Elijah Friedeman, the Millennial Perspective

Nearly all Americans say sending a text message while driving should be illegal, and about half say texting while behind the wheel should be punished at least as harshly as drunken driving, according to a recent New York Times/CBS News poll.

Ninety-seven percent support the prohibition of texting while driving, an unusual level of agreement for any topic. Eighty percent also support a ban on talking on a hand-held cellphone while driving.

Fifty percent said the punishment for texting while driving should be just as severe as for drunken driving.

Now maybe it's because I'm sixteen, though I don't think that's the reason, but I absolutely disagree with the views of the large majority of people who responded to this poll poll, which would put me in the extreme minority of people in this nation. For clarifications sake, I have never texted while driving, so I'm not simply making my case because I'm already an offender. No, I think this poll shows a lack of contempt for personal responsibility and personal freedom.

One thing that strikes me about this poll is that polls have shown that more than two-thirds of people talk on cell phones whil driving, yet 80% in this poll have said it should be illegal. Hypocrisy much?

If the government is allowed to tell me not to text, because it could impair my ability to drive responsibly, where does it end? I'm sure there have been studies that have shown the chances of an accident go up while people are eating and driving at the same time. Should eating be banned while driving? What about listening to the radio? That certainly can't be conducive to safe driving. Talking with passengers in the car? That can certainly be distracting. If the government is allowed to tell me or you that we can't text while driving, where does its power over our lives end?

The government stepping in to dictate every facet of our lives takes away personal responsibility. People can and should utilize their God-given common sense to realize that texting while driving is detrimental to their performance on the road. If the government has to tell us to not text, why shouldn't they be able to tell us what to buy?

Personal responsibility and smaller government are both fundamental platforms that conservatives espouse. Since conservatives believe in these two stances, I have a hard time figuring out why 97% of Americans want more government involvement and less personal responsibility.

I don't oppose a ban on cellphone use while driving because I think texting and driving is a good idea. I oppose a ban because it goes against conservative principles that I hold.

I'm sure many of you will disagree with me (97% if this poll is to be believed). So you can contact me here: themillennialperspective@gmail.com