and impact of every matter you vote on! (which you’re doing already, right?). And like the Honorable Dr. Ron Paul, always ask first, “is this activity specifically authorized by the Constitution?” If not, you know what you must do on it.
Thank you!
Note: During the last 3 days of July (2008), the above letter, together with several other documents including the contents of companion page 55-1, was delivered in person by Technosteria’s founder to 98% of the Senators’ offices, and about 80% of the Members’ of the House offices.
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